Reminder: At 17:000 Berlin time you will be able to follow the QX lens camera announcement live on SonyAlphaRumors!
SonyAlphaRumors is a small website that usually focuses on Sony A and E-mount cameras and lenses. But these cameras never have been as popular as Canon and Nikon. But for the first time in 15 years Sony is about to break all records with the new QX Lens Camera announcement. According to multiple sources almost all big stores from Asia, Europe and North America already preordered more QX cameras than any other A or E-mount, Cybershot or RX cameras released before. These are the info I got from them:
1) All major US and EU stores preordered more QX100 and QX10 cameras than any other Sony camera before (in terms of item numbers and large stock preorders from stores (not from single buyers)).
2) Most stores will be highly active in showing and promoting the new QX lenscameras. Example: See the Mediamarkt homepage right now (Mediamarkt is one of the largest Tech stores in Europe!).
3) Some of the sources said the great thing about the QX camera is that is unique. The current lens kits for smartphone (here at Amazon US) cannot compete with QX in terms of image quality and versatility. The new QX lenscameras are seen as the best way to “replace” the dying compact camera market. And stores are looking forward to sell QX to cover the “loss”.
4) Most store owners told me that the QX lenscameras are priced right. Usually companies tend to over price their new products, particularly if it’s something with little or no competition o market. But the QX100 for example is priced $250 below the RX100MII camera ($748 at Amazon) that has exactly the same lens can sensor!
5) Sony will focus on delivering specific accessories for the most popular cameras. For example there will be special iPhone cases with built-in lenscamera mount. I have been told the Playmemory APP is very basic but it will be improved in time.
Here are the most important specs on the new QX lenscameras:
There will be two QX cameras now, the QX10 and QX100. More QX cameras to be annouced early 2014. Body material of the QX cameras is plastic. They have built-in Stereo Mic, Contrast Detection AF, Touchfocus AF (on smartphone), face detection. QX100 has 20.2 Megapixel and ISO 160-6000. QX10 has 18.2 Megapxiel and ISO 100-12,800, both with WiFi and NFC connectivity, tripod mount, FullHD, has microSD slot, shoots JPG (no RAW available), in lens stabilization, and you can control zoom, exposure, white balance, and focus on your mobile device.
The QX10 costs $250 and lens and sensor are from the Sony WX150 ($400 on Amazon).. QX100 costs $500 and lens and sensor are from the RX100MII camera ($748 at Amazon).
See you at SonyAlphaRumors.com at 17:00 Berlin time!!! Preorder links and reviews will be posted here as soon as I find them!
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Reminder (SR = Sonyrumor):
SR1=probably fake rumor
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68 Responses
I think it has a lot of applications in creative filmmaking, it is essentially a gopro since it can be mounted, not to mention the stabilized lens
There’s the Sony Action Cam for that…
I hope this helps Sony survive… reduce the losses etc
so they better stop making A and E mount camera and go on with these toys! 😉
These cameras are from Sony’s Cybershot division, which is separate from the Alpha division. The product is meant to replace falling sales of Sony compact cameras.
However, the Alpha guys do have to work hard to keep up.
+1… this tells us which way is this crap company
Who are you? Because this is not me…
Hendricked maybe?
I thought he was gone. But he is totally stealing my identity here… What to do?
So… How long ’til we see the first Q-NEX? (“Quirky Next generation E-mount eXperience”?)
Nice, really impressive 🙂
So what’s the theme song for today? Sony dumps RX and E-mount deciding to focus on QX line? In late 2015 they’ll go for native EOS, F and m4/3 mounts? All of the Nikon and Canon photographers rush for QX cameras?
Remember – it’s better than adapters! You can have 1 phone and many different sensor/bayonet combinations that are MUCH cheaper than anything in A, E and RX series! Imagine Full Frame priced ~850$!
Put the bong down
The truth is that physics are physics and camera phones will always be limited in the optical quality regardless of the sensor quality, because there is no room for a high quality lens. So attachments like the QX cameras will be the solution for short and medium term, until curved sensors and other physics-defying tricks can be reliably manufactured.
Now imagine a module like that, only with interchangeable lenses. Say: m4/3 bayonet to start with. Suddenly problem with physics doesn’t exist.
Yes, ergonomic value of that will be awful, but in recent 2-3 years we’ve found out that ergonomics don’t matter, so heck – go for it Sony!
The prices for these QX cameras are not much more than for a typical E mount lens on its own. I think they would be better doing a range of complete QX cameras with different lenses.
Don’t compare it with a lens. Compare it with a camera. m4/3, E, A or any other bayonet QX camera would essentially replace NEX offering much better compatibility with native lenses from respective systems than any NEX ever will. As basically you can have AF module, sensor and bayonet tailored to the needs of a certain camera system.
And everything for much lower price because you don’t sell all of the hardware and software that NEX or any other camera body has.
Are you kidding ? What is the distance/depth between the flange and sensor on an M43 camera ? 19.5mm, that is twice the depth of a today’s smartphone. The smallest is Pentax Q flange at 9mm, it would mean a smartphone with a Pentax Q flange would have to be at least 12-14mm in depth, which is still huge.
No, I’m not kidding.
If you are concerned about the size:
FYI: That would still make it smaller than a full size camera using the same bayonet.
What I would have liked is a small QX camera with large sensor and the compromise of no zooming. But I suppose I can settle to QX100 is nothing else is available.
However, watch for Samsung…they copy everything, give them 3 more months and the QNX-100 and QNX-10 are here 🙂
Yes, I alreayd have a rumor about a Smasung clone! No joke!
LOL
Samsung – I’m speechless.
Really hope Sony got patents on that and lawsuits will follow. The more companies punish dumb copy&pasting that Samsung does all the time the better.
The competition is good. Let others innovate in this space. I hope Samsung pushes Sony to stay sharp on their game
There is a huge difference between stealing someone idea and coming up with a fresh idea. Only the latter would promote a healthy competition.
Wonder if it has RAW support…? 😛
This is why Sony need to keep new products secret for as long as possible.
from what I hear companies know the roadmap from other companies. They don’t need to read rumor sites. I am 100% sure Sony knows what is Samusng plans for the next 12 months and vice versa.
So i herd Samsung is bringing out some really interesting stuff, an samsung s99 aka (sony a99), new samsung phone, called iSamsung (Iphone). Can’t wait for the samsung film movie studios… i wonder how many samsung products live/work for more than a year.
Did Samsung Canon Nikon know about Sony’s RX1 12 months before release?
I think they did, but at the same time they were thinking that with modern day craziness for interchangeable lenses noone will care about it.
Came out they were wrong.
That module may come in the future you know? I believe that Sony is double whamming these with economies of scale. It will help the bottom line, it may help our bottom line, to have these produced in such volume that it eventually it becomes a true bargain whether it would be a module or a full camera.
no RAW??? all hopes are ruined now 🙁
No RAW?
Most people who will buy these lenses think RAW means sushi.
😉
Now every smartphone can have interchangeable lens.
Yup FF smart phone with a Zeiss 35 1.8 is next
Is it just me or a 3N with 16-50 is a fair deal smaller ??
But you still have to carry your phone
Oh my god! Carry that insane heavy smartphone!
Its nearly unbearable like the 200g gramm for an SLT
An insult of humanity!
“The new QX lenscameras are seen as the best way to “replace” the dying compact camera market”
I bet they’re going to be disappointed. There are to reasons why smartphones are used instead of compact cameras : connectivity and convenience.
As far as connectivity is concerned, since they’re connected via Wifi, why was it necessary to give them this specific body shape instead of implementing it within a normal compact camera body ? Any camera with Wifi could be connected to a smartphone in a similar way.
As far as convenience is concerned : we use our smartphones as cameras because they’re always there, right in our pocket or at the top of the pile of things we put in our bags. Is this new way to take pictures really convenient ? You’ll have to remove the camera body from the case, stick it to your phone, switch it on, open the app, wait for the connectivity to be activated, take a picture, and then guess what ? Because your phone won’t no longer go in your pocket, you’ll have to switch the QX module off, unstick it, put it back in its case and put the case back in your bag. All this will take just as much time if not more than picking up your compact camera, switching it on, taking a picture, putting it back in your bag. In addition you’ll have to make due with a phone that wasn’t really intended to be used as a camera body in the first place – I guess the ergonomics and UI will be terrible – although it probably won’t be much worse than most compact cameras which have horrible UI most of the time anyway.
Totally agree!
I would need two extra hands to operate that awkward system…
I rather take the RX100 out of my pocket, click, snap and back to my pocket.
Btw. I also don’t use no smartphone as I hate phones I can’t operate with one hand. Fck that. The gadgets are here to serve me, not the other way!
So, Ok. maybe a lot of dumbos will buy this toy, but after a few times it will be left alone at home and later sold on ebay, this stupid awkward thing…
Totally agree !! It looks fairly awkward and unconvenient to me. A small, capable compact cam, or a very high end smartphone, look like much easier options. Really not interested…
Similar statements were made about playing songs on your phone vs a mp3 player.
“Similar statements were made about playing songs on your phone vs a mp3 player.”
I believe you’re mixing up the iPod and the iPhone. Nobody doubted in 2007 for one second that people would prefer to use the touchscreen on their iPhone to play songs instead of the scroll wheel, especially as flash memory capacity was bound to increase.
As far as the 2001 iPod is concerned, it’s just Apple being Apple and giving the green light to a product because they already knew it had a competitive advantage over other forms of MP3 or portable CD players of the time (capacity over flash based MP3 players, compactness and capacity over portable CD players), and of course iTunes integration.
These cameras, though, so far, have nothing over regular cameras or smartphones. But maybe could you enlighten me on how they could gain a competitive advantage over other devices in the future ?
Re: MTLAB
1) lots of people doubted the touchscreen on the iPhone as many thought the large touchscreen would kill battery life, negating any benefit.
2) in 2001 when the iPod was launched, it did NOT integrate with iTunes, it used a different 3rd party software to sync. I was there 🙂
3) these new lens cameras have lots over standard point and shoots, which is their target. App integration, small size and high quality, all features you can’t get on a $200 camera. Another side benefit is that if you buy the new iPhone/galaxy, you can still use your old lens camera.
“these new lens cameras have lots over standard point and shoots, which is their target. App integration, small size and high quality, all features you can’t get on a $200 camera. Another side benefit is that if you buy the new iPhone/galaxy, you can still use your old lens camera.”
App integration : as I’ve just written, this could easily be implemented on any other kind of camera with Wifi. This specific design isn’t needed to achieve this goal.
Small size : It still remains way too big for you to keep the modules attached to your phone at all time. So you’ll store them separately (and anyway, you won’t want to look like an idiot when taking phone calls with a cylinder sticking out of your ear). BUT because they lack a screen, you’ll always have to use both your phone and these modules in tandem for the concept to work, meaning you’ll have to have both the phone and the module switched on, connected via Wifi, battery fully charged. It’s just as if you couldn’t keep your A99 with the lens attached in your bag and had to put the lens on every single time you wanted to take a picture and put it off every time you wanted to put the camera in your bag. This is not convenient at all, which makes this product unsuitable anyway as a way to counteract the smartphone takeover in this market segment where convenience or practicality is a major factor.
High quality : nor better nor worse than the compacts they’re derived from, which you’ll still be able to buy.
“all features you can’t get on a $200 camera” : the only reason why they’re cheaper is because they don’t have a body and a screen, in other words, because they’re worse. They’re like the small cheap notebooks that sold in millions for two or three years top and then which sales collapsed when the iPad was introduced : as these were notebooks made cheap because they were worse (smaller screen, smaller keyboard, cheap plastic, bad battery life, bad performances), these are compact cameras made cheaper than their original counterparts because they’re just worse (less parts, and important ones at that if you care in the slightest about practicality).
“you can still use your old lens camera” : 1) we’ll see about it when it comes to software obsolescence, 2) if you have a regular compact or mirror less camera, you can still use it even if you change your phone, as it’s always been the case since the camera or the phone were invented.
So basically, what you’re doing is saving between $150 and $300 for something that’s massively inconvenient and impractical to use, and I bet you’ll soon stop using it meaning you will in fact loose the difference between the price you paid for it and the price you’ll sell it for on the bay.
The audience for this product are not mirrorless owners, or full frame enthusiasts. This is an attempt to reclaim the above average casual shooter. This is for people who want to post pictures that are nicer than selfies on instagram.
To further this, think about people that want a smaller/larger screen to use with their camera. You want a 3 inch screen, use your galaxy mini. How about a gigantic live view on a galaxy tab 10.1. Think of this flexibility when trying to understand the audience.
“The audience for this product are not mirrorless owners, or full frame enthusiasts.”
Of course it isn’t. But my whole point is that you won’t be able to use this camera in a way that makes it any better than a mirror less or compact camera connected to your smartphone via Wifi.
“This is an attempt to reclaim the above average casual shooter. This is for people who want to post pictures that are nicer than selfies on instagram.”
Sony attempts a lot and succeeds little in comparison. Sony’s imaging division graveyard is littered by still-born concepts that cost the company in valuable R&D. So Sony would be better off stop attempting and starting to succeed.
It obviously is aimed at somebody who wants something better than its Smartphone’s camera. But then again, (I feel like I’m repeating myself), if better means something that isn’t any more practical to use than a normal compact or mirror less connected via Wifi to your Smartphone, why then buying this ? In fact it’s going to turn out to be so impractical I’m ready to bet people will quickly put it in a drawer and never use it again.
“To further this, think about people that want a smaller/larger screen to use with their camera. You want a 3 inch screen, use your galaxy mini. How about a gigantic live view on a galaxy tab 10.1. Think of this flexibility when trying to understand the audience.”
I’m already picturing this. People embarrassing themselves not just by taking pictures with their iPad, but by doing so with their iPad and a small cylinder in the other hand. BTW, since both of your hands are busy holding your kit camera, how do you press the shutter ? It isn’t exactly like an iPad is a very handy device to operate with one hand. “Just put it on a tripod”. Does it have a tripod mount ? I believe no, but no doubt adapters will follow… at a $79 price tag, undoubtedly already eating up the price difference between these and the normal cameras they’e made from.
Frankly, it makes a tremendous lot of sense to connect your camera to your smartphone. But it makes no sense at all to do this with this kind of camera – a regular camera would do the job much, much better.
The reasons I can think of why you may want to connect your camera to your phone are :
1) quickly transfer photos to social medias
2) using your phone’s screen as the mother of all articulated screen.
With this concept Sony apparently think that there’s a third reason : to use the screen as the way to interact with the camera and to actually frame and take pictures with it. I believe I’ve already demonstrated the impracticality of this idea.
As for 1), a regular camera that syncs to Sony’s app on your phone would do the job much better.
And as for 2), which is a brilliant thing to do, well, would you buy a camera JUST and only for this application ? Because for all others, a regular RX100II would do much better.
I can think of other reasons (possibly in the future updating your firmware on the go, or stuff like that) but yet again these are applicable to all kinds of Wifi connected cameras.
I’m pretty sure these will sell fairly well at first… as a novelty item (and a rather expensive one at that). And then people will realise how inconvenient they are, and resell them.
“I don’t want to live in this planet anymore”
QX Full Frame E-mount! Please Please Please
Keep dreaming.
If QX100 is represented as this from the body of the RX100, imagine how large would it be not only a FF module, but also interchangeable mount.
just give the Nex FF NFC+wifi and you’re home…
+1.
Actually: even better. Release a series of sensors with different bayonets (say: APS-C E-mount, FF A-mount, 4/3 m4/3 mount, and so on – with whoever would agree to sign a contract). I’d be amazing. Especially because most likely prices of these modules would be a killer against fully fledged cameras.
QX100 is a nice idea but is not so small as intended
QX100 is 62,5 × 62,5 × 55,5 mm, 179g (without mount), 500$
RX100 is 101.6 x 58.1 x 35.9mm, 240g, 500-550$
Looking at specs of QX100 you can notice the lack of many features of RX100 so if you are not a real selfie 🙂 then QX100 is the 2nd option
Cámaras QX magnifica idea, que supera con creces la linea que va reemplazar, por lo tanto no le exijamos mas que un excelente rendimiento, en su segmento. y en eso al parecer van con ventajas. En un mes más ya tendremos las opiniones de los usuarios.
An interesting anecdotal take on the QX.
Three couples having a dinner at some friends and I showed the video. A bit to my surprise the verdict on the QX fell straight on gender lines with the women thinking that it’s a great idea with an emphasis on the practicality of the solution, such as form factor and wireless viewfinder but also liked the same quality as full-fledged counterparts at cheaper price and the fact that the phone being the interface made it easier to send pictures to social media or by email. On the other hands the guys were not interested. We are skeptical of the form factor and felt that you can get the full fledged counterpart for not that much more in the end and get RAW in the process.
In summary we felt that it was a poor camera and low value for money while our wives thought that it was a fantastic phone accessory which was of reasonably priced given the quality of the outputs and versatility it provided.
I can see why the retailers are excited. They love an upsell-able product that they can companion sell.
People doing wedding videos (and videos of that sort) will love the RX100. For video purposes, assuming the videos are at least as good as the RX100, I can see plenty of uses for this type of camera. If Sony comes out with a remotely controllable powerzoom model, watch out! I think looking at this strictly as a camera misses the point somewhat. It’s a creativity barrier buster, which we all can use.
“The QX100 costs $250 and lens and sensor are from the Sony WX150 ($400 on Amazon).. QX10 costs $500 and lens and sensor are from the RX100MII camera ($748 at Amazon).”
Mixed up the model no? Isn’t it QX100 the higher model?
OMG the video is a real deterrence :-/
Expected outcome as this is really a very interesting product, but I believe many will buy now and regret later…
Going to be interesting to see just how stable folks can hold these for photography. Otherwise it motion blur for everything.
Sony should drop NEX for this. No one can use third party lenses on it and for each focal length a new camera to buy. With NEX Sony often only makes money off the camera body, this way they can make money off the system, whatever that is.
However, until they can put out a superzoom version like the HX300 there will still be a market for other cameras.
How is it the most pre-ordered camera in history when it’s not out for pre-order? Your sources are on drugs.
Try reading the article, dummy. The answer is right there.
LOL HILARIOUS!
Honestly, I just simply laugh at the reactions here. And the talk… No RAW! God sake! Two batteries! Wow! No aperture or ISO control! Yikes!
I think you first of all have to realize that none of the readers here, not even I myself are the customers at which the product is aimed. The people at which this product is aimed are all those smartphone photographers, and there is more than a billion of them out there. Only in the US you have above 100 million smartphone users. You see them going to sport events, shows, airports etc and making photos and videos in awfull quality and they secretly wish – if I could zoom in a bit to the subject. And now they have a chance. They dont care about raw, or any other thing. They want to make a neat picture and upload it to Facebook immediately. This is a solution. Even if it has its disadvantages, those people will see it as cool gadgets and buy it. My wife would buy it. Heck, even if Sony would target a conversion rate of just 1%, they would sell million units in the US alone. And I am sure, the conversion rate they will get will be way above 1%. We are talking about millions of units sold. No alpha, no Nex and no cybershot most likely ever reached sales of such levels.
Absolutely zero interest in this.
Yup, i’m in love with this at the first sight..