News & Reviews:   Sony Cybershot DSC-QX10

The Sony DSC-QX series of wireless lens cameras initially had mounting frames for smartphones, and even then it could only fit the 5-inch and below sized smartphones. Sony recently added on a mounting frame for their Sony Xperia Z Ultra phablet and are working on a mounting frame for tablets soon as well. While the tablet mounting frame is designed for the Sony Xperia Tablet Z it should be large enough to fit most 10.1-inch tablets. So far, there isn't any specific name or Malaysia release date for the tablet mounting frames but it is priced at 3675 Yen (RM120). We expect to find them in Malaysia soon, but probably after the Sony Xperia Z Ultra camera frame is available. 

While it may have been one of those undiscovered things at CES 2014, the Sakar Vivicam UI680 certainly seems in line with other wireless lens cameras like the Sony Cybershot DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 along with the Kodak PixPro Smart Lens SL10 and SL25. However, a closer look at the setup shows that the lens module is both interchangeable and can fit on a flash module as well. The 10-30mm module for the Vivicam IU680 was seen previously as the Polaroid iM1836, again offered by Sakar International and looks to utilize DSLR lens. This would mean that the frame would be the one transmitting the WiFi signal and keeping the images which would give you a whole lot of more choices for lenses. However, Sakar International has been having problems bringing it to the market, so it seems unlikely that we'll see the Vivitar branded Vivicam IU680 anytime soon. Other tech specs, Malaysia release dates and pricing were not available but we'll keep an eye out for it, so stay tuned.

What started with a concept from WVIL and became realized with the Sony Cybershot DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 is now becoming a trend as Kodak has announced that they will also be coming out with their take on the wireless lens camera concept. These will be called the Kodak PixPro Smart Lens camera SL10 and SL25 and again be used to clip onto smartphones. The difference here is mostly in the price as the SL10 will go for $199 (RM659) while the SL25 will go for $299 (RM991). Available tech specs for the two camera lens include a 10x optical zoom and 28-280mm wide angle lens for the SL10 while the SL25 gets a 25x optical zoom and 24mm ultra-wide angle lens. Both lens cameras can capture 1080p video, will have built-in batteries and storage and have clip on frames. Both seem to have manual focus and zoom rings with WiFi connectivity but Kodak still hasn't revealed other tech specs and features. No specific Malaysian release dates were available just yet but Kodak is expected to reveal it in Q2 of 2014. For now, check out the pics and comparison table in this article.

Sony's Cybershot DSC-QX10 and DSC-QX100 wireless lens can improve photography immensely for almost any tablet or smartphone, provided the clip of the frame can fit. Since the clip can only reach 5-inches, this means a lot of larger phablets and tablets won't be able to clip the lens on, and this includes the Sony Xperia Z Ultra phablet. For this reason, Sony have created a QX lens camera case allowing you to clip on either the DSC-QX10 or the DSC-QX100. At first the Sony QX Lens case will only be available in Hong Kong, but it should eventually reach Malaysia. The QX Lens case will be priced at 238 Hong Kong dollars (RM100) which doesn't sound too bad at all.