Here’s an intriguing news item straight out of left field. DxO, known professionals for their photo software for testing optical quality, has announced an add-on camera for iPhones that will get you 20 megapixels and raw shooting in a small device DxO says will perform like a full sized DSLR.
The camera, called the DxO One is slated to ship in the fall, will sell for $599.00 and pre-orders are already being taken.
The device plugs into your lightning connector on your iPhone or iPad, and uses your screen as a sophisticated viewfinder. The camera can be used without the iPhone connection, but you’ll have to use a small optical viewfinder to set your shot.
The DxO One has a 1” sensor, can take photos at ƒ1.8 and shoot 1080p video. It has it’s own RAW format for images, which need to be stored on the DxO cameras MicroSD card. JPEGs can be stored directly on your iPhone.
Batteries are contained on the DxO one, and are reported to last for about 200 photos. According to the company, Apple has been closely involved in the design of the camera, and as yet, there is nothing being said about an Android version. (Another reason to love your iPhone). The camera will require a free iOS app to run it when attached, and it launches as soon as the camera is plugged in to your iPhone.
The DxO weighs only 3.8 oz. and it’s 2.65 inches tall. It’s dwarfed in size by an iPhone 6. DxO says the camera will have a full range of adjustments, just what you would expect from a full-sized DSLR.
DxO says the camera has an ISO range of 100 up to 51,200, and it includes a SuperRAW mode which takes 4 individual RAW frames and assembles them when connected to a Mac or PC using a USB 2.0 port.
This is a really interesting development. I don’t see Apple having an internal camera with these kinds of specs anytime soon. If Apple planned that, the DxO One wouldn’t exist, since Apple is cooperating.
It’s certainly a smaller package than any DSLR, even when the DxO One is attached to an iPhone. I think that people’s hesitation will be about the price and whether they ant to carry something separate from their iPhone. As we all know, the iPhone has become a major player in the consumer area, and of curse many pros are using iPhones and getting terrific results.
The DxO shows some very fresh thinking from a well respected company that is really respected by pro photographers.
We’ve asked for a review sample, and I’ll certainly have some thoughts when I get the camera in my hands.
The company is taking pre-orders now and expects a September ship date.
I consider this an exciting development for iPhoneographers, and the photography field in general
Stay tuned.