Best of camera buddies

The Sony DSC-QX10 is a new compact digital camera designed to look like a lens and it will work with your smartphone. You can capture good-quality photos and instantly share them with your online social-media friends.

The QX-10 will store snapshots on a microSD card and send a copy to your smartphone for editing and sharing.

This is the younger sister in the QX series. The more expensive QX-100 has higher resolution and better quality and will be reviewed here later.

The QX10 boasts 18.2-megapixel resolution and a 10x optical lens with 25 to 250mm focal length in 35mm photography. The lens’ aperture is f/3.3 at the widest focal length and can be scaled down to f/5.9 at full telephoto focal length.

The camera looks like a lens barrel with dimensions of 62.4x61.8x30mm. It has a compartment at the bottom for a rechargeable infolithium battery. There’s a slot for a microSD card and buttons for zooming in and out and releasing the shutter. There’s also a USB micro-port for charging the battery. The bottom can be mounted with a smartphone attachment unit.

The QX10 is a fully functioning camera except that there are no other controls and no display. You need an Android or iOS smartphone as a viewfinder and controller.

What it does have is a built-in Wi-Fi adapter. The camera functions as a Wi-Fi hotspot for your smartphone. The password for connecting is printed under the battery cover. If your phone has NFC (near field communication), connecting will be a breeze.

You simply tap the back of the phone on the top of the QX10, where it says NFC, and the connection is automatic. If your phone hasn’t been installed with Sony PlayMemories Mobile, the connection will prompt for the download and install the app. PlayMemories Mobile controls the camera and displays what the lens sees on your phone display.

The QX10 can operate separately from your phone or can be mounted on the phone with an attachment unit at the camera’s base. When not mounted, you can put it on a tripod and take a self-portrait with your phone.

There are three exposure modes on the QX10 – Intelligent Auto, Superior Auto and Programme Auto (P). Unlike a normal camera, this P mode allows changes only to the exposure and white-balance settings, not the shutter speed or aperture value.

The QX10 uses a tiny Exmor R CMOS sensor, which is back-illuminated so you can get good quality even in low light.

In my test I got some nice images (for a compact) in Intelligent Auto mode. In Superior Auto mode the QX10 readily handled complex lighting such as back-lit subjects by taking a few shots and combining the best of each into one. I shot portraits indoors and was pleased with the results. Photos are stored on the microSD card and a copy is sent to your phone for sharing, assuming your phone has 3G or 4G ability. You can choose original size or two megapixels.

The linkage to a smartphone might make it seem that there’s a slight lag when taking photos. But there’s no delay in the actual capture, just in making a copy of the image for the phone. 

With the QX10’s limited functions and features, it’s best for those who are happy with image quality that’s decent enough for quick sharing online.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX10 retails for Bt6,990.

 

Key specs

_ Image sensor: 18.2 megapixels 1/2.3-inch Exmor R CMOS sensor

_ Image engine: Bionz image processor

_ Lens: Sony G Lens 10x optical zoom 25-250mm equivalent with F3.3 (W), F5.9 (T) aperture

_ Shutter Speeds: iAuto (4 - 1/1600) / Program Auto (1-1/1600)

_ Exposure Compensation: +/- 2.0 EV, 1/3 EV step

_ Exposure Settings: Superior Auto, Intelligent Auto, Program Auto

_ ISO: ISO100-3200 (iAuto), ISO100-12800 (Superior Auto), ISO100-1600 (Program Auto)

_ AF Modes: Multi Point AF / Touch AF

_ Battery Type: Infolithium NP-BN (3.6V), Approx. 200 images

_ Power Consumption (in Operation): 1.1W

_ Video Mode: MP4 – 12M (1440 x 1080, 30 fps)

_ Media Type: Memory Stick Micro / microSD Memory Card / microSDHC Memory Card

_ Dimensions (Approx.): 62.4x61.8x30mm

_ Weight: With Battery and Memory Stick Micro 105g