What if smartphones have camera lenses. This has already been tried

The idea for writing such material appeared when images of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept prototype with a mount for large lenses, as for mirrorless cameras, leaked to the network. As a base, they offered a Leica production option worth $6,000. The idea at first seemed absolutely incredible to me – as such, even if you do not look at the too high price. However, it is difficult to say that Xiaomi has shown something completely new – plus or minus similar commercial samples have already appeared on the market. I propose to first recall some of them, and then deal with the shortcomings of this approach.

Sony came up with a similar idea 8 years ago

Cameras in smartphones 10 years ago were quite mediocre both in terms of hardware and software processing. Most smartphones had sensor resolutions below 10 megapixels, and work on the modern capabilities of computational photography was only planned. It was then that the engineers had the idea to improve the quality of shooting through the use of large lenses, as for full-fledged cameras. Sony was one of the first to implement something similar: in September 2014, it showed an external lens ILCE-QX1 that could be fastened to a smartphone. The device could be used not only with the complete one, but also with other manufacturer’s lenses.

The Sony ILCE-QX1 accessory, by and large, was almost a full-fledged camera with a battery for battery life, a slot for memory cards, and a tripod mount. There was not only a screen, the role of which was just supposed to be a smartphone. Interestingly, it was possible to use not only Sony gadgets, but also smartphones from other manufacturers, including the iPhone. It was enough just to download the application and connect to the accessory via Wi-Fi. However, all this sounded so simple only in theory. In practice, the process was quite lengthy and did not always end in success (after trying to connect, you could get an unknown error and the need to try again). Therefore, the owners of the Sony ILCE-QX1 did not always use a tricky device – especially if the picture needed to be taken quickly.

ToAnyone who has used the Imaging Edge application with any compatible Sony camera should understand how unstable the Japanese manufacturer’s software can be. Approximately the same “good” with smartphones worked external camera-lens ILCE-QX1.

Many other companies wanted to implement a similar idea.

Olympus was considered Sony’s main competitor during the development of mirrorless cameras. She did not wait until the concept of external lenses for smartphones became popular, and soon after ILCE-QX1, already in 2015, she released her vision – the Air A01 gadget. The device had a similar form factor: a standalone lens camera with a memory card slot and a tripod mount. There were not so many differences: firstly, more third-party lenses could be used with it; secondly, Bluetooth was used for pairing instead of Wi-Fi, which guaranteed an easier connection. The second model Olympus never released – apparently, because the device did not achieve commercial success.

Vendors less known to the average user also wanted to do something similar. Among the most successful solutions are Yongnuo YN43 and Vivitar IU680. However, it is impossible to call them commercially successful even with a strong desire. The first one was still on sale for some time, the second, in principle, disappeared from sight almost immediately after the presentation. By and large, ease of use – by no means quality – was and remains in the first place. That is why such devices ultimately did not become popular. According to personal observations, those who needed quality at that time chose full-fledged cameras, and not some kind of gadgets for smartphones.

Today Alice Camera wants to occupy a stable free niche

In 2020, a British startup announced Alice Camera. He decided to change the format of external camera lenses, adding artificial intelligence and computational photography to it. Otherwise, the device does not particularly stand out against the background of the proposals of Sony and Olympus, released 7-8 years ago. The need to connect to a mobile device on iOS or Android, a universal mount on a smartphone, which received separate physical controls and a comfortable grip almost like a full-fledged camera. The device was supposed to be released back in October 2021, but, like many other crowdfunding projects, it is traditionally delayed. Even at the end of 2022, it did not appear on sale, but the price is already known – about $ 850.

Of course, any conclusions about this gadget will need to be done only after it goes on sale. However, some of its disadvantages are already obvious today. Unlike vintage offerings from Sony and Olympus from the past, the Alice Camera does not use a wireless connection to a smartphone, which limits the number of scenarios for using the gadget – for example, taking a selfie of yourself and a company with a remote viewfinder right in your hands. The only thing this tricky device can really take is the really high quality of the pictures. However, I personally still have little faith that a small startup will be able to compete with Apple and Google’s computational photo technologies – even with much more impressive optical capabilities.

▶︎ Fact: the startup that develops Alice Camera is really serious. The device, for example, involves the use of a matrix from Panasonic Lumix GH5. This is one of the most popular cameras in the relatively mass segment, which is often used for shooting video.

Why is no such device successful?

It is obvious that Xiaomi 12S Ultra Concept, if it went on sale, would eventually face exactly the same difficulties as all the devices described above. It is quite possible that the device would photograph very well, but the mass of additional gestures would clearly alienate users. There are only a couple of main problems.

Ergonomics. Connecting and using large external lenses with smartphones is far from always convenient. To take a picture, you need to get an additional device from somewhere, and then connect it with a mobile device. All this takes time, and the best moment can be missed.

Dimensions. A modern smartphone fits perfectly into the pocket of shorts and can be used without restrictions in absolutely any conditions. To carry any large lens, you will already need some kind of bag – plus, you will intentionally have to take it with you with the hope of photographing something interesting.

Despite all the pessimism about such gadgets, it’s still great that manufacturers are trying to do at least something interesting, rather than churning out similar smartphones with absolutely no interesting features. Yes, and at least some kind of audience such a device will certainly find.

Source: NextPit.