Photophile is still alive. And apparently, so is Sony. When Sony Alpha Rumors leaked the QX last month, this photographer pulled a meh face. Why attach a lens to a smartphone?
Why not just take a small ILC camera out instead? A dedicated camera will take better pictures and have better control of defocus, shutter speed, ISO, and so on.
The answer can be found in the above video, though by now, it should be obvious to all of us.
It is the smartphone.
The QX works in conjunction with, not in lieu of, the smartphone. It connects via WiFi. Your smartphone is its screen. Your smartphone is its image developer. Your smartphone is its share point. Your smartphone is its central nervous system. The QX merely extends your smartphone's functionality. You do not have to change carriers, or buy a new phone.
Smartphone photographers take a lot of images of pets, flowers, and kids. The QX will get you closer, lower, and put you there more naturally. It's easier to smile at a bit of lens than at a squinting, squatting daddy. Give the lens to your kids and snap away. Prop it way back on the mantelpiece for family snaps and frame with your smartphone. Pass the QX around at parties, at the club, at school, and snap away with your smartphone when the moment strikes.
The QX goes where even the smallest of cameras cannot, and because you can use the smartphone to frame your shot, the lens becomes an extension of your hand, leaving your eyes free to frame without the acrobatics that have until now, been necessary to 'get the shot'.
Samsung banked on the Galaxy NX, an expensive Smartcamera that, whose painful lack of buttons yields it less wieldy than a camera; and because it is large, isn't convenient as a smartphone.
The QX will work better with spontaneous moments than any camera will. It gives creative directorship to the subject. It will help share moments.
The QX isn't a professional accessory, but won't stop professionals from using it and making money with it. Amazon pre-orders have already skyrocketed
The QX isn't small. It isn't cheap. It doesn't do RAW. It won't allow you to change shutter speed, ISO, and a slew of other options. But it is detachable. It does have stabilisation. But best of all, it extends the reach of your phone. It does not act independent of it.
It seems to be exciting. Already it is the most pre-ordered Sony camera in history.
DPreview's Connect calls the QX a "little of both" smartphone and interchangeable lens camera. Check out their hands-on article. The comments are worthwhile, too.