Last month we entertained rumors of a smartphone accessory from Sony that's best described as a "lens camera." The device would attach to the back of your phone and transform the handset into a true digital camera. A crude, low-resolution rendering and a general description was all we had to go on at the time yet as it turns out, the lens camera is very real.
SonyAlphaRumors just got their hands on the first high-resolution photos of Sony's upcoming lens cameras. As previously alluded to, the lens camera is a self-contained unit that consists of a camera lens, a sensor, processor, wireless connectivity hardware and an SD card slot. The kit magnetically attaches to your smartphone or tablet and transforms the device into a high-end digital camera.
We're told that Sony will soon be launching two different lens cameras. One will feature the RX 100MII sensor - the same one used by the Nikon 1 system - and a Zeiss lens while the other will include a 10x zoom lens with an 18-megapixel CMOS sensor which is the same lens and sensor found on the Sony WX150.
A device of this type would be a completely new take on photography, especially if you were to use the lens as a standalone camera. You could still use your smartphone as a viewfinder and shutter button without it being attached. The possibilities are truly limitless.
The publication lists the rumor as almost certainly correct and based on the included images, I'd have to agree with them. They didn't have a definitive date for the announcement although September 4 was singled out as a possibility.