Focusing On Sony’s Mobile Lens
Traveling with nothing but an iPhone is very convenient (weight-wise) since I don’t have to lug a huge SLR camera around, but at the same time, I don’t always capture the highest-quality photos.
Sony came out with the perfect combination of the two with its Cyber-shot QX100 and Q10 lens-style cameras, which are both a Wi-Fi enabled camera lens and image sensor combo made to use with your smartphone, or as a stand-alone device.
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The camera has a 20-megapixel capacity 1-inch image sensor and 28-100mm f/1.8-4.9 Carl Zeiss zoom lens. There is a plastic cylinder that fits almost perfectly into your palm and a removable spring-loaded clamp so that you can attach it to your phone.
There’s no LCD, but there is a shutter button and zoom lever. The Wi-Fi part of it works with Sony’s PlayMemories Mobile app. You’ll need to set up that first, which is fairly simple.
The app lets you control some basic camera functions such as white balance. It’s best/easiest to use this in automatic modes so optional manual controls are limited to an aperture priority mode and manual focus. Big drawbacks are that there isn’t much control over shooting settings and it cannot record RAW, limiting your post-processing options. Additionally, there is a small lag when using it with your smartphone’s camera app. This thing is a great idea, but you’ll probably see better results when using the device as a stand-alone camera.
You can find these at store.sony.com for $250 (QX10) and $500 (QX100). The difference between the QX10 and QX100 is the image quality, plus the QX10 is a little thinner. Additional accessories such as a carrying case and dedicated camera attachment can be Proof positive.
Click Chick’s Mobile App of the Week: Ultraman Galaxy
One thing nice about the Tokyo Game Show is that many of the things I saw showcased there this year are in tune with what’s popular here in Hawaii, such as Japanese characters (Hello Kitty, Pokemon, Ultraman, etc.). That in mind, a company called Animoca just launched Ultraman Galaxy, a free app game for your Android device (with iOS and Amazon versions in development).
Ultraman has been saving the world from aliens and monsters since the 1960s. Now he’s on your mobile device with Ultraman Galaxy.
In this game, Ultraman faces familiar villains such as Ultraman Belial, Alien Zarab and Alien Baltan. The unique gameplay requires you to complete more than 100 missions and quests, compete in collectible card battles and take your chances on slot machines that affect the outcome of the game.
Keeping in tune with the popularity of card games in Japan, you can assemble your own Ultraman Team by collecting and upgrading cards for Ultra Seven, Ultraman Zero and the rest of the Ultraman family (400-plus in all). Keep in mind these cards aren’t actually physical cards, but visual in-game cards that you can earn by winning battles or purchasing from the Google Play Store. Another way to earn cards is, if you happen to be in Japan, to win them from the gacha (claw-type/lucky draw) machines in any arcade that offers them.
Again, the game is free to download and play, but you’ll have to spend some money if you want to collect those cards. I can’t wait for the iOS version to come out since my Google Nexus tablet is broken.
