A 20MP iPhone Camera, Anyone?
Smartphones have become the go-to camera for millions of people around the world. The iPhone, in particular, seems to have become a ubiquitous part of our everyday lives.
The iPhone’s good photographic capabilities aside, it’s still no match for big-boy DSLRs. But the DxO ONE is changing that.
The Basics
At just 4 ounces and less than three inches tall, the DxO ONE is incredibly small and lightweight. The camera has a one-inch, 20.2-megapixel sensor. The 6-element aspherical lens has an adjustable iris and an aperture range of f/1.8-f/11. Paired with ISO values from 100-51200 and shutter speeds from 1/20000s to 30s, you’ve got the makings of a camera that can work well in virtually any lighting conditions.
Other features of the DxO include various shooting modes, including auto, sports, landscape, portrait, and night. Additionally, the camera has aperture priority, shutter priority, program, and manual modes, just like your big DSLR. Spot, center-weighted, and multi-zone metering is available, as are several focus modes, including single-shot, continuous, and manual.
DxO's advanced image processing reviews each photo you take and enhances it automatically for improved quality. Better yet, you can shoot in RAW and pass the files to your computer for further processing. And, because it has its own battery and storage, there’s no need to worry about the DxO ONE sapping your phone’s power or filling up its storage space.
How It Works
The DxO ONE connects to your iPhone via its charging port. Once connected, the phone becomes a massive viewfinder. You can swivel your phone up or down to accommodate different shooting angles, and even reverse it so you can take selfies.
Control of the camera is via an app that automatically opens when the camera is connected to your phone. The app allows you to change capture modes, adjust viewfinder settings, and modify camera controls, all with a touch of the phone’s screen. There are additional controls for aperture, ISO, and shutter speed, as well as exposure compensation, white balance, and flash. You can trigger the shutter via the phone’s screen as well, or, if you prefer, there is an actual shutter button on the camera body itself. In fact, you can use the camera on its own without the iPhone at all, and capture images in fully automatic mode. You can even instantly share the photos you take with your friends, geotagging and all.
The Final Word
The DxO ONE is a unique camera that capitalizes on the iPhone’s excellent display and enhances what isn’t so great about the iPhone’s camera. With this little gadget, you get a vastly improved sensor and lens that allows you to take far better images in various shooting conditions. At the end of the day, the DxO ONE might be a little too much to handle for someone that just periodically takes mobile photos. But, if you’re a mobile photography fanatic, the DxO ONE might be worth some serious consideration.
The DxO ONE is compatible with any iPhone model in the 5 or 6 families, and several iPad models as well. Get more details about the camera at DxO or pick one up on Amazon for $540.00.