I have the Sony QX10 lens arriving this week and hope to test it with my Nexus 4 and a few other phones.
Are they any questions or features you would like me to answer or test out?
More information is available from Sony.
All posts by Gavin Fabiani-Laymond
Sony Xperia Z1 is just being released, but here are the Z2 specs
The Sony Xperia Z2 will be a 5.2-inch IGZO Triluminous Display with a 500ppi pixel density, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 processor and 3GB of RAM.
The rear-facing camera is expected to be 20.7 MP ,support 4K video capture, and the battery 3200mAh. The Z2 should ship with Android 4.4 KitKat.
Not available for at least another 6 months.
Is the iPhone 5S special?
You own the 5 and you look at the 5S and think is it worth the upgrade.
Possibly not but then I don’t think Apple is looking for you to upgrade every 12 months. Most contracts are 24 months and that’s when they will be looking for you to upgrade your current iPhone.
But is the 5S worth the money. If photography matters then it should. Touch ID is very convenient. Technology made easy and useful. The new processor A7 and M7 coprocessor is genius. The iPhone camera is about a quality shot and snapped without much skill.
The 5S is no exception. The pixel size on the 5S has been increased from 1.4 microns to 1.5 microns, a new 5 element lens, f2.2 versus previous f2.4. Apple also designs its own image signal processor. So its gets the most out of its software and hardware. So the larger pixels and lower f stop will help with lower light photos.
The new chip still does white balance and auto exposure, but now does dynamic tone mapping which is state of the art stuff. In addition, autofocus matrix metering with 15 focus areas is common on decent DSLR cameras but not phones!
The 5S is able to take several shots and automatically select the best one based on a number of factors without you realising. True Tone flash is genius again offering a more natural flash with 1,000 shades. It is not the answer to all prayers but it should produce more natural shots.
The 5S can take 100s of photos in burst mode and still process the images behind the scenes, checking for exposure, sharpness, faces, smiles and blinking.
120fps on slow motion video. That’s impressive alone but you can edit the footage on the fly too. The A7 chip also allows panoramic photos at 30fps which is 50% faster than the 5. Also during the capture of the panoramic shot, exposure gets adjusted. Plus these photos can be 30mb in size. As a comparison both the Samsung S4 Zoom and Xperia Z1 managed 5-600kb in file sizes.
Apart from the camera, the A7 processor will allow for other amazing processes to function even faster like games and third party accessories.
Personally, I just wish the screen was 4.5 inches in the same size frame. That would make it so perfect.
What do you think?
Sony Xperia Z1 – new deal offering from Sony Centres
This is hot off the press.
As of today, Sony Centres have a new offer. You may have to get the staff to check their system, as I doubt they will even know about it yet.
Basically, instead of buying the Xperia Z1 and getting the Sony Smartwatch 2 for half price if you preorder, you can decide to receive instead of the smartwatch 2, £75 off any of the lenses, QX10 or QX100.
iPhone 5C pricing and sales
Yesterday, pre orders went live for the iPhone 5C with the 32gb costing £549 the same as the 16gb iPhone 5S will be when that goes on sale next week.
The 5C is fundamentally the 5 but in a plastic polycarbonate shell. It’s not cheap sim free. In fact its very expensive but in line with other new phones.
However, with previous iPhone pre orders the delivery date quickly extends beyond the first published delivery slot. Nearly 12 hours later and the 5C is still available for delivery on the 20th in all colours.
So either Apple had a massive amount of stock or they aren’t selling as fast. Apple might be saved by sales in China, but I wonder how many they are selling in existing territories.
The other aspect is seeing what the colours look like in the flesh. I really would want to see one before departing with my cash.
However, according to Phones4U the pre orders of the iphones are twice that of last year and are on target to be their most successful launch ever. Apparently 18-30 year olds are the top spenders. Probably, ditching their BlackBerry’s.
I will say I don’t think I will buy one. Have you or will you ?
Sony Xperia Z1 manual
The user manual for the Sony Xperia Z1 can be found here. PDF.
It is a detailed manual explaining all the features. Ideal if you are looking to purchase one.
Samsung’s next smartphones will have 64 bit processors
Just after Apple announced a world first, that its new iPhone 5S A7 processor was 64 bit instead of 32 bit, Sammobile received information from Samsung that its next range of smart phones will also include 64 bit processors.
Apart from gaming, I just cannot understand the need for such power in a portable device. Can you ?
Presenting The Gold iPhone 5s
A bit of humour today. Gold is best.
Nokia Lumia 1020 available with huge accessory bundle
Clove Technology have the Lumia 1020 available with all the accessories you might have wanted for the phone.
The bundle includes including the Wireless Charging Cover (CC-3066), Wireless Charging Pad (DT-900), Camera Grip (PD-95G) and a new Tripod (KVRM90). Separately, the whole bundle is worth about £150.
The above deal is for the Black and White SIM-free models of the Nokia Lumia 1020. Clove mentioned that these will available from September 27th at £490 + delivery & VAT.
That sure is very tempting.
BBC compares the Lumia 1020 and Sony Xperia Z1 cameras
The BBC have a good video piece comparing the Nokia Lumia 1020 and the Sony Xperia Z1 cameras. It is more of a high level look, but it does show the Z1 with QX10 lens in operation.
