Smartphone News

DxO, the Paris, France-based company known mostly for software, introduced an intriguing new piece of imaging hardware this morning: a 20.2-megapixel camera with a 1-inch sensor and an f/1.8 lens that fits in your pocket and attaches to an iPhone. Called the DxO One, the 3.8-ounce, 2.65-inch tall camera, connects to an iPhone via the phone’s Lightning port, creating what the company hopes will be a photographic one-two punch to conquer the smartphone conundrum: that is, how do you shoot DSLR-quality images from a slender, inherently limited phone.

Olympus just announced that it is bringing its compact and wireless Olympus Air A01 camera device to the U.S. in July and Canada in August. The Olympus Air A01, which was introduced in Japan earlier this year, is a small, cylindrical gadget with a 16-megapixel Live MOS image sensor that can wirelessly connect Micro Four Thirds lenses with mobile devices such as smartphones.

It was the talk of the photokina show last year but it wasn’t available in the United States…until now. Panasonic has just announced that the Lumix DMC-CM1 smartphone with its photography-friendly, 20-megapixel, 1-inch image sensor and 4K video capabilities is coming to the U.S.

Yes, we’re all pretty sick of selfies but one clever photographer has created a hilarious photo series that appears to show ancient statues taking these now ubiquitous digital self portraits.

Photokina 2014 in Germany has been covered widely on the Internet already—including our own extensive reporting on the show on Shutterbug.com—so there’s no need for me to rehash the major announcements from the event, such as the latest full-frame cameras from Canon and Nikon and the like. My photo report here is aimed at sharing some wider ranging thoughts and perspectives on this important biennial show and what it told us about photography today and where it might be heading tomorrow.

On a Sunday morning not long ago I turned on the radio and by chance heard the legendary, Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist David Hume Kennerly say that his iPhone had made him a better photographer.
 

The Lumenati CS1 is a lightweight, ergonomically designed device measuring 6x7x3” that transforms your iPhone 6 (or 6s) into a Super 8 style camera. Simply put your smartphone into the Lumenati CS1 (the way you would have loaded film in a Super 8 camera) and start recording video.