Sony QX30 Smartphone Attachable Lens Style Camera

I purchased the Sony QX30 about 2 months ago and it has basically ended up on the shelf because it is impractical to use and I have had it too long to return it. On paper the Sony QX30 seems like a really good idea, however from a practical usage point of view, it has flaws. For something like this to be useful, you need a quick and seamless (less fiddly) transition to connecting it to your smartphone. This breaks down in two areas, 1) the bluetooth connection has so far not worked seamlessly on my iPhone 6, requiring a lot of connecting and reconnecting, and 2) the Sony QX30 is very bulky and is not easy to carry around or attach to the smartphone. I found image quality of the QX30 to be somewhat lacking and the iPhone 6 camera seems to outperform it in low light conditions. This might be useful if you have a spare iPhone that you can permanently connect it to, but then you might as well buy a fully fledged camera.

Finally, a real zoom on a prosumer camera! This is an extremely well-made camera, very solid and well-thought out. The one thing that you typically can't get on a small camera, no matter how excellent otherwise, is a really workable long-distance zoom. This one works very well and is very easy to carry. One weak point is the flimsy door over the charging area. I always worry about breaking off the door while inserting the charging cable. For that reason, I got after-market batteries and an external charger, since everything is sturdy in the area where you change the batteries. I also wish that there were a printed instruction booklet that goes somewhat beyond the Quick Start Guide. Generally, the camera functions are quite intuitive (particularly because I own another Sony camera), but a basic-function guide would have been very helpful. I'm hoping someone writes a guidebook that spells out the functions more clearly. Still, this is a terrific device, a great traveling companion for my iPhone 5s (and, soon, my iPhone 6 plus).

The concept is good.The lens camera is fine, but the app PlayMemories Mobile will not work with my iPhone 5S using the lates iOS 8.1. Many hours were spent with an inept support line and none could offer a solution. None could even offer a time as to when an upgraded app would be available. I really wish this would work, but ... sadly, I will have to return it.

it is so incredibly slow that it only useful for staged shots where you have unlimited time and everything is static. No flash shoe. No raw. Clunky, stupid software. I wish there was an option to wire it to a phone to get the speed up. Forget about shots of opportunity. Just forget that altogether. But image quality is surprisingly good.

After playing with this with a couple of days, I like it. It is not perfect, but it is very good. The camera takes awesome pictures and videos - not comparable to my SLR, but pretty darn good. The 30x zoom range is impressive and a great add to a cell phone camera. I used it both on a Moto X (2nd gen) and an iPhone 6. Setup wasn't difficult with either, but using NFC on the Moto X was definitely easier.There were 3 "cons". None of them are fatal, but buyers should be aware of them before making the purchase:1) The delay in updating the phone screen via WiFi makes the camera pretty much useless for capturing a still of something thatis moving. This is true even after setting the 2M (lower resolution) for the viewfinder. The camera REALLY needs a lower resviewfinder option so that the delay can be eliminate.2) The camera does not focus well if you use the digital zoom. This isn't a problem as the optical zoom is very good and you canget the same effect as the digital zoom by cropping the resulting picture.3) The camera has a spring clamp to use to mount on a phone. My Moto X with it's 5.2" display and a low profile case was aboutas big a phone as the camera can grip. A larger case or a larger phone likely wouldn't work.I'm going to keep the camera. In my opinion it is a great throw in the bag camera for travel etc. It provides WAY more capability and quality than any cell phone camera that I've tried. Because of its limitations, I would not consider it to be a replacement for a dedicated camera - if you have room to carry one.

Got this after much review for travel. Out of the box wouldn’t connect or stay connected w Sony app. The app it mentions no longer exists. When it did connect for short period hazy blurry pics. My iPhone 14 Pro Max far superior to this. Was hoping the huge zoom would be worth it. Returned it next morning.

Received the DSC-QX30 last night and I love the thing. Linked up easily to my Galaxy S5 using the Sony App. Control over Shutter and zoom from the phone whilst sitting 30 feet away. was able to photograph myself using the device. Perfect for portraits of myself and wife or christmas shots, get the picture without guessing. Zoom quality is great, focuses well and the image is sharp and crisp.A bit slow on the response, but I was in a WiFi soup at the time, will try it in the woods this weekend.Am very satisfied with the purchase. Would be a great way for any photographer to get a second viewpoint from a distance when photographing an event. I am not personally big on the connecting to the phone body, though it does that neatly. I am using the device attached to tripods and grips or handheld.