The camera on the iPhone is already considered to be one of the best among smartphones available today — but what if there was a way to take substantially better photos on your iPhone?
Well, now there is, with the new DxO One Camera, which simply plugs into the iPhone Lightning input, and can produce some stunning photos.
"DxO ONE packs the power of a high-end camera into a size that's by your side and ready when you are. Our advanced image processing automatically enhances every photo you take," reads the description on DxO's website.
Of course, some argue that the DxO One is yet another take on just strapping a camera sensor onto a phone's body. If so, it's certainly the best take we've seen so far.
The camera is small and relatively inconspicuous — about as tall as an iPhone is wide, and around an inch in thickness. Not only that, but it also is able to make RAW files, meaning that users can take completely uncompressed photo files and edit them however they want. In fact, the camera even has a mode called "SuperRaw," which basically takes four photos back-to-back and layers them to try and eliminate shutter noise. RAW is a file format that captures all image data recorded by the sensor when you take a photo.
The camera itself includes an adjustable shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings, and has a sensor that is 20 megapixels. It can also take videos at 1080p/30fps or 720p/120fps, meaning that users can apply slow-motion effects to their videos if they want. And, of course, there is a microSD card for built-in storage — unless the user decides to capture photos directly into the iPhone's camera roll. Besides being able to store photos on the iPhone, really the only thing the iPhone does in the whole process is act as a display.
Of course, there is an app associated with the camera, with reports suggesting that the app is extremely simple to use, and is also very well designed.
This camera beats out competitors for a number of reasons. Sony offers a similar product in its QX line, which is bulkier and relies on things like Wi-Fi and NFC to properly connect. This can be problematic, especially in areas with spotty connectivity.
Unfortunately, the camera isn't as cheap as some would prefer. At $599, users could buy a perfectly capable DSLR, but as far as portability goes, this is the best there is. DxO does try and sweeten the deal by offering free versions of its photo editing software.
