A decade ago there was a serious effort to connect smartphone cameras with digital camera lenses to allow higher quality optics to be used. The highlight is that manufacturers then offer only Android-powered cameras such as the Samsung Galaxy Camera. The trend of producing smart cameras has slowed down a bit now but there are still those who don't want to give up like Alice who has launched a camera with an M4/3 sensor that can be connected to Android and iOS smartphones.
The camera is powered by a Sony M4/3 CMOS sensor paired with a Snapdragon processor and Google Edge TPU AI chip to allow it to take pictures with noise-free shots and sharp details. The ability to record videos is only 4K 30p or 1080P 60p.
With a camera sensor that is 400 times larger than the iPhone's sensor, the quality of the images produced is definitely better. Not to be left out, the AI feature is also included with it working for autofocus, white balance and also to adjust the exposure of the photo. According to the manufacturer, Alice Camera supports camera lenses that use EF, A mounts and even vintage 35mm camera lenses. It is not sold with any lenses. In terms of compatibility, any smartphone with a width of 62-80 mm can be used with Alice Camera.
The Alice camera is built with a body made of aluminum with a micro SD card slot, a USB-C port and also a 3.5mm audio jack. As for battery capacity, this camera has a 5000mAh built-in battery. A dedicated application was also built to control all the functions available on the camera and to facilitate file management and sharing of images.
Even though it is not installed on a smartphone, this camera can still be used but a connected device is still required to enable all available functions to be used and to be an electronic viewfinder on the camera.
Previously, the Alice Camera from Photogram was launched in early 2021 and was supposed to be released in October 2022. However, they said that the long period of time to allow this Alice camera to be delivered to customers was due to the constraints caused by the COVID-19 that hit the world before this.
For now, delivery for pre-orders is in the fourth batch and is expected to be delivered next September. However, for most markets such as Japan, the United States, Australia, and most other European countries it will be shipped from August 15. The price for this Alice camera unit is $845 (~RM3,980).
