6 most ambitious (and frustrating!) phone-camera hybrids

[@MicroFourNerds]

Thanks to Storyblocks for sponsoring this video! Download unlimited stock media at one set price with Storyblocks: storyblocks.com/MicroFourNerds

[@allthegearnoidea69]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate how much research goes into a video like this? Great stuff Emily.

[@mirceablanaru]

You are absolutely right to call these cameras quite weird!! I am a big fan of standalone cameras for serious jobs and phone cameras for fun. More then that I use an Android light meter application for my film camera... I am not very interested in these hybrid ones. The video is very good and explanatory!!!

[@Ulrich.Bierwisch]

If I remember this correctly, Toshiyuki Tsumura, the new Director of the Imaging Business Unit at Lumix came from the team that developed the Lumix CM1. The new app and improved connectivity between the cameras and smartphones might be a result of this. On the other hand, the CM1 and most of the other projects show that to much dependency on the smartphone operating system is bad unless the company continuously keep everything updated and develops new version of the camera and the smartphone software. This results in an increasingly difficult combination of all kinds of combinations of old cameras and new smartphones that can't be maintained for very long time. It's almost impossible to keep a family of new and up to more than 10 year old cameras running together with the different new and older smartphones.

[@mtbboy1993]

I think a modern version of this would be sweet. With features like: USB-C Audio jack. Easy to change battery, like smart phones used to have. Latest android, possibility to upgrade endlessly. Interchangeable lens. But until something like this comes, I would have to buy a pocket camera. A full frame camera is nice, but I don't dare to have it out of my backpack where it's covered up in protection.

[@JoshCameron]

Imagine if Lumix redid the CM1 but with an Android foundation that was actually in-date and could see at least a few updates... and with the newer Lumix menus.... wouldn't that be so sick?!

[@AMissile]

Oh please please run around town taking blind photos with the Air! 😂

[@cassiacries]

Alas, I can't say I'm especially surprised Alice isn't going anywhere . (I feel obliged to add "Alice? Who the f**k is Alice?")

[@nikytamayo]

The QX10 was the one with the tiny 1/2.3" sensor. and 10x The QX100 had the 1" sensor and 3x zoom. The QX1 had the APS-C and was just like the Air. Love these things. Used to have an Air, currently have a QX100. They're just mad fun to play with frm time to time, but not really doable as daily cameras. Still looking for a DXO... as I think the form factor is so much cooler than the bulky barrel types!

[@PJ-om2wq]

I think that Samsung had the right idea with the NX Mini mount. The mount to sensor distance is only 6mm and as most phones are more than 6mm thick they could have put a lens mount on the back of a phone without the lens mount sticking out. Shame that they never released a phone with the mount.

[@RonaldBrown59]

I remember some of these hybrid cameras. And I'm glad I didn't invest in any of them, LOL. Thanks for sharing.

[@JeffCreates]

It’s the circular fashion within the camera industry isn’t it. A load of companies try it, it fails. 5 years later a different set of companies decide the previous ones failed because they weren’t advanced enough…rather than it being a stupid idea in the first place. Being within the same target market as “those crappy little lenses you clip onto your phone” is not a good market to be in!

[@fuelvolts]

Wish you would review the Moto Mod Hasselblad camera. Only issue is you need a working Moto Z phone, which are now quite old. I actually LOVED this phone/camera combo as it was amazing to use for zooming on a phone, but it was quickly outshined by parascopic phone camera zoom sensors.

[@PRB_and_PLB_Photography]

The Samsung S4 zoom was a great bit of kit for its time. My fiancé had one and loved it!

[@JohanKhoo]

OMG I got the DXO One too! But that actually makes nice pictures and the sensor and the DNGs are amazing. I still have this too....

[@ajdecaprio]

Great video! I just picked up a DXO One because of it, I've been looking for just a lightweight lil guy that can shoot in RAW. Also, I think the title is meant to say *Ambitious* not Ambition 😅

[@rkhayden]

This video reminded me of the GEC Transistomatic, a combined Kodak Instamatic camera and GEC transistor radio, produced between 1964 and 1966. It wasn't a great combination, but fortunately the camera could be separated from the radio and carried separately.

[@JohanKhoo]

I got that lumix CM-1 cameraphone in Japan - seemed the answer to all my EDC needs. But it was so fatally flawed. I still have it....

[@ChrisLavenderinhd]

Oh Emily, you’ve really taken me back in time with this video. I had a CM1 and it took some of my favourite photos. I really wish I still had one, just to use as a camera in my pocket. Please tell me where I can find one for £100.

[@MicroFourNerds]

I found mine on eBay! I've also seen them in stock recently at CEX in the UK. Stick an alert on eBay they always crop up from time to time ☺️

[@Amphibax]

Here in german ebay one is for sale for 850€ right now, think I'll wait for another offer

[@kurtshoens2584]

Today I learned (to my astonishment) that the DxO One app still works after all these years! (I had written it off.) My little hack for the DxO One is using a lanyard (who am I fooling: it's a piece of string) around my neck to keep from dropping it. Its battery life is limited so a little recharger battery pack comes in handy. Unreasonably fun tiny camera!

[@brendaavillakintzrealtor]

What phone are you using with the app?

[@kurtshoens2584]

@@brendaavillakintzrealtor I am using an iPhone 14 Pro running the latest iOS. As an additional snag, my phone case keeps the DxO One from plugging in correctly. I'm getting a more minimal case to solve that.

[@philipscott9524]

New to the channel and I have an Olympus e-m5 that I bought after watching your channel and picked up a Lumix GF1 at a second hand store what are your thoughts on the GF1?

[@jackmaxwell3577]

I still have a CM1. It was way snappier back in the day and I loved the picture quality, but even at the time the smartphone experience was poor. I've got it out the loft now and it's charging, may see how it's doing! It called itself a 'communications camera' and had a 1" type sensor, definitely better than the following decade's phones... I wonder if they were pressured into not calling it a phone, so all the crappy flagship phones could keep calling themselves 'the best camera on a phone'...

[@NeonShores]

I still think smart cameras can be great, but the biggest thing they need to do is limit the OS. An android camera does not need to do everything a phone can do, it should just be a camera first and foremost. I still think either Google or Apple should make their own standalone cameras. Their computational engines paired with a large sensor (M43 is plenty big) could be amazing as long as they turn down the HDRness of their processing. But yeah, make it a powerful smart camera that can maybe share to socials and that's it.

[@MicroFourNerds]

Yeah i think that's a great point. Simplify it!

[@thissidetowardscreen4553]

Hi Emily! Great video! Always been a fan of these types of cameras. Did you ever get a chance to look at the Kodak Ektra phone/camera. Has a really kool app that can convert video and stills into 8 different Kodak stocks Super 8 style. It runs Android marshmallow. has a design like a camera and dedicated shutter button! Thanks for sharing!

[@MicroFourNerds]

Whoa that's a new one for me that looks really cool

[@DamianSheesh]

I would pay good money for a truly camera focused phone with hardware buttons. I know Xiaomi and Oppo make some phones with big sensors and partnerships with like Hasselblad, but they're not available in the US and even then they fall short for one reason or another. Then again, I'd rather have a new, compact Panny or Oly body instead.

[@-grey]

I really loved the idea of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra because I like 1" sensors, but after I saw it was pricier than my Ricoh GRIII that dream died. I'd rather get a phone that was a high quality music player, or a great e-reader instead. 👋😂

[@ThomasBryant]

I own the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.... and I can tell you straight up I Never ever loved a camera/ phone setup. Even the newest Iphones I've used... But this 14 Ultra is without a doubt the best investment of a Camera Phone I have ever owned. That being said, the Ricoh GRIII and other "pocket" premium cameras are just superior still in non computational Photography.

[@aim54x]

Your earlier video about the DXO One let me to get one, its been great for timelapses

[@SMGJohn]

I wish smartphones had two 1-inch sensors with two lenses, 20mm and a 40mm, all we need in life.

[@estraume]

The best would be if normal cameras could synchronize the photos with the stored photos in the phone without opening a separate app on the phone. Basically having the photos you take with your camera instantly available for sharing on the phone.

[@AgentStarke]

It's such a good idea in practice, and has so much potential. The computational photography powers of a high end smartphone combined with a m43 mount and sensor could easily match or even beat any camera on the market if realized to the fullest degree. I guess at this point though it would be easier to bake the computational photography features into a camera body rather than attach such a relatively large sensor and mount to a phone. Especially if you want IBIS. Samsung needs to try again...or maybe Apple will make a camera. You never know.

[@kareem-mokdad-swiss]

Well, I guess I'm a cameraphone nerd. I like the Lumix CM1, my other favourite Android camera is the Sony Xperia Pro. That being said, as a fellow member of the Apple family, my everyday workhorse is the iPhone 15 Pro for now, with the absolutely essential ShiftCam ProGrip and running, besides the native camera app, Halide mark II, Leica LUX, Moment pro camera and Reeflex pro camera to fulfil all my different needs. I hope to see you do a review of the Switchlens camera at some point, it looks much better than the Alice camera imho.

[@2handsomeforlaw]

I for one love and loved my CM1.

[@wobbly_jelly]

I had the Samsung lump - but was a good lens - great optical zoom - sure there was also just a camera version that was android without the phone (makes even less sense). Might have to go dig it out of the cupboard.

[@mtbboy1993]

8:55 Instagram ads keep showing me Alice camera, but I read in their comments any phone will fit, and they have an android app. But I don't get the point of this camera, it's big, so a pocket camera would be more suitable for some, it's thick, then you add a lens and it's even thicker, and having to get my phone out and connect it isn't user friendly. I might as well use my full frame camera. and if I want to use my phone as a monitor I can do that. But I think a pocket camera is more reasonable for those that want a smaller camera. I might get that at some point too.

[@raleighpurtzer4601]

What about the hassleblad backpack for the moto phones?

[@starbase218]

Hey, but I remember you classified the Olympus Air as a “crime against photography”. :)

[@MicroFourNerds]

In the traditional sense, it really is. I mean, I need the CM1 to even use it as Android has moved on from the app 😂

[@ThePNWRiderWA]

I had the Sony lens that attached via cable to. I think it was the iPhone 6. It was very much like the RX 100. I could not resist. It was a true bargain as no one would buy it.

[@JohanKhoo]

And.... I i bought the Alice Camera.... and still waitiing for it to be delivered.

[@intersexcryptid]

Like has already been said, I think android/phone cameras are always going to be a bad idea. Simply because you buy a regular camera, it'll generally last. Because most cameras don't have an operating system that requires the internet and updates from some third party thing that the camera company has no control over to make them last.

[@nikytamayo]

Aw man, Switchlens is completely sold out on Kickstarter! If I'd known, I would have gladly put down the money on the body! $200 for a brand new M4/3 mount body is a steal!!! RE: The Alice: Maybe you can get one of those cheap small form factor Androids to pair with it permanently... there are CHinese ones in the 4-5" range, I think... but then, with a cheaper processor, the wifi viewscreen might be a bit laggy.

[@alexwr]

Would other apps work with the Yongnuo YN455? It would be fun to run the BlackMagic Camera App with it and essentially have a discount FX30! It would probably be pants, but it would be a fun experiment...

[@MicroFourNerds]

I tried a plethora of different apps for it. Filmic Pro for example worked quite well. Some apps were flawless, some had weird restrictions like blocking 4k or in photo mode only shooting 16mp when it has a 20mp sensor. I didn't try the Black Magic one unfortunately!

[@alexwr]

@@MicroFourNerds I guess the results would be pretty much the same as Filmic Pro anyway! Thanks for the interesting videos as always! How do you always get your colours so vibrant and saturated? Whenever I try that, the skin tones look terrible and everything so unnatural!

[@video-carl]

"if this product came out now with updated specs..." there many m43 product lines we say this about 😅

[@MicroFourNerds]

So true 😂

[@JonathanPolliMoreno]

I still like this sh*t, but they are so out of the box

[@paolocruz8392]

There is a chinese phone one off that made a phone with mirrorless replaceable lens camera.

[@luancarlos3792]

1- *Por favor, mais vídeos sobre Alice Camera 🤳🏻* 2- Quais as melhores lentes para vídeo na sua opinião para Alice Camera? 📸 (fazer vídeos cinematográficos) puro cinema 🎥 Manaus, Amazonas 📍

[@-MrEVIL-]

Chinese flagship phones watching this

[@mynameisnotcory]

Cm1’s are 4-800 dollars…

[@MicroFourNerds]

It might be different where you're looking but in the uk at least, the last one was sold on Sept 4th for £42.66, and there's one live currently for £159. I bought mine for £100 as I show in the video. You just have to be patient usually when looking for used stock. New listing alerts are your friend.

[@mynameisnotcory]

@ most of them must be in the uk

[@lumixographer2185]

Has me craving the dream camera from the lab of Rube Goldberg and M.C. Escher OR iPhone 16 with the new Camera Control button, a touch-sensitive capacitive button that allows you to take photos, record videos, and adjust camera settings without touching the screen. Hmm?? Tough decision 🫢👍

[@lumixographer2185]

My "new to me 8-25mm f4" Olympus looks like a winner that's tugging my loyalty away from Lumix. Could be an OM 1 mark ii or iii in our future as a solurion for the terrible Lumix 4k cropping and autofocus. C'mon lumix give us 4k with no crop plus phase detect autofocus in a small camera! You can do this❣️🙂👍