Sony's BIGGEST Flop (is awesome)

This camera has been on my shortlist for a while now - an amazing camera that still stands out a decade later. The Sony QX1 is a 20mp APS-C sensor interchangeable lens camera from 2014 with no screen.

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[cynvs]

Putting the 600mm f/4 on this thing would be absolutely hilarious.

[digdughijack]

I bought the QX1 right after release and never knew it had a flash until seconds ago.

[deanisplemoni]

"a lot of hassle"
*shows a hasselblad*

[Maddin]

"It still works today"
Wow!
"Sony Imaging Edge Mobile"

[buccob]

Fun fact: i took my QX-100 (the early versions of this concept from Sony) to a trip to Argentina, and the airline forbid the use of mobile devices through the entire flight (which was torture because there wasn't entertainment provided) so on my way back I kept my Sony phone attached to the QX-100 and set it on a tiny tripod for the food tray and i watched movies from there as if it was just a Camera, not a phone, and the staff bought it and leave me be.

Also the photos where definitely better and hold up to this day.

[caleblatreille]

The fact that this is more expensive than a used a6000 (and uses the same battery) is hilarious and amazing

[justincheung]

I bought a MagSafe mount and attached it on the connector. They fit perfectly

[davidgambin]

Sony’s history is full of flops. That’s why they’re so successful.

[NeildelaRey]

This camera would be amazing to attach to a telescope for Astrophotography

[TheLaXandro]

I use its little brother QX10 as my point and shoot solution for the last however long it's been out. As long as you have autofocus (always with the QX10, but QX1 depends on the lens) and don't zoom, it can be used completely "blind". It only takes a bit of spatial awareness to point it exactly where you want it to, and you get used to keeping it straight (pretty easy to adjust because it's cylindrical). And you can't review the photos right off the bat, so it gives a kind of analog feeling of film cameras, with none of the hassle. I love getting fun angles with that thing. Zoom is handy too but it's hard to freehand with narrow field of view.
It's also really easy to toss on a cheap smartphone gimbal compared to any other camera.

[KurtisPape]

I've never seen chest cam footage where the bars are out of focus 😅

[POVwithRC]

Sony was always at the forefront of neat miniaturization.
I had that wrist remote. And it was dope. Worked like a charm for its action camera pal.

[Erikon]

My company used these things on a custom drone rig for taking high quality inspection pictures. Awesome little units to be honest- but now that they're not really being sold, we're being forced to find other options. Nothing but problems compared to what we were dealing with before lol. These things would have to take 2, 000+ photos a day 7 days a week

[quiteenough]

Funny enough this thing has mechanical shutter, but latest Lumix S9 don't, and I still can't wrap my head around the fact why Lumix released that camera in that state, considering horrible rolling shutter.

[wtfnahmean]

I had the QX1 for a year. Image quality was fine (for the time) but my main gripe was connection issue. 2.4GHz wifi just wasn't good enough, and it was in constant network congestion everywhere I go. I hate that camera manufacturers are always YEARS behind network standards--5ghz became the norm in laptops and phones back in 2012-2013, yet the first camera to have 5ghz was I believe the GH5 in 2017, the first 5GHz Sony camera was the A7R4 / A7S3 in 2019-2020.

[denverag]

3:00 Imagine a new version with USB-C allowing you to use the phone's computational photography, access focus peeking/peaking, zebra, etc
That was what i was hoping from the Sony Xperia Pro but it more acted like an external monitor to your camera instead of properly working in conjunction with the camera.

[ruslanr.]

2:27 "there is a small battery in here that doesn't last too long"
users of Sony "its not that small, its just don't like cold weather"

[WhoIsSerafin]

I was interested when it came out, but then I realized how much I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate using my phone as a camera. When family or friends asks me to take a photo on a phone I act like my arms were recently cut off.

[jmoffitt]

Interesting but you could get a A6300 w/kit lens for those prices. It may even be more compact.

[molybdnum]

As someone who's strapped an Oly Air to my bike handlebars - you're a real one for trying the chest mount! I moved to E-mount but kept the Air and am now definitely keeping an eye on the listings for QX1s. I've always seen this class of bodies as an insanely flexible option, great for high/low angle and even those with limited mobility. You can place it on a monopod with a ball head or even hand-hold and it'll work like a probe lens, selfie stick, slider, all sorts of stuff. Get down at ground-level POV without bending or easily frame group shots because you have a detached monitor. Poke it around corners to video your cat. Stick it inside your mailbox or birdfeeder. Tape it to your ceiling fan. It does the zany things you'd do with an action camera or the things you'd do with a smartphone but at "real camera" quality ... mostly.