Believe "they" still sell little zoom lenses to attach to the back of selected mobile phones.

Tried one once for about 10 seconds. The point being that [caps on] you cannot hold the phone steady enough! [caps off]

In this case though, the lens is bonkers large, which might actually help.

As any photography fule kno - with "proper" cameras you hold the lens, not the body.

> you cannot hold the phone steady

It's the fucking lens you're supposed to hold.

But you definitely wouldn't want to (or be able to) hold onto those little clip-on lenses that the OP is referring to, so the downvotes seem a bit harsh.

Try thinking about what I actually wrote for, oh, maybe a nanosecond.

The sensor will be unused almost all the time, and the glass in front of it won’t stay clean enough for good photos with the very expensive lens.

I predict a fail.

If only someone had invented a thin cap with a lens mount that can be attached to a camera body to protect the insides when no lens was mounted.

Oh wait, they did.

I am most disappointed that the site that coined the word "phablet" didn't take the obvious step here. Tch. Standards are slipping.

Surely, this is either a phamera or a chone .

Either way, phunny phrasing phail. I shall cancel my subscription forthwith, etc. etc.

Is probably the best smartphone camera I've used, after a few years of Samsung (Note 8 & 20 Ultra), the leica branding felt a bit gimmicky but really seems to have paid off for the colour science on the filters and the 1 inch sensor makes pictures I'd want to actually look at on my desktop, rather than just being ok on a phone.

I mean, I'm still going to use my A7iii (and it's pre-ordered replacement, A7RV) when I want to do any photography, but, the quality of phone snaps is improving nicely and may even be useable down the line.

(que all those who are using them already downvoting and how I just don't understand how good iphones are...)

This idea won't go far though, the phone is already overbalanced with it's giant camera bump on the back, but I guess this explains the giant circle more, as it'd be in about the right shape for a mount.

Instantly reminds me of [1]this piece of top journalism .

I am grateful to The Register for bringing this delightful memory around on Friday - the day on which one needs such reminders more than on other days.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AyVh1_vWYQ

Sort of reminds me of my old Samsung Galaxy Camera from 2012 - which was an android 3G phone with a big lens attached to the front.

I've still got it, although it's a tad slow and under-specced compared to today's offerings.

I'm just sending my Nokia 1020 to the recycling, although I haven't used it for several years. It was a genuine and usable attempt to combine a camera and smartphone, and clipped in to the camera holder performed well. Sadly it was ultimately let down by being Windows Phone 8 and the lack of an up-to-date ecosystem (even Microsoft's own apps were several versions behind the iOS & Android versions).

A smartphone is almost always out of support in 5 years or less whereas a Leica lens will last forever. If it did go into production and was successful enough then the phone might be superseded by a compatible model but I can't see many prospective buyers taking a gamble on that so I see it as unlikely to happen. I doubt it'll go into production anyway.

...I can't see many prospective buyers taking a gamble...

Unless they already owned a Leica camera and a bunch of lenses.

Not me - I wish - Perhaps one with a Nikon mount :-)

Has some interesting side effects... I recently watched a tourist having great difficulty with a large heavy through-the-lens camera because she insisted on holding it at arms length and trying to compose her image on a fold out screen, rather than just putting the thing to her eye as it was designed...

This sort of combined camera/phone shares some problems with mirrorless DSLRs: The view screens of mirrorless DSLRs and phone cameras are subject to glare and reflections from ambient light, which is not the case with the eyepieces of conventional SLRs and DSLRs. Additionally, eyepieces of normal SLRs and DSLRs often have a focussing elements to facilitate compensation for problems like myopia (which is something I hadn't considered when I bought a mirrorless DSLR).

> Xiaomi needs a bit of positive attention

…final paragraphs telling you why you shouldn't buy Chinese final products (as opposed to goods made in China and sold by Western brands; hello Apple). So predictable.

If you'd rather have a *good* reason not to buy Xiaomi try this: you need to "register" with your phone number / email address in order to receive an unlock code to gain root.

Nothing wrong with good old fashioned xenophobia!

You don't have to have the lens fixed to the camera. Many (many, many) moons ago I took this photograph during a visit to the Camargue. It was taken on an SLR (pre-digital days) using a zoom lens through my Dad's binoculars . I have no idea what the effective focal length was but I remember that although it was a bright summer day the exposure was a significant fraction of a second, some'at like a 10th of a second.

[1]Some flamingos.

I won a prize for that at our club for technical innovation :)

[1] https://photos.app.goo.gl/5fMPq6XDhKMAoFRk9

Many (many, many) moons ago...

Even many, many, many more moons ago - in the pre camera age - I have witnessed the creation of paintings which took exposure times of months.

A lot of those creations are now considered priced art and worth more than any smart phone camera additional lens system attachment.

Just buy a f***ing camera.

Which instantly makes lenses designed for full frame "sensors" (film or digital...) far less useful. Moreover these are full manual lenses that requires the user to set aperture and focus turning lens rings - so you need to hold the camera in a way allowing it properly.

Oh! Now you sucked all the fun out of it.

Well, it'll look cool on the artisan barista's coffee table, as it has a built-in stand. Just remember not to go poking the buttons on the corner of the screen, or it'll fall over.

But seriously, if you think of it as a professional-grade camera with a smartphone implanted into the viewfinder, you are probably closer to the mark.

I do agree that holding what looks like a cordless tin can to your ear, in a pose you have not been seen in since the age of seven, might earn you a few sniggering glances.

...like every technological advancement (successful or not). Remember Ford T? I do.

I have a DSLR at home. Don't really use it much, as I'm not really a photographer. We have it because one of my housemates decided he would like to try photography, and bought it. Even though it's old, it does produce decent photos, even on full auto.

This device looks, to me, a little unwieldy. As do any phone/camera combos. A decently designed DSLR is designed to fit nicely into your hands, with your right hand controlling the camera, and the left making adjustments to the lens. It's a relatively comfortable way to work even for long periods, although for larger lenses, you need a tripod.

Phones with external lenses are not comfortable, at least not to me. Yes, you can still adjust the lens with your left hand, but that makes it difficult to control the phone, because a phone generally requires one hand to hold it, and the other to touch the screen. Yes, most phones use one of the buttons on the side as a shutter release, but what if you want to adjust other settings? Admittedly, that last problem applies to DSLR menu systems as well.

Note: I have nothing against phone cameras, or these combos (assuming they can be made to work well). I just find the DSLR more comfortable to use over long periods.

To make this idea interesting, I think they would need to have things like a tripod mount, autofocus, aperture control and image stabilisation (and the battery pack to power all this) with the lens.

Personally, I quite like Xiaomi phones - they offer good features and performance at a prices considerably lower than the big name brands. And there's the possibility of alternative firmware (e.g. lineageOS) for those concerned about spyware.