DxO ONE, the camera that brings RAW photography to iPhones, is now cheaper

Remember the DxO ONE, which was launched last year as an iPhone and iPad camera accessory, bringing DSLR-like features to these devices? Initially priced at $599, the camera is, starting this week, considerably cheaper: the new official price if $499, though Amazon and B&H Photo are both selling the accessory for $464. It must be noted that, with the new price, DxO has unbundled two desktop software applications that were previously offered for free: DxO OpticsPro ELITE Edition (a "professional" image-processing software), and DxO FilmPack ELITE Edition (an analog and creative film rendering suite). Thus, if you need these, you now have to buy them separately.

Besides cutting the price of the ONE camera, DxO also updated the companion iOS app (used to connect the accessory to iPhones and iPads), which has now reached version 1.3. The update brings several improvements, including motion blur alert, enhanced controls (white balance, metering and focus mode), and the ability to use the camera's OLED screen as a viewfinder.

The DxO ONE can be connected to your iPhone* or iPad** via Apple's Lightning port. The camera is 6.9 cm tall and weighs 108 grams, so it obviously brings some extra bulk to iPhones, but it's worth it if you really want to take higher-quality photos. The highlight features of the DxO ONE include a large 1-inch, 20.2 MP CMOS backside illuminated sensor, manual controls, variable aperture (from f/1.8 to f/11), ISO up to 51,200, and support for RAW photography. A SuperRAW mode is also available, combining 4 regular RAW images to provide what DxO says is the "ultimate in noise-free image quality."

So, are you willing to buy the DxO ONE now that it costs $464?

* - must not be older than iPhone 5.
** - must not be older than iPad 4th generation.


sources: Amazon, B&H Photo, DxO via Apple Insider