Alice Camera concept: a strange and expensive stray in an attempt to combine a smartphone and a DSLR camera
Alice Camera: how to attach a camera to a smartphone
Until recently, the camera in a mobile device was on the same level with other functions. But gradually what was fun at first turned into an element of prestige and a powerful sales engine. The consumer capabilities of the built-in camera have approached the bar of a digital compact, but they still cannot overcome it.
Therefore, it is not surprising that projects appear that claim to take the quality of images to a new level. One of them is Alice Camera from UK startup Photogram AI. Its creators describe it as “a computing camera that relies on artificial intelligence.” This is an attempt to combine the software of a smartphone and a digital SLR camera into a single whole. And the developers claim no less than the fact that they bring to the masses a significant innovation, on the creation of which they spent only 10 months. Although, roughly speaking, they offered a DSLR camera, which “cut out” the display, and shifted its functions to the “shoulders” of the smartphone.
At its core, the Alice Camera is a platform with an 11MP Quad Bayer HDR image sensor that allows you to use interchangeable lenses and a smartphone to take pictures. There is a specially crafted chip geared towards artificial intelligence, “which expands the possibilities of machine learning and pushes the boundaries of the possibilities of the camera.” On the back of the device there is a holder for a mobile phone, which can be used as a camera screen, change settings and release the shutter, and synchronization takes place using a special application and Wi-Fi. If necessary, you can activate the camera using a smartphone away from it, in order, for example, to make your own full-length photo.
According to the creators, artificial intelligence will help improve everything from autofocus and exposure to color reproduction. You can store the created pictures on a microSD card for which a separate slot has been provided. At this stage, Alice Camera is a conceptual prototype and the company is trying to raise money for its serial production through the Indiegogo platform. If the required amount is raised, the Alice Camera will start selling from February 2021 at a price of £ 750 or $ 957.
The very idea of connecting a camera and a smartphone is not new. At one time, Sony dabbled in something similar, but eventually gave up. Alice Camera looks like another stillborn project.