DxO ONE Cam Can Now Work Standalone, Gets Price Cut
DxO, the people behind the popular DxOMark benchmarking site, announced a major software update to their almost odd DxO ONE camera. Most software updates usually add minor features and bug fixes but, while that is partly true here, the update introduces a new feature that practically changes the way you can use the camera. Starting version 1.3 of the firmware, the DxO ONE can be used standalone, meaning you won't need to first connect it to an iPhone or iPad before taking a shot.
That might sound strange for an accessory that started out its life as something that was designed to attach to the Lightning port of the Apple device. To be fair, almost all of the ONE's functionality is built into the camera itself. The iPhone really acts more like a viewfinder, another shutter, and control panel for settings. Except for the latter, all of that can also be done on the DxO ONE directly. And now it is indeed possible to do so.
The standalone feature removes a few steps from the workflow, like having to pull out the iPhone, unlock it, and connect the two together. Now users can simply pull out just the DxO ONE by itself, slide open the lens cover, frame the shot inside the small OLED display, and then press the shutter button. It's a process that's perfect for quickly capturing fleeting moments. That said, you can't actually change the camera's settings without the iPhone. It will, however, remember the last settings you made and use that for all shots until the time you connect the ONE again to the iPhone and change the settings.
The update also brings some other, comparatively minor, features like motion blur alert, metering and focus modes, and a more organized gallery. For sharing photos immediately, since the DxO ONE is a Web connected camera, users can set their preferred JPEG compression level and get a visual confirmation message when the photos have been successfully uploaded.
To commemorate this major new direction for the DxO ONE, the company is slashing the retail price by $100, making it a more affordable $499. "Affordable", depending on your budget of course, as that is still quite expensive but might be worth its price.