Sticking a camera accessory on the back of a smartphone is not new. Samsung tried it with the K Zoom, Sony launched its DSC-QX100 and even will.i.am got in on the act with his disastrously-reviewed i.am+.
Now Motorola is attempting to make the idea stick with some serious photography muscle behind it in the form of Hasselblad's True Zoom Moto Mod.
Developed in collaboration with the Swedish camera specialist, the clip-on camera is compatible with all Moto Z handsets and attaches using a magnetic strip on the back of the device. It looks great and Hasselblad lending its expertise to the optics is a major boon for Motorola.
Briefly, some specs: the 12MP camera has a 10x optical zoom, 4.5-45mm (25-250mm 35mm equivalent) focal length, ƒ/3.5-6.5 aperture, Xenon Flash, weighs 145g and can shoot RAW images. It also includes access to Hasselblad's Phocus editing software.
So how does it hold up in a real world? WIRED took the mod for a trip around the centre of Berlin.
In short, the True Zoom is better than a smartphone camera. And for £199, it should be. But in many cases, ignoring the optical zoom, it still feels very much like a smartphone snapper.
In the right light conditions the True Zoom performs perfectly, exposure is good and colours vibrant, but throw in some sunshine and shade or a confusing array of light sources and it struggles. To get better results (and this goes without saying) you really do need to spend some time in the settings.
There are some unavoidable downsides: pixel-level density is on-par with smartphones, low-light performance is poor and the zoom really struggles to capture detail if the lighting isn't right.
The Xenon Flash is a major plus, though Motorola wouldn't let us take it out at night to give it a proper test. The zoom, undoubtedly the True Zoom's major selling point, is a mixed bag.
Here's what we found during our brief time with the camera"
Given the right light, details are sharp and colours accurate, if a little on the vibrant side.
The 10x optical zoom also comes in handy for snapping people from across the street and objects at a relatively great distance. This image was taken at full zoom, and the camera's optical image stabilisation handles shaky hands very well.
While the zoom is great, image quality is often little better than a standard smartphone and the sensor isn't on a par with DSLRs. Noise levels and blurring of low-contrast detail are a problem.
Low-light was handled with mixed success. The True Zoom did a great job at capturing the mix of light sources in the hotel bar.
And captured the moodiness of the endless corridors with no issue.
But its automatic settings didn't always get it right, especially when trying to capture very brightly-lit objects while using the optical zoom. Detail vanishes as the ISO increases and noise becomes more noticeable, especially when zoomed in.
Quick-moving fish in a dimly-lit tank? No problem.
The detail on some shots captured with the optical zoom is impressive.
Macro mode works well, but you'll need to open up the manual settings to use it.
Bokeh? Check.
Pixel-level detail is little better than on most decent smartphone cameras but intelligent use of the zoom can deliver some good results.
However, the automated settings don't cope well in awkward lighting conditions, such as the bright sunshine on this arch.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
