As if Xiaomi itself wasn’t difficult to pronounce, the smartphone company now has a new sub-brand for making digital cameras called Xiaoyi. But it’s got promising specs and some great mirrorless technology.
Xiaomi first used to make action cams – a cheaper, effective GoPro alternative, that made quite a stir since its release. Now, Xiaoyi is bringing out the M1 that promises a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera in a value for money build. It’s got a modest 20-megapixel camera sensor and an even more modest 25,600 ISO range. While cutting costs, Xiaoyi also cut out the need for a built-in flash or even an electric viewfinder. It’s got a detachable lens pre-bundled with it – a 12-40mm and an optional 42.5mm f/1.8 lens, which will be a good addition to buy.
Xiaoyi M1 will release on September 23
Looks wise, it’s got the makings of a Leica and so definitely looks stylish. And it certainly looks like something millennials will be wearing around their necks. The camera is convenient to use, has a big display and quite accessible, making it one of the most portable interchangeable lens cameras.
The camera doesn’t skimp out on features though, letting users shoot up to 50-megapixel photos and can impressively record 4K video at 30 fps. The touchscreen display is a 3-inch 720×480 for a familiar phone-like interface and convenient connectivity options such as Bluetooth and WiFi help sharing photos.
The photo samples shared by Xiaoyi show true promise in the performance of the camera, so we can expect this to be one of the surprise performers of the year in the budget segment and a true contender when it matters. Xiaomi has shown its mettle in the smartphone game and the M1 puts the company a step ahead in making waves once again.
The camera will release on September 23, but only available through China’s exclusive JD.com. The camera won’t be made available worldwide yet, unfortunately.
The M1 shouldn’t be taken too lightly, because it’s been in development for three years now. It comes with a quad-core CPU, supports HDR and uncompressed RAW images. Xiaoyi is coming out guns blazing.
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