Olympus Air wireless lens camera pairs with your smartphone

Remember Sony’s attachable camera lenses for smartphones – the QX1 and QX30 – from last year? Well, Olympus, which is partially owned by Sony, has its own take on the wireless camera attachment formula, with its newly announced Olympus Air A01.

As far as camera specs go, the Olympus Air features a 16-megapixel Live MOS sensor and can be used with any Micro Four Third lens. The Air can capture fast moving subjects with its 1/16000 ultra-high-speed shutter, allows for continuous shooting of up to 10 frames per second, and there is a three times digital zoom thrown in for extra flexibility. The camera is also capable of taking up to 320 pictures on a single charge of its battery and weighs a reasonable 147g. But the real talking point is that you can partner the lens up with your smartphone to frame, edit and store your shots.

The camera supports both Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity when pairing up with a smartphone, and comes with an app to help setup communications and transfer pictures between the two.

The Olympus Air already works with a series of apps, such as one designed to replicate a physical camera mode dial, capture shots using 14 art filters or 9 different effects, or simply trimming down your snaps. The company is also keeping the Air as an open-platform, allowing third-party developers to come up with their own apps for the device.

The Olympus Air has only been announced for release in Japan so far and will go on sale on March 6^th. The retail price is around ¥33,800 ($290) and can also be grabbed with a 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 lens bundle for ¥49,800 ($425).