Mimicking a professional broadcast by switching between two camera views is now possible inside of Facebook Live without advanced broadcast equipment, thanks to a major update to the DxO One smartphone add-on camera. On Monday, October 16, DxO Mark released version 3.0 of the iOS app with Facebook Live compatibility and new time-lapse options, as well as announcing the upcoming arrival of an Android version of the camera. The announcement also comes with new accessories for extending the camera’s versatility.
The Facebook Live compatibility brings the DxO One’s large one-inch sensor and bright f/1.8 aperture to live video streams. Besides offering a better quality than the smartphone camera alone, the update also brings a new multi-camera mode. Using both the DxO One and the front and back smartphone cameras, users can preview each of the three views, adjust the settings or what’s in front of the camera, and then switch views in the middle of a live-stream.
The feature also allows for switching sound sources between the smartphone and the DxO One.
The camera’s Wi-Fi also allows videos to be sent from the camera to Facebook Live without the hardware connection to the phone while in stand-alone mode, which opens up more possibilities for getting different views from those three camera sources.
Along with the new Facebook Live compatibility, the update also allows DxO One owners to shoot timelapses. A built-in processing option allows photographers to set the parameters like the length of the shoot and the time between shots. An auto-ramping option automatically corrects exposure and white balance to prevent the final video from appearing to flicker as the lighting in the scene changes.
Photographers can choose the automatic processing to turn those images into a video, or they can use the intervalometer to take RAW photos and later manually stitch them into a 4K video.
DxO says that the app will warn users if the settings aren’t compatible with the camera’s current state. If the camera doesn’t have enough juice left to shoot that extra long timelapse, DxO also has a solution for that too. The new $60 battery pack gives the camera two extra batteries, each adding an hour to the performance. Or, the pack also introduces a USB port which can be used to shoot with an external power source for even longer shoots.
A new tilt stand accessory will help expand the device’s options while detached from the camera, with five different shooting angles possible from any flat surface using the stand, which will now be included with the DxO One camera.
Soon, the DxO One’s capabilities won’t be just for Apple fans. In the next few weeks, the company will launch an early access program for an Android version of the camera with a Type-C USB connector and an Android app inside the Google Play Store. The early program is open to the public but will help the company fine-tune the Android version before a full launch.
“Since its launch, we have added dozens of features to the DxO ONE, thanks to feedback from users,” Jean-Marc Alexia, vice president of product strategy, said in a press release. “Today, DxO is responding directly to one of the most frequent requests by launching the Android version, and we will continue to listen to market needs.”
The update is free for current owners of the DxO One from the App Store (and is also available to new users who pick up the $499 camera). Participants in the early access program can download the app from the Google Play Store in the next few weeks.