Vivitar ViviCam IU680 smart lens module revealed at CES 2014

Sakar International is the next company to provide a competitor for the Sony QX lens-style cameras thanks to the Vivitar ViviCam IU680 smart lens module.

Beside taking care of the Polaroid brand, Sakar International is also managing the Vivitar brand. As reported on our website, Polaroid has been making a lot of noise at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014 with numerous launches, including Socialmatic, C3 action cam, and a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera.

All of the above will be marketed under the Polaroid brand, but this does not necessarily mean that Vivitar will disappear from the market. In fact, Sakar International has big plans for it and has even displayed the ViviCam IU680 smart lens module at CES 2014.

Vivitar takes on Sony and Kodak with the ViviCam IU680 smart lens module

Vivitar ViviCam IU680 is a new smart lens that attaches to a smartphone and uses these devices as viewfinders with the help of WiFi technology.

The new ViviCam is actually a lens-style camera that will compete against the Sony QX10 and QX100, as well as against the Kodak PixPro SL10 and SL25.

Sony has sparked the revolution of the cameras that look like lenses and can be attached to smartphones to use them as viewfinders.

Just like the QX10, QX100, and Kodak’s SL10 and SL25, users do not have to set them on a phone. They feature WiFi therefore photographers can establish a connection and start shooting with a phone in one hand and the smart lens in the other hand.

Vivitar ViviCam IU680 is based on a mirrorless interchangeable lens system

Vivitar ViviCam IU680 comes with an interchangeable lens system, which is a major advantage over the Sony QX10 and QX100 lens-style cameras.

The major advantage of the Vivitar ViviCam IU680 is that it is actually a “mirrorless interchangeable lens camera”, not a “compact” model.

Users will have the ability to purchase separate lenses and switch them at will. For the time being, only a 10-30mm f/3-5.6 lens has been unveiled, but more optics are probably in development.

The 10-30mm lens is identical to the one for the Polaroid iM1030W MILC, as the mount appears to be the same, too.

Apparently, Vivitar says that the lens would provide a 35mm equivalent of 27-80mm when attached to the ViviCam IU680. This means that the camera is most likely “powered” by a 1-inch-type sensor.

Release date and price have not been disclosed, yet

The Vivitar ViviCam IU680 can also benefit from a flash that can be mounted on top of the smart lens.

The modular ViviCam IU680 even sports a flash mount. Photographers can attach a flash on top of the camera and illuminate dark environments to light up the main subject.

Consumers who are looking to buy this device will have to wait a little longer for the ViviCam to be released on the market. Furthermore, the price has not been disclosed either, but we will probably hear more in the near future.