French startup Pixii has an interesting idea for a digital camera-- the self-titled Pixii is a digital rangefinder lacking a rear display or memory card, instead pairing with a smartphone for such functionality.

“The digital camera hasn’t changed much since the 90s,” the company says. “But now the new generation is learning photography with a smartphone; Who understands why a camera still needs to bother with a screen or an SD card?”

Built out of machined aluminium, the Pixii is a fascinatingly stripped down device. It requires pairing with a smartphone to actually view taken photos, even as it has 8/32GB of internal storage. Snapping a photo requires using an old-fashioned optical viewfinder, while a tiny OLED control screen on top provides means to select settings such as ISO and white balance.

The makers still have to detail the actual tech specs of the camera, other than it having a CMOS sensor with a global electronic shutter, 12-bit sampling, high dynamic range and ISO ranging from 100 to 6400. The 0.67X viewfinder shows 40/50mm and 28/35mm lens fields of view, and has automatic parallax correction.

The included lens is also not detailed. Interestingly, the Pixii is compatible with Leica M lenses, as well as M39 and LTM lenses (via adapter). Further available details include an ISO accessory shoe, tripod mount, two-stage shutter button (AE lock and shutter release), wifi/Bluetooth connectivity, 1000mAh battery and integrated USB charger.

Pixii (the company) will announce when Pixii (the camera) will be available sometime in the near future.

Go Pixii