Sony Teams Up with QD Laser to Create Retinal Laser Viewfinder for Low-Vision Photographers

Date: March 14, 2023

Sony collaborates with QD Laser to introduce a retinal laser viewfinder for their DSC-HX99 camera, aimed at assisting low-vision users to capture clear images.

Sony is teaming up with QD Laser, a Japanese company, to develop the HX99 RNV Retina Projection Camera kit, a compact camera designed to help people with vision problems see clearly through an electronic viewfinder and take pictures. 

The kit features an add-on retinal laser housing for projecting the camera's focused live view image into the user's eye, using a low-power laser projection that effectively bypasses the focusing of the eye. The device is designed to assist users with visual impairments such as shortsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, and is expected to be available in limited quantities in the US this summer. 

Sony is offering users the opportunity to try the kit before purchasing and is encouraging users to contact them to set up an appointment, as the kit may not be suitable for all visual impairments. This is a great step towards making photography accessible to everyone, and we hope that this experiment will lead to the development of a more universal model in the future.