Chinese manufacturer Yongnuo has released a mirrorless camera that can take photographs even without a lens attached.
The Yongnuo YN455 is the company's latest Frankenstein camera that is powered by an Android operating system and features a Micro Four Thirds sensor and lens mount (following the Yongnuo YN450, which had a Micro Four Thirds sensor but bizarrely featured a Canon EF-S mount).
• Read more: Best Micro Four Thirds cameras
What's truly interesting about the YN455, however, is that thanks to its Android pedigree it also features a standalone front camera – just like the best camera phones. So you can use the camera to take a photograph without needing to attach a lens at all.
This front camera is 8MP, complementing the main 20MP image sensor that's capable of capturing 4K video up to 30p. The YN455 can also stream, and thanks to its 8-core Snapdragon SoC processor it can access 4G in addition to Wi-Fi, so this could end up being one of the best cameras for streaming as well.
It's certainly a video- and vlogging-oriented body, with a huge 5-inch tilting touchscreen (with a friendly and familiar Android interface), separate 3.5mm headphone and microphone jacks, and a built-in LED light.
Being based on smartphone tech, it has many specs and features more in line with your phone than a traditional camera – such as 64GB of storage, with support for up to 256GB microSD cards, integrated GPS, and a (removable) 4400mAh battery that's 18W PD / QC3 fast-charging compatible.
It's also a very sleek camera, measuring just 162 x 85 x 56mm and weighing in at 670g – so there's a whole lot squeezed into a very compact package.
The Yongnuo YN455 is available in its home territory for 3888 yuan, approximately $600 / £430 / AU$800. There's no suggestion of a release in other regions yet, but we're extremely curious to see how this performs!
Read more:
Best cameras for video
Best cameras for vlogging
Best cameras for filmmaking
