A light-field camera? Ok. This is very cool!

[40hz]

There's a new and surprisingly affordable ($399-$499) camera using something called an 11-megaray light-field sensor that's due out in early 2012. Made by Lytro, it allows you to grab a shot and then focus within the picture after it's been taken. Almost like being in one of those police forensic or spy-thriller scenes where some character inevitably says "Can you enhance that spot over there?"

Well...now it looks like you can.

[attachthumb=#]

Very svelte and stylish form factor. It also packs an 8X optical zoom and features instant-on. Sweet!

In addition to some excellent uses in news and blogging photography, I'm sure this technology will also be a major boon for all the "up-skirt" and "down-blouse" photo creeps out there. Oh well...

Endgadget has a review of it here. Check it out!



(Note to moderator(s): Could one of you folks move this post over to the Living Room? I don't know why I put it on the software discussion board. Thx.) Thanks whoever did it!

[Stoic Joker]

Lytro's desktop software (which you'll need to open and export .lfp files) is currently Mac only, with a Windows version in development.

(Burn the witch, burn the witch!)

[Curt]

-maybe when the Windows version comes, Lytro will have had time to further improve on their little wonder app. Fantastic as it may be (already is), the pictures for now seems to only stand out while shot on short distances.

[Renegade]

Meh, so what about the camera or software... What's their patent portfolio look like? (Kidding -- it looks very cool!)

But actually, these guys look like they've got something that is really innovative.

So, who's going to buy them first?  

[IainB]

I've wanted one of these since I first read of the "new" light field science/research by Dr. Ren Ng that led to the development of this newtech camera.
"Honey, I shrunk the plenoptic camera!"

This looks like it could be a more significant/disruptive technology than (say) either the digital camera, or Dr Land's Polaroid instant print camera.

But I won't be ordering a Lytro camera just yet, at those prices.
I'll just sit here drooling over it instead.

[Edvard]

Almost like being in one of those police forensic or spy-thriller scenes where some character inevitably says "Can you enhance that spot over there?"

Dammit! It all started with Blade Runner's Esper machine...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkcU0gwZUdg

...and has now bled into every.single.crime.drama.since.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vxq9yj2pVWk

http://www.nuk3.com/gallery/comedy/1456/CSI-Enhance-Numberplate.html

Now they go and make a camera thats one step closer.
Crap.

[Renegade]

But I won't be ordering a Lytro camera just yet, at those prices.

At $400, it's not bad at all. You're basically paying for the option to take a picture NOW instead of farting around with a camera trying to focus, blah blah blah.

The only other option you have is to spend much more on a good, fast lens for a DSLR.

But, how many people really need to take pictures that quickly? Or need the option to change focus like that? If you need it, then it's likely $400 well spent. I just don't see that many people needing those options.

[IainB]

This is the kind of camera photo that I would like to take: Cappelle sistina

There's more here - "spherical panoramas".

[Renegade]

This is the kind of camera photo that I would like to take: Cappelle sistina

There's more here - "spherical panoramas".

THAT is some seriously bad-ass, wicked cool stuff!

[40hz]

This is the kind of camera photo that I would like to take: Cappelle sistina

There's more here - "spherical panoramas".

THAT is some seriously bad-ass, wicked cool stuff!

Now *that* is exactly what it's all about.

I can see this rapidly becoming a natural for game designers where you'd want to bring some heavy duty realism into the mix by using real locations for your graphics. So next time you have a shoot out in the Louvre or a chase scene in some mega-mall like the Cevahir Istanbul, you can use light-field panorama shots and not spend a fortune doing multi-camera video shooting to get decent interactivity.

Note: My GF has put some time into researching this little camera. She has that "Hmm..." look she sometimes gets when curiosity gets the better of her. If she decides to get one I'm not going to try to talk her out of it, that's for sure.  

[Edvard]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th5zlUe6gOE

[Renegade]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Th5zlUe6gOE

That was funky in the extreme!

Some "hexy" artifacts and whatnot there, but whatever -- it's a pretty damn cool idea~!

[chaswill]

Very cool, but what happens when you can't catch it? I was thinking of the guy standing on the rock column in the video, diving for a grab...