The new camera technology that allows you to refocus the scene AFTER you have taken the picture! It's called Light Field photography.

To understand the technology behind this new process, read the dissertation of the CEO of this new company and go to the LYTRO website and enter your email address to be on the list of those who want the be the first to own one of these new, currently being developed cameras.

See a VIDEO HERE.

Wow, just watched the video for this! Looks amazing and so clever and i can see it having absolutely tons of applications from crime scene footage to fashion but it kinda feels like the skill is slowly being taken out of photography. I felt like this when digital cameras started popping up all over the place and mourn the slow passing of basic darkroom chemistry. This feels like yet another step in that direction where one can just point and shoot without thinking and then edit the shot afterwards to make it great! Seems a shame somehow although its a great share. Thanks for posting! Now we know what we're up against :D

It's kind of like the technology for computers that was removed from our control. With Windows you could play around in DOS to your hearts content, but now you have to accept that everything is pretty much controlled for you. Kind of took the fun out of computing, though some prefer to not know how the OS works I suppose. Now there are multiple operating systems and languages. Like everything else in this day, they are making zombies of us. Still the idea of being able to do this is amazing. Who needs reality any more?

Yeah very true although i never really understood DOS as i was too young. So much for freedome from Censorship! Could be worse though, we could live in China or Iran and then we wouldnt be having this conversation :D I think that the things technology can do is amazing but sometimes it seems like its progress for progress' sake if you see what i mean! I am not denying that if i had the opportunity to make a slightly out of focus shot better i wouldnt do it, but where is the skill in clicking?!

"but it kinda feels like the skill is slowly being taken out of photography"

Interesting.

Almost every camera on the market now has auto focus, auto exposure, speed/aperture override etc. This means that most people with a camera can capture a scene of something. These images crop up all the time on Caedes.

Having a camera, with Lytro of not, does not make someone a photographer. Colour has not killed B&W, Lytro will not do anything other than allow anyone looking at you image to change its focus, alter the DoF etc. Yes it will allow the unskilled to create a great shot, but only if they see the shot, align it correctly, and do all the other things, apart from DoF and focus, that make a great image. That is sometimes they will get lucky, most times they will still cut of peoples feet, have a telegraph pole coming out of someones head etc etc.

Personally, when I create an image I would not like someone else to change the DoF or focus from what I, as an artist (sorry, very presumptuous), created in the first place.

"Sophisticated algorithms use the full light field to unleash new ways to make and view pictures."


Don't like the sound of that, can only spell trouble..

:oP

Here is the other thread that introduced "Lytro":

"Will Caedes support the new Lytro picture files?"

I thought the software for viewing the Lytro shots was built into the image so you could view them online. Correct me if that is a mistaken assumption.

PC World has an informative Q&A here.

Eight Questions About Lytro's Light-Field Camera

PCW: Will it use a proprietary image format?

Lytro: Yes, although you can save the files as a JPEG, at which point they will lose the interactive capability.

PCW: Can you talk about the mobile apps and the desktop-side software needed to view and refocus the images?

Lytro: Lytro living images include the Lytro light field engine wherever they are viewed--whether on a PC, mobile, or on the Web. Lytro is tapping into modern Web technologies like Flash and HTML5 to let people share and interact with living pictures without needing to download any additional software.

Coming soon...
Scifi becoming reality

Lytro camera review.

The reviewer tries to find good things to say, but you get the impression that this is not quite what was expected. 1 megapixel (1024x1024) resolution. Lens not great. Software only works on Mac.

/\ Underwhelming?

Then again, for $399..

Currently, it is meant only for e-mail and web posting anyway.

First generation, new technology, proof of concept, all come to mind. Imagine this as a 30 megapixel sensor in a body like the flagship Nikon or Cannon. Give it 5-10 years to mature and see where it goes. As for the rest of the world - 90% of all photos are never seen any where but on line at the low resolution of 72dpi. It's perfect for the majority of people who just shoot snapshots any way.

For this to really take off some things have to change. Firstly, the file format needs to be made an open recognised standard, such as JPEG, so 3rd party software can process it, such as web browsers, photo editing software, document packages such as word, pages etc. In its present proprietary format, and having to export in flash, it is a non starter. I suspect we will see this technology licensed, eventually.

Secondly, its present limitation to Mac software and flash technology for distribution is NOT a good combination, especially since Most Apple, and most mobile, products do not support flash, exactly the target viewing systems for these types of low res images.

Thirdly, there is usually an associated 'killer app' that doesn't quite work and needs a technology to mature that drives something forward. For example, file compression was driven by low bandwidth communications and small storage capacities. The 'killer' part of Lytro is that you can refocus images. Is there a real need or desire for this? What isn't working at the moment that needs this new technology? Autofocus, face recognition, even multiple focus systems to automatically select areas of interest, already cope with most of the problems that Lytro would address. These are available as 5mp or more on most mobile phones and are not a separate device.

Fourthly. Square format. Very few viewing systems, phones, tablets, screens are square, so you can't put your image of your loved one/children/favourite pet as a desktop. These are big commercial drivers and not to be underestimated.

Lastly, Moores law needs to allow larger sensor densities. 1MP might be OK for some tasks, but it is too low by current imagery standards. This will undoubtedly change. But the first point will be the driver here. Camera sensors improve because there is a demand for what they produce from many companies. Without the third party drive, that is as a single company proprietary system, I doubt it will progress very quickly. Even given Mores Law we need to wait till 2016/17 to get to 4mp, and optical technology moves slower. Given the noise on the current 1MP Lytro sensor it will probably need a lot longer.

All that said, I am sure this has a future, but I think it may take off elsewhere, such as in robotics or the film industry. Alternatively it needs a better, more intuitive viewing system such as glasses that focus an image as your eye focuses. Now, a 3D image like that would be a killer app.

I see a tremendous potential for this. One should never lament replacing old technologies with better ones. That process opens new worlds for creativeness and reduces grunt work. Would you get involved in photography today if you were told you have to build a darkroom in your house and spend a lot of time and money dabbling with chemicals?

Potential is the key word. Right now it is only available for Mac OS systems I believe and the size limitation allows for limited uses. Will be interesting to see where this goes.