Have you heard about the Lytro? Its standout feature is that you can correct the focus of a shot, including changing the depth of field, after you take the photo. We’re not talking autofocus, nor is this fix-it-in-Photoshop. This is intended to be a major step up from that.
“The Lytro camera captures far more light data, from many angles, than is possible with a conventional camera,” explains Steve Lohr in an article in The New York Times. “It accomplishes that with a special sensor called a microlens array, which puts the equivalent of many lenses into a small space. … But the wealth of raw light data comes to life only with sophisticated software that lets a viewer switch points of focus. This allows still photographs to be explored as never before.”
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A screenshot of the picture gallery at Lytro.com, where you can experiment with changing the focus of various photos.
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Apparently, there is no loss of resolution, and the camera is the size of a typical point and shoot. And there’s no delay after you hit the shutter (which for some people, myself included, is the real selling point).
The Lytro, which is scheduled to debut later this year, is aimed at the consumer market, so who’s to say what if any impact it will have on pro photography. But it does seem to me that as technology becomes more sophisticated and capable of accomplishing tasks you used to have to be human to do, it’s good to remember what cannot be replicated by a machine: creativity and individuality.
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Read more:
• “Start-Up’s Camera Allows Photos to Be Refocused,” The Wall Street Journal
• “A Start-Up’s Camera Lets You Take Shots First and Focus Later,” The New York Times
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A camera that will focus for you—after the fact
Have you heard about the Lytro? Its standout feature is that you can correct the focus of a shot, including changing the depth of field, after you take the photo. We’re not talking autofocus, nor is this fix-it-in-Photoshop. This is intended to be a major step up from that.
“The Lytro camera captures far more light data, from many angles, than is possible with a conventional camera,” explains Steve Lohr in an article in The New York Times. “It accomplishes that with a special sensor called a microlens array, which puts the equivalent of many lenses into a small space. … But the wealth of raw light data comes to life only with sophisticated software that lets a viewer switch points of focus. This allows still photographs to be explored as never before.”
.
A screenshot of the picture gallery at Lytro.com, where you can experiment with changing the focus of various photos.
.
Apparently, there is no loss of resolution, and the camera is the size of a typical point and shoot. And there’s no delay after you hit the shutter (which for some people, myself included, is the real selling point).
The Lytro, which is scheduled to debut later this year, is aimed at the consumer market, so who’s to say what if any impact it will have on pro photography. But it does seem to me that as technology becomes more sophisticated and capable of accomplishing tasks you used to have to be human to do, it’s good to remember what cannot be replicated by a machine: creativity and individuality.
.
Read more:
• “Start-Up’s Camera Allows Photos to Be Refocused,” The Wall Street Journal
• “A Start-Up’s Camera Lets You Take Shots First and Focus Later,” The New York Times
.
.
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