Lytro!?

[Sredfield]

Wow!

( old defunct link removed, try https://www.picturecorrect.com/news/lytro-camera/ )

[big_load]

Hmmm. You can do something like that with a very precisely measured bad lens and a whole bunch of processing.

[nonot]

Not exactly, capturing a light field is a bit more complicated.

[big_load]

@nonot I oversimplified a little, but not by much. I've been doing matched-field processing for almost 25 years.

[JoelHazelton]

Wow, if the "just click where you want to focus on the image below" picture is indeed one image, that's impressive!!!

[hippiepunkpirate]

Hmmm. You can do something like that with a very precisely measured bad lens and a whole bunch of processing.

I think the sales-point would be to save people the time and effort of intensive processing and condensing it into a single click. Of course, I'm skeptical if this company can build a high-quality all-around camera (especially in a dSLR format). I'd like to see them team up with Canon or Nikon personally.

[hippiepunkpirate]

Also, for landscape photography, this technology would be much better if you could use it to achieve focus throughout the entire image, and doing so only having to take a single image. Very few photos that I take do I really want to have such a limited depth of field.

[PLC92084]

I'd like to see them team up with Canon or Nikon personally.

Exactly!

If the technology is so revolutionary, why not license it to existing manufacturers and spare the world another piece of hardware?

[joebartels]

If they get a patent on a form of bracketing I really need to rethink how I'm investing my time in life
Though it's done everywhere so why not. Kodak lives on patents. One against Apple and RIM is due for judgement today that could net 'em one billion alone.

[PLC92084]

@joe bartels
We know you've been positioning HAZ for global licensing and sales opportunities... The demographic data, alone, should be enough to make you popular with some major retailers!

[nonot]

Focus bracketing...want to share the patent Joe?

[Al_HikesAZ]

Officially announced today. ( http www lytro com/ is now https://raytrix.de/ ) Two models priced at $399 and $499. http://www.picturecorrect.com/news/lytro-camera/

The Lytro camera is available in two models: 8GB ($399, 350 pictures, in Electric Blue or Graphite) and 16GB ($499, 750 pictures, in Red Hot). It is now available to order at Lytro.com and will ship in early 2012. The Lytro desktop application will be available initially for the Mac operating system; a Windows version will be available in 2012.

Some interactive photos on the Lytro.com website that you can manipulate.

[Alston_Neal]

That is really cool. I can see how it would be fantastic for the outdoor shots here, but I wonder what it would be like for product shots on websites.

[chumley]

Some interactive photos on the Lytro.com website that you can manipulate.

I'm guessing that there is a limitation to the manipulations based on what they created in Flash. If you click on certain focal points it works fine, but if you chose random spots in the photo, nothing changes from the focal points. But I'd be interested in seeing how it really works, rather than a Flash attempt at illustrating it.

[nonot]

I imagine you could focus anywhere on the screen, but rather than clicking a point, you could move a slider around. Clicking on a point would only result in a focus change if the software is able to determine the depth of the light field that relates to that point.

I wonder what the resolution will be in comparison. It seems more like it would compare to 1 megapixel photos.

[joebartels]

that old Lytro is now available on eBay $100-$200 range

new model is $1500-$1600
a constant f/2.0 for its entire zoom range
http://venturebeat.com/2014/04/22/lytro ... s-forever/

[chumley]

I wonder what the resolution will be in comparison. It seems more like it would compare to 1 megapixel photos.

Seems that's the biggest issue right now. While they don't measure their format in megapixels, if you flatten a lytro image to a "normal" photo, the quality just isn't there. Especially these days when people have 8mp on their phone. (And by "people" I mean the other 99.9% who have more than just a landline ;) )

Even the new $1600 model has a "normal" photo equivalent of only 4mp.

Until that increases, I think the technology will remain very niche.