I saw this the other day on the PetaPixel website, and was intrigued. Intrigued enough to share this with all of you.
A San Francisco-based startup company, Lytro, is currently in the process of developing a camera that may allow the user to zoom into focus on an image – AFTER that image has been photographed. With a motto of “Shoot now, focus later,” Lytro’s “light field” camera promises to become a revolution in the photography world.
You gotta see this to believe this.
http://www.lytro.com/pictures/lyt-0/embed?utm_source=Embed&utm_medium=EmbedLink
You can click on any area of this photograph and a little square box appears. Re-click that box, and the area you clicked will now zip into focus. If you double-click on an area of the photograph, it will actually zoom into the image.
The company first developed software that could save the light data to allow points of focus to be identified in digital images, and can take an out-of-focus image and sharpen its perspective. In fact, test the theory out on the picture above. I’ll wait.
Here’s a video clip from Lytro describing their “light field” camera. And no, “light field” does not mean that you use the camera outdoors and it only weighs five ounces.
The plan is for Lytro to manufacture these cameras in the very near future. Price tag is not yet determined, but it’s probably way out of my budget.
http://www.lytro.com/pictures/lyt-28/embed?utm_source=Embed&utm_medium=EmbedLink
Now where and how would they use a camera like this? I’m sure there are situations where it would work – artistic interactive photography, for one. Something where, instead of being printed out, the photo could be shown on a tablet and the viewer could pinpoint the various areas of the picture to bring into focus.
Now is this going to make me get rid of my Nikon gear and all my toy and vintage cameras? Hardly.
But it might make a great addition to my arsenal.
I’m looking forward to seeing what Lytro can produce in the future. I’m very intrigued.
Chuck The Writer 
Meh.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/00-new-today.htm
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If the Times Union does not buy this camera for Chuck Miller to tinker with, I will stop reading all of their blogs and never buy their newspaper.
hahaha (I don’t think this will work…)
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In other news, Ken Rockwell still a complete tool.
“Compact and cell-phone cameras already get everything in focus”: hello, Earth to Ken, this is not about getting everything in focus, but keeping a subject in focus while retaining some form of bokeh/blurry background too.
“The best and only thing Lytro has to pitch […], but for that one minor advantage, there are a huge number of yet unknown disadvantages.”: classic Ken, bitchin’ about UNKNOWN disadvantages.
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