Perhaps you have heard of Lytro. I first got wind of the company a few months ago and thought it sounded amazing. But then the “That’s a press release. Where’s the follow through?” mechanism in my brain that stops me from buying useless products kicked in. Was it too good to be true?

The camera the company is creating  is said be able to allow a viewer to focus on any spot in the image AFTER the image has been shot. This means different viewers can pick what they like and focus there, even changing the apparent aperture to control depth of field. All after an image has been shot. After checking out the Time article and the company’s website (which includes sample images) I believe the camera will be a hit from the moment it is stocked on store shelves.

While this camera is not for the serious photographer just yet (the image quality, while good, is not up to my standards), but its ability to (mostly) cure most amateurs’ problems with focus, coupled with its small size, will help it sell. What might go against the camera is the need for another computer program to download, edit and view images. This is understandable because nothing behaves like this camera and the images it produces.

The camera works on the principle that light hits an object and then scatters in all directions. When we, as humans or cameras, focus on one object, we are essentially focus on the two dimensional plane where that light is reflecting from. Light on planes before or after (forward or backward, if you will) isn’t focused on the same plane as our camera’s sensor and becomes slightly out of focus. That out of focus area is known as the circle of confusion.

The Lytro works by not focusing the light. Instead, it captures all the light rays reflected by objects at different depths of field. With a f/2 aperture, the sensor can capture 11 million individual light rays, then the software inside the camera process the information from the sensor to create the image, which then can be viewed on a computer. The images have their limits, but take a look at the examples on Lytro’s site, such as this image. After the image loads, click on various areas to bring it into focus. It really is quite cool.

It’s fun and innovative. While it has its limits (e.g., the camera does not accept memory cards and not everything can be brought into focus if objects are very, very close and very far away) I think it’s a step in a very interesting direction.

Stats:

  • Planned for release in early 2012
  • Suggested price of $399(8GB) and $499(16GB) – Pre-orders available now
  • No shutter lag as it doesn’t use a shutter
  • f/2 aperture constant throughout 8x zoom
  • Current software runs on Mac and is being developed for Windows
  • Weight: 7.55oz / 214g
  • Size: 1.61″x1.61″x4.41″ / 41mmx41mmx112mm

Check out Lytro’s website for more information. I’m very eager to get my hands on a demo until and will report here if/when it happens.

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