The way we take and edit pictures looks set to be transformed as the world's first consumer light field camera has been unveiled by Lytro. Unlike conventional cameras, the Lytro takes 'living pictures' by capturing all the rays of light in a scene, enabling the user to focus a photograph after it has been taken.
The handheld camera has a unique and quirky design and features only two buttons – power and shutter. Nevertheless, it still packs a powerful 8x optical zoom, f/2 lens and fully interactive touchscreen.
The Lytro camera works by utilising a light field sensor which collects the colour, intensity and direction of every ray of light entering the lens and captures the scene in four dimensions. The camera also features a light field engine that allows the user to refocus pictures on the device's touchscreen.
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Even when a picture is shared online, the light field engine travels with each picture, so anyone can interact with a photograph whether it be on a web browser, smartphone or tablet without the need for additional software.
“Light field photography was once only possible with 100 cameras tethered to a supercomputer in a lab,” said Dr. Ren Ng, Lytro Founder and CEO. “Today it’s accessible to everyone in a camera that’s small and powerful, but incredibly easy to use. Our goal is to forever change the way people take and experience pictures, and today marks our first major step.”
The Lytro camera is available in both 8GB and 16GB variants priced at $399 and $499 respectively.
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