lightfieldcamera
Latest
Lytro is shutting down, but some employees may head to Google
Lytro made a name for itself by allowing you to take a photo and then change the focus point after the fact. Its "Light Field" cameras never really took off, though, and neither did its pivot to pro-styled cameras and virtual reality. Now the company has announced that as of today it won't be "taking on any new productions or providing professional services as we prepare to wind down the company."
Lytro's first pro movie camera is designed for visual effects magic
While there are plenty of advanced digital movie cameras, most of them aren't really designed for the modern realities of movie making, where computer-generated effects are seemingly ubiquitous. You'll still have to bust out the green screen if you want to put those real actors in a digital world. Lytro might have a better way, though. It's introducing the Lytro Cinema, a movie camera built with digital effects in mind. Since Lytro's light field technology captures a massive, 3D picture of the environment (755 RAW megapixels at up to 300FPS), you might never need a green screen again -- you can accurately determine the objects you want to keep in a given scene.
Lytro to focus on VR and video with $50 million investment
Lytro -- maker of "shoot now, focus later" cameras -- is diving into the virtual reality and video market, following an investment of $50 million led by GSV Capital. The market shift means Lytro will lay off 25 - 50 of its 130 employees, and at the same time hire new folks with expertise in VR and video. Lytro is best known for its tubelike, selective-focus cameras released in 2012, though its newest model, the Illum, is a high-end SLR-style device. The company has been feeling out its target market for a while, and while we thought the new camera was better than its predecessor, VR might turn out to be a better fit for Lytro overall.
Lytro's light field camera tech to boost night vision and space imaging
Lytro wants other companies to use its light field photo technology to improve their devices, and not just photography wares. In order to do that, the company outed the Lytro Development Kit (LDK) as part of its Platform initiative. At first, you might think this if for other consumer device makers, but it goes way beyond that. In the announcement, the outfit tossed out some examples of more commercial R&D-type scenarios for its imaging know-how. "Since Lytro's inception, we've continually been approached by a number of organizations wanting to collaborate with us on a wide variety of new applications," said CEO Jason Rosenthal. Things like NASA improving its imaging in space and Army Night Vision projects are already using the kit, and there's potential for things like a gadget that analyzes soil samples for scientists. There's a hefty fee to get access to the goods, so this is definitely a B2B move, but it'll certainly be interesting to see the results.
Lytro's selective focus camera finally coming to the UK starting at £399 (updated)
Assuming you haven't given up on the idea, you'll soon be able to buy a Lytro light field camera in the UK -- even though it's been on US shelves since early last year. To remind you, it works by combining a fixed f/2.0, 8x optical zoom lens with an 11-"megaray" sensor to create a layered 1,080 x 1,080 "living picture," in which the focus can be changed later by viewers. For those who waited all this time, there is a consolation: Lytro recently enabled the camera's WiFi chip, allowing you to see images on any iOS device via a companion app. The 8GB model in graphite, electric blue, seaglass or moxie pink will run £399, while a 16GB offering in "red hot" will be priced at £469. You can grab one after July 22nd at Dixons Travel, Harrods or John Lewis -- to see how it works, check a sample image after the break. Update: Lytro has just informed us that the "seaglass" color isn't available in the UK yet, so adjust your matching fashion plans accordingly.
FocusTwist app for iOS gives you Lytro-esque refocusable images
Arqball has just released the FocusTwist app for iOS that lets you selectively focus after taking an image -- without investing $400 in a Lytro light field camera. It works by automatically taking several shots with different focus points from your iPhone's camera, delivering the best results if you hold very still and have subjects in the near foreground and far background. You can then change focus by clicking different parts of the resulting image, which is hosted on the company's server and can be shared via a link. After playing with the app ourselves for a bit (see the More Coverage link), we've got to admit we're stupidly hooked -- you can grab it at the source for $1.99.
Lytro camera getting parallax effect and 3D display support, lands in Hong Kong (video)
Lytro isn't done extending the usefulness of its light field camera just because we have manual controls. Another update due by the end of the year will take advantage of that focus-independent sensor to allow a parallax-based 3D effect in photos: invoke a 'full' focus in reviewing shots and you can start poking around the scene in a limited way without having ever touched a dual-sensor camera. Appropriately, we're also getting support for examining photos on 3D monitors and TVs that emphasize the added depth. The promised features come hand-in-hand with Lytro's immediate availability in Hong Kong, where 8GB blue and gray cameras are selling for $3,888 HKD ($502 US) and the 16GB red model goes for $4,688 HKD ($605). Check out our Chinese crew's eyes-on look at the parallax effect in a video after the break.
Lytro camera review
Lytro camera hands-on (video) Lytro open to partnering with smartphone makers, executive suggests Lytro's light field camera captures 'unprecedented' images, lets you choose focus later Don't let that cute design fool you. Lytro, the world's first commercial light field camera, is the culmination of nearly twenty years of research -- a project that once occupied an entire wall facade, and has since been miniaturized into something that fits in the palm of your hand. An impressive feat, sure, but not as arresting as the end result: the ability to refocus pictures, even after you've taken them. To achieve such magical endeavors the Lytro camera uses heaps of custom software (armed with a custom .lfp file format) coupled with some serious silicon to measure not just color or the intensity of light, but its direction, too. The latter is achieved with an eleven "megaray" sensor, which is bolted to an f/2.0 8x optical zoom lens, all encased within that sleek body. Seeking to save us from unfocused mishaps, the technological tour de force also unlocks some considerable creative potential. So, is the $399 shooter going to revolutionize photography as we know it? Or does the Lytro's first foray into consumer electronics fall prey to the shortcomings of 1.0 product? By now you should know the drill: rendezvous with us past the break to find out.
Lytro Light Field Camera: Hands-on with the future of photography
On March 1, a new era of photography began when California-based Lytro started shipping the first Lytro Light Field Cameras. When I first heard about light field photography last year, I was intrigued enough to pre-order one of Lytro's cameras sight unseen. The camera arrived on Friday, and I've now had a chance to put it through its paces. In this review, I'll explain what light field photography is, describe how the camera and what Lytro calls "living pictures" work, and give you my impressions on how this first-generation device does its job. TUAW's interest in the Lytro goes beyond pure "cool gadget" fascination, since the device is technically a Mac-only peripheral. At this point, the Lytro Desktop software only runs on the Mac platform, although a Windows version is on the way. About Light Field Photography What's a light field camera? Normal digital cameras measure the color and intensity of light, while a light field camera also captures the direction that the light is moving at a point in time. The Lytro measures all of the light in front of the camera and then recreates that three-dimensional light field in digital form. Once the data is downloaded from the Lytro to your Mac, a piece of software called Lytro Desktop processes those images so that you're able to view the light field. As you'll find out in a bit, the camera can be focused on a particular point as you're capturing an image. But since you've captured much more information about the light entering the camera, you can also refocus the image in the software. This is where the magic of light field photography comes in -- photographers are essentially able to shoot a photo and then focus after the fact. Without having to worry about focusing on a subject before capturing an image, photographers can simply "point and shoot", then refocus at will later on. Viewing light field images is like magic -- you click (or tap if you're using an iPad to view) on a spot to bring it into focus. Needless to say, this is absolutely stunning in images that have both close-up and distant elements, as the viewer can choose what to focus on. Give this image a try: There are tantalizing hints from Lytro that the same information stored by the camera will soon be able to be manipulated by the Lytro Desktop app to display a 3D image or, in a particularly Blade Runner-ish way, shift the viewer's perspective a bit to see the image from a slightly different point in space. Design and Specs Light field photography is a new science, having been first achieved at a Stanford University lab 15 years ago. The CEO of Lytro, Ren Ng, wrote his doctoral dissertation (available here) in 2006 describing the math and physics of digital light field photography. The first DLF cameras, known as plenoptic cameras, filled rooms with many cameras looking through multiple microlenses and required supercomputer power to process the images. Through years of research, Lytro has managed to squeeze all of the necessary camera technology into what looks like a small, square-sided telescope measuring 1.61" x 1.61" x 4.41" (41 mm x 41 mm x 112 mm) and weighing just 7.55 ounces (214 grams). On one end is a 1.46" (33 mm) backlit touchscreen LCD that is used to control the Lytro camera, while on the other is a glass window covering the optics. The camera features an 8x optical zoom lens that stays at a fast f/2 aperture throughout the zoom range. There's a square magnetic lens cap that keeps the end of the optics covered when not in use. With light field photography, you don't talk about capturing megapixels -- instead, you're capturing megarays. There's no other camera to compare the first Lytro with, so the 11 megaray spec is a bit meaningless -- that number indicates the number of light rays that are captured and is not indicative of resolution as we know it. The Lytro comes in three models -- Red Hot (US$499, 16 GB, holds 750 images), Electric Blue ($399, 8 GB, stores 350 pictures), and Graphite (same as Electric Blue). I purchased the Electric Blue. The exterior of the camera case is covered with a silicone rubber grip in the area that your hand holds it. This grip also contains a power button, a micro-USB port, two holes for attaching a wrist strap (included), and the shutter button. Sliding a finger back and forth across the top of the grip also zooms the camera. Unboxing and using the Lytro Camera Apple's aesthetic has definitely had a major effect on how electronic devices are packaged. The Lytro box is plain white with photos of the two ends and a side view of the camera printed on the top and ends. Opening the box, the first thing you see is the camera, perched atop a plastic tray. Lift up the camera, and a small set of instructions is folded underneath. Below the plastic tray is the USB cable for charging the Lytro and retrieving images, the wrist strap, a soft cleaning cloth, and some additional information. %Gallery-149390% The lithium-ion battery inside is already charged up when you receive the camera, but Lytro recommends plugging in the device so that it can be fully charged. The touchscreen display indicates the level of charge. Once it was charged up, I was ready to go take some light field pictures. Taking light field photos is quite easy -- you turn the camera on, take off the lens cap, make sure that the image you're shooting is framed nicely in the viewfinder, and then press the shutter button. To help frame a subject, swiping a finger to the right on top of the hand grip zooms the camera in, and swiping left zooms out. There's also a "Creative Mode" that provides more control for capturing extreme macro images, using the zoom's full range, and setting the center of the range of refocus. Accessing the mode is done by swiping up on the touchscreen and tapping a specific icon. When Creative Mode is set, there's a blue frame around the display. Setting the center of the refocus range is just a tap away. Here's another image that was done using Creative Mode: Once you've taken a number of images, swiping to the right lets you look through them. Want to zoom in on a detail? Swipe your finger on top of the camera. Deleting a bad photo -- yes, you can still capture horrible images just like with any other camera -- is accomplished by swiping up on the display and tapping the popular trash can icon. There's also a way of tagging special images by tapping a star icon. Those images are imported to your computer before any other image. Importing and sharing Moving the images to your Mac and the free Lytro.com web storage / viewing area is also simple. Attaching the camera to your Mac via the USB cable for the first time opens the app installer, which is stored in the camera. When the app is installed, images are pulled over to the Mac. Importing and doing the processing of eleven images took a little over two minutes on my machine (a Core i7 recent-vintage iMac); if you've filled up your Lytro, be prepared to do some waiting. In the Lytro Desktop software, images are displayed by "story." All images taken during a specific session show up in a single story, and images can be moved between stories by clicking and dragging. Stories can also be renamed, so images taken on a trip (for example) can be grouped and given a title appropriate to that trip. %Gallery-149516% The Lytro Desktop software is also used to share your images with others. To begin with, double-clicking opens the image in full size so that you can click on it to refocus. Once you've found a focus range you like, you have the option to shares the image or save the photo as a 1080 x 1080 pixel JPEG for printing or touchup. Saving as a JPEG, of course, gets rid of the interactivity. However, the static photos are much less engaging than the interactive images, so it's better to share the images online so others can "play" with them. From the Desktop app you can post an image on your personal Lytro.com page or share a link on Facebook. From the Lytro.com page, it's possible to share a link on Facebook, Twitter, Google +, or email the link. There are also embed codes for placing the images into a web page, which is how I got the sample images onto TUAW. Negatives There are a couple of things that I wish the first-generation Lytro had -- a way to attach it to a tripod (there's no tripod mount), a flash (despite the fast f/2 lens, it still takes noisy low-light pictures), and a way to geotag images automatically. If the Lytro is as successful as the company hopes, perhaps we'll see improved models in the future. While you can view and refocus shared images on iOS devices, there's no way to do that directly in your Lytro.com account. The company is working on an iOS app that should be available in the near future. The bottom line One of the most common questions I've received since taking delivery of the Lytro camera is "What are some practical things you can do with it"? That's a very good question, since the images aren't as high resolution or editable as those from even a fairly pedestrian point and shoot digital camera, or usable without a computer of some sort. I can see many practical uses for the device. For example, artists who want to display images of three-dimensional objects (sculptures) can now use a handful of shots and let potential customers focus in on different points; the same thing goes for eBay sellers or real estate brokers, who now have a new tool for giving potential buyers a stronger sense of the merchandise. For those of us writing at tech sites, the ability to take amazing macros or product shots that readers can interact with is going to be a draw. Travelers will find light field images to be a unique way to capture snaps of places visited, then they can use the website or Mac Desktop software to "revisit" those places with a level of interactivity never possible before. As I noted earlier, the captured light field can be manipulated to provide 3D images, and that's a feature that many expect to see soon. There's no word on how the images will be viewed, but I'll pass along the information when this capability becomes available. The Lytro camera is small enough that I'll be able to carry it everywhere, so it's going to be a perfect companion to my iPhone camera (snapshots) and my "working camera." I absolutely love being able to capture images very quickly with no need to focus. The camera is immediately available for use after power-up, and it has already been useful for me in taking macros in seconds, instead of having to play with focus and lighting. I also believe that using the Lytro is going to also change the way I think about traditional photography. Rather than framing my photos two-dimensionally, I already find myself thinking about depth of field more often now. The Lytro is going to be a useful tool for expanding my photography skill set. Is it for everyone? Probably not. But it's a first step into a new world, and at some point in the future this technology may work its way into the mainstream. Until then, enjoy the images you'll start to see from Lytro owners everywhere.
Lytro pre-orders start shipping, infinite focusing now within reach
Those of you that scurried to get an early spot in the pre-order cue for Lytro's upcoming camera, ought to carefully skim your inboxes for an email confirming shipment of your infinite focusing shooter. Per a ton of tips from you, in addition to a post from the company's official blog, early orders of the unconventionally shaped camera that allows you to refocus after the fact are now en route to abodes stateside. When we played with it at its launch event, we came away impressed, yet ultimately longed for the underlying technology to be licensed to others -- something the company maintains it's actively exploring. No matter, with a unit in hand, look for our full review in the coming days.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Lytro video camera 'a possibility', would need more processing muscle
While we impatiently await a Lytro to call our own -- or at least rigorously review -- it looks like the light field technology could be used for video. Ren Ng, CEO of Lytro and the man behind the camera's focus-dodging optical wizardry, mentioned that the main barrier between the curious camera lens and video recording is the amount of processing power required to manipulate all that fully-lit input. He also mentioned that Lytro is continuing to develop the wireless connectivity within the device, something that wasn't fully baked during our hands-on. If it's a processing power issue, those incoming quad-core smartphones might be able to help squeeze some video out of that f/2.0 lens...
Lytro open to partnering with smartphone makers, executive suggests
Now that its famed light field camera has finally become official, Lytro is looking to the future, with an eye, apparently, toward the cellphone market. During a recent interview with PC World, Lytro executive chairman Charles Chi described his company's new sensor in greater detail, and talked at length about its purportedly superior battery life. He also divulged a few hints about Lytro's roadmap. When asked whether the firm would ever license its technology to a smartphone manufacturer, Chi confirmed that Lytro has "the capital to do that, the capability in the company to do that, and... the vision to execute," before launching into an explanation of what it would take for such an initiative to succeed: If we were to apply the technology in smartphones, that ecosystem is, of course, very complex, with some very large players there. It's an industry that's very different and driven based on operational excellence. For us to compete in there, we'd have to be a very different kind of company. So if we were to enter that space, it would definitely be through a partnership and a codevelopment of the technology, and ultimately some kind of licensing with the appropriate partner. Far from a confirmation, to be sure, but it seems like the handset market is at least on Lytro's radar. Read the full Q&A at the link below.
Lytro's light field camera hits the FCC, drop-dead simple user manual in tow
2011's most outrageously incredible camera just hit the FCC, leaving it a step or two shy of being on retail shelves here in America. The Lytro light field camera (hands-on) -- for those who blinked through late October -- is a rare game-changing device that enables photographers to shift the depth of field after the image has been captured. The downside, of course, is that this functionality is tucked into a pocket-sized toy rather than Canon's incoming EOS 1D-X (or similar), but we're hoping that it's only a matter of time before the company licenses this out to the big boys. The included user guide proves just how simple the $399 device will be to operate, but on the same token, how few options there will be for advanced users. Dig in yourself in the source link below -- looks like that "early 2012" shipping promise might just be kept.
Lytro camera hands-on (video)
You knew Lytro was up to something, but with its infinite focus light-field powered camera out of the bag, how does it actually stack up in real life? In a word: novel -- you certainly won't be tossing your regular camera for this shooter, at least not in its current incarnation. Still the concept of shoot now, ask focus questions later is revolutionary, so hop on past the break for our initial impressions. %Gallery-137034%
Lytro introduces world's first light field camera: f/2 lens, $399, ships early 2012
Ready for the world's first consumer light field camera -- you know, the spiffy kind that can infinitely focus? After demoing the tech earlier this year, Lytro's unveiled the world's first shipping product -- a little something it calls the Lytro camera. Within the anodized aluminum frame, the consumer-friendly camera totes an f/2, 8x zoom lens which utilizes an 11-mega-ray light-field to power all that infinite focus magic. It's instant-on and the rubber back-end wields only two physical buttons: one for shutter and the other for power. The company's added the ability to change the focus on-camera, a task accomplished via its touchscreen glass display. It'll ship in two versions: the $399 8GB flavor can hold 350 pictures, and comes in graphite or blue, followed by a $499 16GB model, which sports an electric-red finish and stores up to 750 images. Pre-orders go live at Lytro's website today, and will ship in early 2012 on a first-come first-serve basis. Our hands-on impressions are here, with PR and sample images after the break.%Gallery-137041%%Gallery-137039%%Gallery-137017%
Lytro's light field camera captures 'unprecedented' images, lets you choose focus later
A Silicon Valley start-up called Lytro claims it's working on a consumer camera that uses light field technology to radically change the way we take, edit and experience photographs. Whereas a normal digital camera captures a snapshot of light hitting a sensor, a light field camera first separates rays of light in order to individually record their color, intensity and direction. This extra information opens up a world of possibilities, including the ability to focus on any depth of field within a taken photo, observe a 3D-type effect even without specs, and boost images taken in extremely low light. Although light field cameras have been around for some time, they haven't been commercially viable. Now though, Lytro has secured backing worth $50million to bring a "competitively priced" camera to market "later this year" -- we'll see if they can beat similar plenoptic technology from Adobe to market. Can't wait that long? Check out the interactive photo (click on Elvis to re-focus) after the break, plus a video that also shows off the 3D effect. Both are the definition of mind-blowing.
