OT: Light Field Cameras

DrLumen wrote on 5/13/2012, 11:04 PM

Maybe this is old news but I just ran across an article on these cameras. In short, a picture is taken but you can shift the focus point to anywhere while viewing the picture.

https://www.lytro.com/camera#

I'm not sure how it could be used for video being that it is primarily intended to be interactive for stills but being able to change focus on subjects would eliminate a lot of out-of-focus video.

Anyway, I think this is a pretty good idea - particularly for the amateur photo market..

Comments

Serena wrote on 5/14/2012, 2:04 AM

We did speak about this http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/forums/ShowMessage.asp?ForumID=4&MessageID=767782previous discussion[/link].

richard-amirault wrote on 5/14/2012, 6:45 AM

Now that they have been available (in limited quantities) ... they are not, currently, as good as you might think.

The resolution of the current crop of cameras is painfully small. Some say that even when "focused" .. the image is not "sharp"

Maybe these issues can be fixed in future models, but right now it's just an expensive toy.

JohnnyRoy wrote on 5/14/2012, 7:47 PM

MUTTLEY (Ray) has one and I got to see it an NAB when I was with him. It looked OK and you could actually adjust focus in the camera preview after taking the picture but we were in a restaurant and the lighting was poor. Maybe if Ray sees this thread he'll give you his personal view as an owner. I know he wasn't happy that the software for it is Mac only but otherwise I think he liked it.

~jr

MUTTLEY wrote on 5/14/2012, 9:58 PM

As Johnny said, I have one but haven't used it near as much as I had hoped, primarily because I'm an instant gratification kind of guy and as Johnny also mentioned, it's still Mac only. With that taking a pic is much less fun with the hassle of having a friend come over to offload. As to how I like it, well, its a hard one to describe, the pictures when done right are sheer magic to me, but its hard to find that magic spot. It's not great for quick snapshots, any movement and your pic will be blurred. My thought getting one is that it would be a great camera for simple shots just because you don't have to focus or wait for the camera to focus, that all you have to do is point and shoot and that's simply not the case. Without the "effect" of a well composed foreground, background you would most likely be better off just using your cell phone to snap a pic. Forget about low light, really, just forget about it. My other disappointment is the screen on the camera doesn't have near the resolution that they show on their sight.

So is it worth it? Well, I think it would be if they would hurry up and get me the Windows version! It truly is groundbreaking and exciting technology once you wrap your head around what works and what doesn't. Here's a few I took that I actually liked enough to post:

Shooting the Red Carpet In The Rain

Mirror

Kitty

- Ray
Underground Planet

DrLumen wrote on 5/15/2012, 1:18 PM

Thanks for the info. I didn't realize it was Mac only so that would not do me any good - even just to tinker. I say tinker because I am more interested in the tech than the actual cameras but a camera would be a good starting point.

Ray, that is good to know about the low light and blurring. I couldn't find any real specs about a "shutter speed" if there is such a thing on these type cameras. I am surprised to learn that they can still have blur. Motion blurring seems to contradict that whole idea of how these are supposed to work - at least in my understanding. Perhaps the electronics aren't fast enough yet. Or, maybe they need to incorporate a shutter.

I like the mirror pic, that is really interesting. Kitty huh? lol.

I will wait a while and hope they get better and do a windows or linux port of the software.