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Lytro Living Pictures Camera Revolution

Lytro's light-field picture cameras will revolutionize the field of photography; and consumer versions will be ready by the end of the year.

Light-field cameras use a different kind of sensor, which gathers light moving in all directions in the view of the camera. The main advantage of the camera is that you do not need to wait to focus the picture before shooting. Once the picture has been taken, the user can focus on any part of the picture.

Take a look at this amazing demonstration picture; you may have to reload the page to get it to work. Click in different parts of the picture to refocus.

The interesting choice that Lytro has made is to go into the camera business itself, rather than license out its technology to established camera makers. It hopes to have a point-and-shoot model on sale later this year. The device will be “reasonably priced,” but Lytro didn’t offer further details.

“It will be a competitively priced consumer product that fits in your pocket,” Ren Ng, the company’s founder and chief executive, said.

Fifteen years ago, light field photography required one hundred cameras and a supercomputer; now coming to a pocket near you.

Fans of the 1982 movie Blade Runner recall the esper photo analysis machine that Deckard uses to track the replicants. He can arbitrarily select a part of the picture, and zoom in to bring any portion into perfect focus.

(Blade Runner Esper photo analysis machine)

If the picture shown above doesn't work in your browser, follow the link under the picture to go to the Lytro site. Via allthingsD.

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