LYTRO Camera A PRO or A CON?

Click on the living LYTRO image above to see the technology in action.
Today LYTRO had a hands on demonstration at the Wired Store in Times Square in NYC. I was fortunate to have the trial run with Lytro's uniquely designed light field camera at a pre-demo special invite only session. Ooooooo fancy right?

Here's some pros and cons just from my brief encounter with the camera.
[table id=6 /]



The thing about the LYTRO Camera is... this is the first one. Yea obviously Spencer thanks. When the LYTRO 2 comes out the ones that got the first one will say "Awwww man I wish I waited." Although as the light field technology progresses the older LYTRO digital files will be able to use the latest LYTRO software advances. Which is smart on LYTRO's part because at some point in our past digital experiences the digital media we created just won't work on the latest computer or OS. Like my buddy Douglas who had bought the first Leaf digital back for $30,000 and at a certain point that digital back only ran on a certain Mac computer running a certain OS software. However LYTRO claims that your living images will be able to keep on living even when the newer LYTRO technology takes over from the old.

Additional blog posts about LYTRO:
LYTRO – Will It Be A Fad?
Could Lytro Squeeze into the DSLR Market?
LYTRO’s Release Date Is Missing Out.

Be a guest blogger contact Spencer right after you tweet this post.

LYTRO - Will It Be A Fad?

The Lytro's technology is going to be an enormous leap forward in the digital imaging world.

Some are questioning is this just a fad. A fad I think not..... Lytro is laying down the stepping stone towards another technological advancement, something along the lines of what we saw in Star Wars as kids. The much anticipated advancement will not only lend itself to 3D imaging it will also be the beginning of...... wait for it. Holographic imagery, that's a ways down the road for the moment. The consumer market is not fully ready for the hologram.

I for one am looking forward to the new light field technology. Bring it on! Not having to focus allows me to "focus" on what is occurring in the moment.

Be ready. The Lytro Camera release is fast approaching. As I stated in a post in July I believe the release date will be later this month.

Lytro Camera - Focusing on NOT Focusing

Lytro is redefining the word Focus… the new 5 letter word.

Eliminating the 'element of focus' allows the user to focus on what is 'actually' in the picture frame. In the picture above imagine the shot taking place at night with the camera focused on the city. The shot is ruined because the nude model is out of focus. Take focusing out of the equation, the user is free to compose and capture the moment.

A big complaint, from users of point and shoot cameras, are missed shots while waiting for the camera to focus. Lytro’s camera has a no shutter lag time which means you don’t have to anticipate the shot. Lytro captures the moment when it happens, allowing the Lytro user to focus on the moment at hand.

Eric Cheng talks on Lytro's blog with Richard Koci Hernandez, a photographer who has actually used the Lytro camera. For those few that have had the chance to play with the prototype… lucky dogs!