Lytro Camera

Eric Cheng/Lytro.com

Last year or so, I heard that a special camera that could alter focus, after taking the shot, was being developed. Well according to this NYT article, Lytro has finally released one and their very own Dr. Ng is largely credited for this technological breakthrough. Just some excerpts from the article that summarizes what it does:

"The Lytro camera captures far more light data, from many angles, than is possible with a conventional camera. It accomplishes that with a special sensor called a microlens array, which puts the equivalent of many lenses into a small space....

But the wealth of raw light data comes to life only with sophisticated software that lets a viewer switch points of focus. This allows still photographs to be explored as never before. "

Effectively, focus can be adjusted in post-processing. Now, some might say this technology is just another way photographers can be lazy. In the digital day and age, we have the wonderful luxury of taking thousands of photographs, editing, adjusting the noise levels, adjusting the colors, and so much more from the comfort of our home. Soon, we won't even have to worry about the camera's focus. We can quite simply point the camera in a general direction and click the shutter. This might bring a whole new meaning to point-and-shoot. While I do agree to some extent that this convenience may hinder the full experience of taking a photograph, let us first for a moment consider the other conveniences available to us that are now taken for granted. Even modern film bodies and lenses are eons ahead of bellows. Furthermore, how many of us shoot in RAW? RAW format, as just an example, provides so much flexibility in the post-processing that it is almost like cheating, especially for white balance. In fact, unless settings are adjusted, the image we see on our digital cameras is not the RAW file, but an automatically in-camera edited JPEG. Photography is about the memories and the image captured foremost. It is not only about the experience, however fun it may be to the user. It is also not centered on the gear or the clean ISO a camera can produce. It is that final product that you pass on to others to share. So take a moment to consider how powerful and game-changing Lytro's technology really is. Ever wish you could go back to that almost-perfect but out-of-focus shot you took, and could just tweak it a little bit? I know I do, and maybe soon we can.

For more details, Dr Ng's thesis can be found here