Visit our other websites:    On CE ... eSP ... Mobile Channels ... ECI news ... rAVe Europe ... Digital Signage News EMEA

Lytro Camera Goes DSLR-Style

E-mail Print PDF

"Light field camera" maker Lytro releases a high-end version of the point-and-shoot camera sharing its name-- the Illum, a DSLR-style offering complete with oversized optics, larger sensor and faster CPU.

Lytro IllumFor readers not in the know, light field photography allows users to shoot first and focus later. Essentially a lens array and sensor combo captures the colour, intensity and vector direction of light rays, and special software uses that data to create 3D images with adjustable depth of field.

Unlike the first, rectangular Lytro the Illum features a design more akin to traditional DSLR cameras. It carries an 8X (30-250mm) zoom lens and has a constant f/2.0 aperture, 1/4000 shutter, 4-inch touchscreen and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 CPU.

Interestingly the backside display is set at an angle, allowing users to shoot comfortably from the waist.

As for light field technology the Illum carries a 40 megaray sensor to capture 40 million rays of light (Lytro does not measure its cameras in megapixels), up from the 11 megarays of the first Lytro camera.

Also improved is the software, with features including depth range previews, connectivity with desktop software such as Photoshop and Lightroom, and the option to export images as either traditional files or WebGL-powered interactive widgets.

Will Lytro manage to find a place in the consumer market beyond mere high-end curio? We will find out once the Illum ships from July 2014.

Go Lytro Illum