A friend of mine in Portland Oregon sent me a link to the Lytro website a while back, saying I should put this new toy on my list for Christmas. I had seen the preliminary ideas around the Lytro about a year ago and it kind of fell off my radar screen, but yesterday I went and took a look at their site and was amazed. At first look, the Lytro does not appeal to my “camera geek” side. I like buttons and dials and the heaviness and importance that comes with a DSLR, but my minimalist “apple zen” side loved it.
It is a simple design, basically a lens with a digital screen on the back of. When you boil things down, thats really what a digital camera is… a lens with a sensor attached to it (simplistic, but true). I believe that we will see a day when you will get a camera the size of an iPhone (may even be a “nikon adaptable” iPhone) you will simply attach a lens and away you go. This is what Lytro has done essentially. It is a simple design, almost too simple and that is where the beauty is I think. I haven’t had the opportunity to use one yet, but the concept is innovative. The Lytro website talks about creating living pictures. This means that you can refocus the image after you have taken..yes, you heard correctly. That is already a huge step forward in the photography world, and I think might come to define lenses in the future. This gives huge flexibility in how to shoot. You don’t have to be overly concerned about your focus…thats a first. For me the next innovation is size, it is small and fits in your pocket. Easy to carry and ready to take images whenever you are. The next step is to get my hands on one…hmmm maybe Lytro will give me one to test out! Who knows…for now though, lets watch and see what this new innovation will do to photography!
