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Want Adjustable Depth of Field in Post? You Don't Need Lytro, Now You Can Use a DSLR

12.17.12 @ 11:54AM Tags : 4d, cameras, depth, dslr, lightfield, lytro, photography, plenoptic, technology

Light field cameras could be the next big thing in photography and/or video, but as of right now, there is only one company selling anything that can achieve the affect: Lytro. If you have been wondering if this effect could be recreated with the DSLR you already own, the answer, as it turns out, is yes. The Chaos Collective, a group of internet futurists, has created a way to achieve the exact same effect as the Lytro camera with any DSLR, and has even created a way to embed the adjustable photos online. More »

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Mystical Lytro Light Field Camera Now Allows for Equally Magical Perspective Shift, Plus Living Filters

11.16.12 @ 11:25AM Tags : 4d, camera, cameras, depth, lightfield, lytro, photography, plenoptic, technology

Lytro cameras already allow us to do something that, while (apparently) scientifically possible, seems to invoke more Gandalf than optical physics — which is to manipulate focus, dynamically and after the fact. By sampling the whole ‘light field’ within the field of view, they are truly fascinating iterations of the tools we use daily. This has some pretty interesting implications for the future of photography, not to mention videography — but Lytro isn’t stopping there. In fact, you can not only interactively shift your focal point, as you could before – but you can now, to an extent, alter the actual perspective of your shot as well, in real time — not to mention apply filters which also react in line with the company’s “living picture” aesthetic. For a demo video and some interactive examples, read on. More »

14

New to DSLRs? A Beginner's Guide to Exposure and an Explanation of Lens Diffraction

05.5.12 @ 9:58PM Tags : depth, diffraction, dslr, exposure

Exposure is one of the most important aspects of shooting with DSLRs. If you’re new to shooting with digital cameras, it can be a bit overwhelming to fully understand all of the terminology and the options for controlling the exposure of the image. Film is pretty straightforward, where the film speed (or ISO, ASA, etc.) does not change. Shooting pictures is a bit more complicated, as the film speed can change, so you’ve got aperture, shutter speed, and ISO as three different settings to affect exposure. Shooting video is a bit different, as the shutter speed of DSLRs will typically not go below 1/30 of a second. We’ve got two videos explaining exposure and control, with the first being a beginner’s guide to overall exposure, and the second explaining what happens as you stop down your lens. More »

18

In Case You Missed the Crazy Future Camera That's Refocusable in Post, Here It Is

07.5.11 @ 12:35PM Tags : 4d, cameras, depth, lightfield, lytro, photography, plenoptic, technology

Years ago a reader emailed me about plenoptic cameras, also known as light-field cameras, which allow an image to be refocused after the picture is taken. Sometimes referred to as a 4D camera, this crazy technology is now headed to a consumer camera from new manufacturer Lytro. News of this development, which utilizes technology first seen in a 2005 Stanford research paper, hit the internet last week, with Lytro now taking reservations for the device. Check out the refocusable images in action, and let me know what you think — game-changer or gimmick? More »