The future of photography? Light field cameras

[Andy.]

Interesting stuff!

http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/21/ly...m-photography-with-50m-in-venture-funds-tctv/

Have a play with some of the pictures from the things here:

http://www.lytro.com/picture_gallery

 

[cadab]

Just had a play with them, really cool if its as simple as they are making out.

 

[The Ironist]

Looks pretty cool. A consumer priced product out this year. Supposed to be getting a D90 on Thursday...maybe I should wait...

 

[DaveDreads]

Thats mental!

I remember when the first cadcam systems came out in the 80s, they were huge and cost tens of thousands and needed a specially trained operator, now any one with a computer can do exactly the same job with photoshop.

It wont be long before conventional digital cameras have gone the way of film cameras, although it's hard enough to make a living as a professional photographer as it is, that technology will render the industry obsolete.

Oh well, life moves on I guess, back on the dole for me then.

 

[Brazo]

Its a fun gimmick imo but so far removed from what photography is about I dont personally think its the future.

 

[DaveDreads]

I was extremely skilled in chemical darkroom techniques before digital came along,
the photography I practise now is so far removed from what I concidered photography it's unreal!
I though digital cameras were a fun gimmick that wouldn't catch on when they came out,
how f*cking wrong was I?! lol

 

[-Tommy.]

Incredible. I can definitely see this becoming the norm with photography needing quick turn around, if not the whole spectrum!

 

[Brazo]

I was extremely skilled in chemical darkroom techniques before digital came along,
the photography I practise now is so far removed from what I concidered photography it's unreal!
I though digital cameras were a fun gimmick that wouldn't catch on when they came out,
how f*cking wrong was I?! lol

I used to do all the darkroom stuff too and whilst the tools are different its 'exactly' the same in terms of adjusting exposure, toning, cropping, colouring, burning in and dodging. Indeed the darkroom is where all the photoshop/lightroom names and terms come from.

 

[Brazo]

I was extremely skilled in chemical darkroom techniques before digital came along,
the photography I practise now is so far removed from what I concidered photography it's unreal!
I though digital cameras were a fun gimmick that wouldn't catch on when they came out,
how f*cking wrong was I?! lol

I used to do all the darkroom stuff too and whilst the tools are different its 'exactly' the same in terms of adjusting exposure, toning, cropping, colouring, burning in and dodging. Indeed the darkroom is where all the photoshop/lightroom names and terms come from.

 

[DaveDreads]

I used to do all the darkroom stuff too and whilst the tools are different its 'exactly' the same in terms of adjusting exposure, toning, cropping, colouring, burning in and dodging. Indeed the darkroom is where all the photoshop/lightroom names and terms come from.

The thing is though darkroom techniques are a skill, bordering on an art form, as everyone adopts & adapts what works for them and makes it their own, it took me years to become really good at it, by the time I went to University in my 1st year the tutors were asking me if I could help the 3rd years to devolp their darkroom techniques because of how skilled I was.

Photoshop is a program with set perameters so everyone produces the same kind of images using the same tools, some people are better at it than others, I will admit it's a damn site easier and quicker to balance images now, and I can churn out hundreds of images in a day, but I wouldn't really call it an artform seeing as anyone can pick it up in a day.

 

[Brazo]

Yes darkroom techniques had a lot of skill, which I didn't and they are easily replicated in PS.

 

[The Ironist]

Is it a bad idea to go and spend £700 on a camera that can only focus on one thing at a time right now?

 

[Tigger]

Awesome stuff

 

[Derelict-UK]

I learnt to see (feel) in the dark when doing colour developing at Uni.

The year after I finished, they replaced the colour darkroom with a computer room

It won't replace normal pictures lol, not everyone want's to faff about making stuff focussed, thats what they expect the photographer to do. As above, it's a gimmick like HDR, some people will love it, others will not. It won't replace pictures but be one of the many other techniques available.

I expect Adobe will make a filter that will do a cheaper version of it so you wont have to buy a stupidly expensive, one trick pony camera.

 

[Brazo]

^^I suspect you could just whack down the aperture to f22 and get everything in the shot in focus and then apply some silly filter so yes, personally when digital came out I never saw it as a gimmick but saw it as something that would take a long time to catch up with fuji velvia iso 50 stock and I was right