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| Category: | Compact Cameras |
| Product: | Lytro Light Field Camera |
Lytro Light Field Camera Hands-On Preview - We have a hands-on look at the new Lytro Light Field Camera, the camera that lets you choose which area of the photo is in focus after you've taken it.
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We have a hands-on look at the new Lytro Light Field Camera, the camera that lets you choose which area of the photo is in focus after you've taken it. You can refocus the image on the camera in playback mode, in the Lytro software available for Mac or Windows, or on the web when you've uploaded the images to Lytro's website. The Lytro software is available for Mac or Windows 7 64 bit (no other versions of Windows, ie Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7 32bit are not supported).
Lytro Insides (courtesty Lytro.com)
In the box you get a wrist strap, short instruction leaflet, micro-USB cable (used for charging and transferring photos), a lens cloth (nice!), and a magnetic lens cap for the camera. It would be nice if some kind of pouch was included for the camera, as finding a case for it may be difficult. A tripod mount is an optional extra, as the camera doesn't feature one built in. A 23 page camera manual is available on the Lytro website. The camera is available in blue, red or grey with 16gb, except for the blue version, which only has 8gb of memory built in.
Menus - The menus and modes on the camera are very basic, with two main shooting modes: basic and creative. In basic touching the screen will set the exposure, and in creative touching the screen will set the main focus area. The camera shows you storage space, battery life and in settings you can view the about screen, delete all or reset the camera. In playback you can view one photo or nine on screen, as well as refocus images and zoom into images. We will publish our full review shortly.
Here's an image you can "play" with, click to refocus, or double click to zoom. You can also view full screen by clicking the icon in the bottom right corner, this then brings up an option to view full screen.
Lytro Light Field Camera Hands-On Photos of Equipment
 Lytro Blue Hands On |  Lytro Blue Hands On - Underneath |  Lytro Blue Hands On - Front |
 Lytro Blue Hands On - Lens cap on |  Lytro Blue Hands On - Rear screen |
Lytro Light Field Camera Specifications
| Manufacturer | Lytro | |
| Lens | ||
| Max Aperture | f/2 | |
| 35mm equivalent | 35mm - 300mm | |
| Optical Zoom | 8x | |
| Image Sensor | ||
| CCD pixels | No Data | |
| Pixels (W) | 1080 | |
| Pixels (H) | 1080 | |
| Sensor Type | No Data | |
| Sensor Size | No Data | |
| Sensor Size (width) | No Data | |
| Sensor Size (height) | No Data | |
| Aspect Ratio |
|
|
| LCD Monitor | ||
| LCD Monitor | 1.52in | |
| Screen resolution | 128x128 pixels | |
| Touch Screen | Yes | |
| Focusing | ||
| Min Focus | 0cm | |
| Focusing modes |
|
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| Exposure Control | ||
| Shutter speeds shortest | 1/250sec | |
| Shutter speeds longest | 8sec | |
| Exp modes | ||
| Metering | ||
| ISO sensitivity | 80 - 3200 | |
| White balance |
|
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| Exposure Comp | No Data | |
| Shooting Options | ||
| Continuous shooting | No Data | |
| Video | ||
| Movie mode | No | |
| Video Resolution | ||
| Video FPS | N/A | |
| Stereo Sound | No | |
| Optical Zoom with Video | No | |
| Other Features | ||
| Image Stabilisation | No | |
| Interface | ||
| HDMI | No | |
| USB | USB 2 | |
| Wi-Fi | No | |
| Storage | ||
| Card Type | ||
| File Type | ||
| Power Source | ||
| Battery Type | Lithium-Ion, built in | |
| CIPA Rating | 400 | |
| Box Contents | ||
| Box Contents | Camera, Wrist strap, MicroUSB cable, Lens cloth, Instructions leaflet, Lens cap | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Weight | 214g | |
| Width | 41mm | |
| Height | 41mm | |
| Depth | 112mm | |
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Comments
214 grams is pretty light. Too bad it only has one focal length, but I guess a lot of cameras are like that these days, like the Sigma DP series, the new Sony full-frame point-and-shoot, and others by Fuji and Minolta.
I don't think the 1080x1080 limits are a big concern, because the photos of a Lytro camera just don't make sense for prints anyway. I mean what's the point of making a photo that you can play with, if you're going to print it and take away the main advantage of the photo? (I do understand it would be nice to have the ability to manipulate the focus after shooting for prints, but obviously, for the price, size, and weight of this camera, that is not possible at this time.)
This camera amazed me, when I first saw it on-line. I didn't think such a thing could be possible. When I first learned about plenoptic lens cameras, I thought they are a hoax. I thought something like that was impossible. Then when I delved more into it, I was amazed, but I thought the technology would take years to develop into a device that could be carried by a photographer, and even then it would be something that would be too bulky and expensive for most photographers to even consider using it. This little thing proved me wrong. I can't wait to see what they come up with next!
It's amazing technology, I really didn't expect it to work. Any judge tells you your shot isn't focused in the right place, you can just tell him to click it himself where he thinks it should be. 
I can't see them selling many to the style concious i-phone crowd though. It does have the look of a "here's one I prepared earlier" Blue Peter job about it, made from an old baco-foil box & some sticky-back plastic.
Insidentally Scott. The lens isn't fixed. The main review refers to a zoom lens, & the specs show :
Quote: Lens
Max Aperture f/2
35mm equivalent 35mm - 300mm
Optical Zoom 8x
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