December 2012

A radical camera that lets users adjust the focus after taking pictures will be available in October at shops in Australia, Canada, Singapore, Hong Kong and the United States. The Lytro is the creation of Ren Ng, who started work on the digital camera while studying for a doctorate in computer science at Stanford University in California. The telescope-shaped camera uses what is known as “light field technology” to allow the focal point of a digital image to be changed after the picture is taken, a feature that Lytro calls “shoot now, focus later.” Clicking on a Lytro picture displayed on a computer screen allows a viewer to shift the focus from a subject in the foreground, for example, to a subject in the background. The Lytro can do this because it uses powerful sensors to capture significantly more light than a conventional camera. Lytro executive chairman Ngdescribes the images as “living pictures” because of the ability to manipulate them. When Lytro pictures are shared online, the “light field engine” travels with each image so anyone can change focal points as desired.

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