Lytro the world’s first 4D consumer camera

Blurry pictures, the Achilles heel of photography. Blurriness is what can turn a beautiful image of a sunset into a repulsive orange soup. But this is the future, and were saying goodbye to these 20th century problems. The Lytro ($399.00-$499.00) is ushering in a groundbreaking new feature in photography: focusing after the fact.

See, this isn’t your ordinary camera that you adjust and adjust till you get just the right focus and then likely miss your opportunity. If you’ve ever looked at last night’s pictures and teared up inside because of a blurry photograph, the term Light Field Engine will be a Godsend to you. Every object emits energy in the form of light (something Einstein knew) and is projected into that object’s light field. When you snap a photo, you’re simply taking one of the infinite possible strands of that object’s light field. Now this all may sound like I’m preaching scientology to you, but consider its application. Once you capture the entire light field, like the Lytro does, its Light Field Engine processes the light ray data – color, intensity, and vector direction of an object – and stores it in your camera, allowing you to select which part of that field you want to emphasize (focusing after the fact). This data travels with you along with the picture you take, so you can focus anytime, anywhere. The best part about the world’s first 4D consumer camera is that there is no need to adjust your shutter speed of aperture anymore, since you’ll be able to focus later, saving you precious time and even making the difference between capturing that once-in-a-lifetime shot or banging your head against the wall for missing it.