Hi!

I did something very similar recently, but not with lens array, but one camera moving in time. Itt is not realtime, but easier to done. Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8nygfis4ig

I really enjoy photography so I certainly know what they are saying about blurry images. Especially close ups without a good tripod and stabilizer. Most times in the field a good shot is not always there. You have to be aware all the time and carry the camera in your hands and turned on as well. This is difficult on rainy days or for long periods of times. This Lens would make better shots for sure now we just need a way to get digital zoom a little better. Optical Zoom is always the best but sometimes the shots are two hundred yards away so if you use Digital to get a close up picture along with the optical you may get a blurry picture. My camera is a fuji film 8 Mega-pixel 4x optical and not sure the digital camera. They meaning the ones with the very strange lens seems to be copying nature which is always the best in all inventions. It reminds me of the eye of an insect (Fly). It has to be good for sure. Keep up the good work.

I think this would be a very useful tool for not only photographers but filmmakers. My only concern is this would not be very useful in low-light situations as you would require a good amount of light to cover all the Fstops as if my understanding of the tech behind this is that each lens is set at a different aperture say from F1.8 - F 45.

Woohoo! This will become super-popular and make all those holograph cameras obsolete! Can’t wait!

I agree that putting this in a pocket-sized camera will not be easy or even possible in the near future without loss of detail.
I don’t really care for megapixels as it doesn’t guarantee quality at all, if anything it can show a more detailed view of the noise you get with a small CCD chip ;-)
I don’t understand people who are afraid that amateurs become pros because of new technology. To me, being a good photographer is not knowing how a camera works, but knowing what pictures to take.

Hi, does anybody think that you can use this lens as a simplistic green screen so that you can only keep say the middle depth of field and delete everything else from the photo. I would think it would be pretty easy to do especially if they partition each depth into a new layer in photoshop, but I’m not sure how they have implemented the process. Any thoughts, guesses?

Dear infinitly-sceptical,

did you think the same things about computers - and cell phones - and gps units - and televisions - and radio - and the printing press as well? And over time all technologies become rather affordable and accessible to the masses… as history has shown us.

I love the possibilities, but i think photography will be at the back of the cue for this one, because average consumers dont really need this, i know i sound like a party pooper to the pro photographers, but everything in that demo video i saw before never enters the minds of the average person taking family snaps, except sharpness and most camera can do that exceedingly well, so unless its really cheap its going to sink. The people who will be very interested will be the military who want 180 or 360 degree vision on there AI guided missles, or robots that’ll one day fight our wars for us and maybe ultimately become our masters. I know this sounds dark but history is a good teacher.

Hm. Seems to me though, that cramming 20 small lenses into the size of a regular lens will affect the quality of the captures? Either you have 20 sensors ($$$) or you have 1 large sensor shared by 20 images, giving you 1/20th the resolution per photo. So you’d need a 20 megapixel sensor to get a single 1 megapixel image.

Also, I doubt that this will ever reach consumer prices, given an average SLR lens costs $500-$1500 and how labour intensive lens manufacture is— imagine adding 20 more elements to a lens?

Those hoping for cheap point-and-shoot solution answer to editing DOF in post production issues will probably be waiting a very, very long time.

In the meantime, take your photo on your smallest aperature setting (highest f stop) to get as much of the photo in focus as possible, then selectively apply the DOF filter in Photoshop. No hardware needed.

Keep me in this world long enough to get one of these! Let me know when it is available!

welllll, this is cool. the world will now be further inundated with bad photographers enthralled with satisfaction, tackiness, inflated ego, cheap thrills and then there’s the opportunity to have a blast with this technology. all you frightened photo weenies? calm down, embrace the day, for here we are. so go forth and have a good time.

Wow. I’ve seen lots of lenses and this is a real breakthrough - unlike photoman, I can see where this can go. That demo is fucking marvellous.

There are applications _crime scene photography comes to mind - where this would be a benefit. In a case like that, you may not know what your are focusing on - you can only guess what might be important, and depth, distance can be very important later on.

you know what? technology doesn’t ever make up for talent, and talent is only enhanced by technology if you actually know how to use it…so if you’re any good to begin with you would embrace new technology like this…the people who are upset about this are simply scared that their lack of talent will be exposed…oops, sorry guys…

photoman is in denial. adapt or go the way of the dinosaurs.

this is bullshit, if you cannot focus an image with a camera get the fuck out!

Technology is a bitch like that. Said the same about woollen mills a few years ago, who needs to knit now?

A continuation of what I see as a growing trend in cameras these days: The dependency on technology rather than actual knowledge or talent. Who needs to learn how to take good photographs when we could just design a gadget to do it for us?

Now everyone can be a Pro photographer - we will save money doing it ourselves

When do they go on sale, where do they go on sale, I dont need to know the price cos I’ll sell my wife, my home, and whatever else(except my kitten).

Unbelievable, possibly one of the biggest advances in digital imaging in recent years, I have a feeling this is going to catch on very quickly. Amazing!

AMAZING!
How much will this retail for?

It’s the Devil’s Glass! It will be the ruin of us all!! Okay, it’s kinda neat and I want one too. Ruin or not.

omfg, I need one NOW

spider could be a pretty name for this thing