News Release
For more press information contact:
Salvatore T. Di Muccio
Well Above
+61 412 64 99 64
salvatore@wellabove.com
New camera with the ability to focus after a picture is taken and capture interactive, living images
SYDNEY, 25 September 2012 — Lytro today announced that its Lytro Light Field Camera will be launched in Australia on 10 October 2012.
With the world’s first consumer light field camera, Lytro has introduced a new way to take and experience pictures. Unlike conventional cameras, the Lytro camera captures fundamentally new data, the light field, providing new capabilities never before possible. The first major capability of the Lytro camera is the ability to focus a picture after it’s taken. Viewers can continually interact with Lytro pictures expanding the creative possibilities of each shot. The small yet substantial camera, which offers a powerful 8x optical zoom and f/2 lens in an iconic design, creates interactive, living pictures that can be endlessly refocused, anytime after the fact.
Lytro’s Australian inventor, Founder & Executive Chairman Dr. Ren Ng, PhD. said, “With light field technology there is a huge opportunity for creativity in photography that hasn’t been available in the past. We have seen amazing, creative and interactive pictures from camera owners, and I’m looking forward to the Lytro camera being available in Australia.”
Dan Miall, one of the co-founders of Lytro’s exclusive Australian distributor Blonde Robot, said, “The Lytro camera’s sleek design was created with simplicity in mind. With no unnecessary modes or dials, the camera features just two buttons—power and shutter—and has an intuitive glass touchscreen that lets pictures be viewed and refocused directly on the camera. While the Lytro camera houses complex technology, it is fun to use, opening new creative opportunities for anyone interested in sharing amazing, interactive pictures with friends and family.”
The Lytro camera offers:
Included for free with the Lytro Light Field Camera is the Lytro Desktop application (also available as a free software download), which easily imports pictures from camera to computer. Available for Mac OS X and Windows operating systems, Lytro Desktop lets people view, interact with, organise and share light field pictures.
The Lytro camera is available in Australia from selected retail outlets and camera stores nationwide (see full list below) and comes in two models, the 8GB in Electric Blue or Graphite which stores approximately 350 pictures ($499) and the 16GB in Red Hot which stores approximately 750 pictures ($599).
Concepts related to the light field and computational photography have been researched in academic circles for more than a century. Light field science was the subject of Lytro inventor and founder Dr. Ren Ng’s Ph.D. dissertation in computer science at Stanford University, which was awarded the internationally-recognised ACM Dissertation Award in 2007 as well as Stanford University’s Arthur Samuel Award for Best Ph.D. Dissertation. Dr. Ng’s research focused on miniaturising light field technology into the body of a single camera to make it practical for everyday use.
Lytro is transforming the camera into a powerful computational photography platform, forever changing the way everyone takes and experiences pictures. The first Lytro light field camera offers photographic capabilities never before possible, such as focusing a picture after it’s taken, and creates interactive living pictures that can be endlessly refocused and enjoyed by friends and family online. Lytro Founder & Executive Chairman Dr. Ren Ng, whose Ph.D. research on light field photography won Stanford University’s prize for best dissertation in computer science in 2006 as well as the internationally recognised ACM Dissertation award, founded the company in 2006.
www.lytro.com
Founded by Eamon Drew, Chris Horsley-Wyatt and Dan Miall Blonde Robot is an Australian-based importer and distributor of leading products for the consumer camera and professional content creation markets.
Blonde Robot represents some of the most innovative brands in the technology world including Lytro, GoPro, Avid, Facilis Technology, Teradek, Bluefish444, CatDV, GenusTech, Autocue and Marshall Monitors.
www.blonde-robot.com.au
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