The electric blue Lytro 8GB Light Field Digital Camera from Lytro is a compact camera that utilizes the Light Field sensor and the Light Field Engine 2.0 for image capture and processing. Through an 8x optical zoom lens with constant f/2 aperture it records light traveling in every direction throughout a scene, not only along 2 axes, and creates HD-quality "living" pictures in which the focus point is to be determined after you have shot the image. In addition to adjusting focus points on an image, you can change the point of perspective slightly to the left, right, up or down.
Touchscreen technology allows you to determine the point of focus with just a tap on the camera's LCD monitor or, after the image is transferred to your computer, by clicking on the spot in your image where you want focus. If you decide that you prefer focus on another part of the image, click on that spot in the original image (.lfp file) and save. There is no limit to the adjustments you can make. To print an image, save it as a standard 1080 x 1080 jpeg file.
As the Lytro has a constant f/2.0 aperture, you can control light intake by adjusting ISO sensitivity between 80-3200 and shutter speed between 1/250 and 8 seconds. Adjustments are made on the touchscreen. Exposure lock is supported and an integrated ND filter enables further exposure control to -4 equivalent f/stops. The display is a 1.52" back-lit LCD with a glass touchscreen that provides composition and playback viewing and touch control for almost all camera functions. Optical zoom is controlled by a touch sensitive slider on top of the camera body. Because there is no focusing, there is no shutter lag.
Lytro offers two modes: Everyday Mode and Creative Mode. In Everyday Mode the refocus range is set by the camera, but Creative Mode allows you to set the primary point of focus with a tap on the touchscreen and establish a wider refocus range. It also allows full use of the 8x optical zoom enabling close-up shots with a minimum focus distance of virtually zero and an ability to use the longer focal lengths for creative portraits with blurred backgrounds. Living Filters offers nine interactive filters for expressive touches such as Film Noir, Carnival, Mosaic and 8-Track, which adds a 1970's vignetted look to your photo.
The camera itself is extremely compact and lightweight (7.5 oz) with an anodized aluminum body and silicone rubber grip. Images are stored on the internal 8GB flash drive, which holds 350 pictures, and are imported to your computer with the free Lytro Desktop app via an included micro-USB cable. Photos can be easily posted on the Lytro webpage and to Facebook where they can be viewed in the same interactive manner as on your own computer or device. A firmware update and the Lytro Mobile App are also available to allow existing and future Lytro Camera owners the ability to upload photos to their iOS device and share them directly from their phone or tablet.