Lytro for Windows is Here!

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Lytro

The wait is over. The Lytro Desktop Application is now available for Windows too. The Lytro Team has been hard at work on behalf of PC owners and can’t wait to introduce you to this new way of taking and experiencing pictures. To celebrate the new software, we’re offering free shipping on all camera orders placed this week. Check these minimum specs to make sure the Lytro desktop software will work with your PC:

OS: Windows 7 (64 bit) ONLY Home, Professional, or Ultimate
CPU: Intel® Core 2 Duo or better
RAM: 2 GB or more
Graphics: DirectX 10

Get more details on our Support site.

We also now have our first two Lytro camera accessories. Visit the Lytro Store to buy:

Tripod Mount – steady your shot with the Tripod Mount, which works with any standard 1/4-20 tripod stud
USB Wall Charger – reduce your charging time by 30%

Now would be a good time to add our new camera accessories, a fast charger and a tripod mount, to your camera order to get free shipping on those items too.

Zombie Apocalypse at Comic-Con

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Lytro

We all knew this day would eventually come. The zombie apocalypse struck this weekend and we were right in the middle of it all.

The first sign of zombies was at the Zombie Flash Mob in the middle of the Gaslamp Quarters of downtown San Diego. The packs of zombies were terrifying to look at but relatively well-behaved as they filed through the city, but it only escalated from there as we made our way to the Walking Dead Escape at Petco Park.

Let’s set the scene: A catastrophic event has occurred in sunny San Diego and zombies are now running the show. The Evacuation Zone (aka the safe place) is Petco Park and the goal for the few survivors that are left is to get to the Evacuation Zone without being infected by the many zombies that have invaded the area.

The Walking Dead Escape was not for the faint of heart as we joined the remaining survivors in climbing, crawling, hiding and sliding our way to safety. In the end, we’re not so sure if we all made it to safety without being infected. Our Lytro cameras were of course in hand to capture all of the craziness that ensued during this escape. Check out our Zombie gallery and please be safe out there…

New Costumes Come Out on Day 2 of Comic-Con

Posted on July 13, 2012 by Lytro

The Lytro team in San Diego are enjoying our 2nd day at Comic-con. It was quickly evident that the crowds on Thursday were minimal compared to what we saw today. The costumes are amazing and created ideal picture taking opportunities. Luckily, the Lytro camera has it’s own super power where we can aim it where we want to go and it garners so much attention the crowd parts in awe and envy. Needless to say we were able to get around pretty easily. Check out our new picture gallery for the 2nd day.

We had a blast at the Wired Cafe where we experimented with etching flames and logos on the camera while catching celebrity sightings. We’re also really excited for tomorrow when we transform into zombies for the Walking Dead Escape. Come check it out!

Lastly, we will be doing another click-and-seek tomorrow, so monitor our Facebook page and Twitter account so that you can find us and win a free Lytro camera!

Day 1 from Comic-Con

Posted on July 12, 2012 by Lytro

As you might expect, many of us who work at Lytro are major sci-fi and comic book nerds, so we were really excited to find out that we would be attending Comic-con this year as one of our first summer events. Even on the plane down, we saw more comic-books and blue hair than average on a flight to San Diego.

Once we arrived, we immediately found matches made in heaven. So many fans were wearing amazing costumes and obviously loved to have their pictures taken. And if there were ever going to be a camera that could be a super hero, it would have to be the Lytro camera! Our costumed friends had as much interest in the Lytro as we had in them.

Check out our Day 1 Comic-con gallery of all the great people we met today, and we’ll be sharing even more over the next few days.

Lytro at Comic-Con

Posted on July 11, 2012 by Lytro

Our first summer event is here! San Diego is about to be invaded by the most powerful super heroes and we’ll be there to capture it all! Lytro will be attending Comic-Con International in San Diego this weekend taking pictures of your favorite comic book characters. If you’re planning on attending, we’ll be at the following events, please come by and say “hi” and be a part of the picture revolution.

Lytro Activities:

Extra at Comic-Con hosted by Warner Brothers
Wired Cafe at Comic-Con
Walking Dead Escape on Saturday, 10:30am
Comedy Central “Workaholics” Happy Hour on Thursday, 2-5pm at the Hard Rock Hotel

Check back here on the Lytro Blog for live updates from the convention with pictures of all your favorite characters, daily updates on what’s hot and social contests (read: free Lytro cameras!) from the streets of San Diego.

Lytro Summer Tour

Posted on July 3, 2012 by Lytro

Summer is here and the Lytro Team is taking our cameras to some of the hottest (some literally) events of the summer. Look for us:

July 12-14, in San Diego at Comic-Con International
July 20-22, in Seattle at the Bite of Seattle Food Festival
July 26-28, near Minneapolis at the Soundtown Music and Camping Festival in Somerset, WI.
August 3-5, in Chicago including Lollapalooza in Grant Park on Saturday, August 4.
August 17-19, in New York City for the International Fringe Fest.

We’ll be sharing pictures from the festivities, demoing cameras and even giving some away. Watch for more updates here as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

Patriotic Picture Challenge

Posted on July 2, 2012 by Lytro

Share your Fourth of July in living pictures. If you’re celebrating with friends, family and food, it’s a great time to put your light field photography skills into practice.

Here’s some inspiration for composing pictures with a strong refocus effect:

1.) Fill the frame to capture a pattern like this field of flags. Check out our Inspiration Gallery for more details. Continue reading →

Wanted: A Light Field CEO

Posted on June 29, 2012 by Ren

In 2006, I started this company with the goal of bringing my PhD on light field cameras out of the research lab and into the hands of everyday photographers. Lytro achieved that goal this year when we started shipping the Lytro camera to consumers. The last two years have been a very exciting and dramatic period of growth for Lytro. We launched the company out of stealth, raised approximately $50M, grew a team of over 80 people, and shipped a truly revolutionary product. The most rewarding part for me has been to finally see everyday people shooting their own light field pictures out in the world. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve and grow as CEO with this amazing team.

With these major milestones behind us, we have entered a new chapter for Lytro. I have decided to step aside as CEO and take on a new role that will let me concentrate on innovation as Executive Chairman. I will remain a full-time employee, 100% focused on Lytro. In my new role I will shift attention from day-to-day operations, to focus again on product vision, technology, and strategic direction for the company. I am very excited to have the opportunity to focus on these areas where I am most passionate.

Charles Chi will be taking over as interim CEO. Charles has been our Executive Chairman for the last two years, by my side every day, and he has perfect knowledge about the business. He is a close friend, and I am grateful to him for serving in this critical role of running day-to-day operations and giving me the opportunity to focus on my passions. I know that he will do an outstanding job.

And we are searching for a permanent CEO to take Lytro into the future! We are looking for a leader with the talent to amplify what we’ve started, the experience to lead our talented and ambitious team, and a desire to transform photography in profound and lasting ways.

Viva Lytro!

Ren Ng
Founder and Executive Chairman of Lytro

Now You Can Play with Living Pictures Directly in Twitter

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Lytro

We’ve always made it easy for you to share your Lytro living pictures on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. And, you and your friends have always been able to play with living pictures directly in a Facebook Wall post, or when they’re embedded on a blog or website.

Today, we’re excited to announce we’ve partnered with Twitter to use expanded Tweets so that everyone can play with living pictures directly in their Twitter feed. Now your friends and followers can refocus and interact with living pictures on both web and mobile devices, without ever leaving Twitter.

Be sure to follow @lytro to check out some of our favorite living pictures, or share your favorite living pictures with us, and we’ll re-tweet a few of our favorites throughout the day.

Expanded Tweets begins rolling out to everyone on twitter.com and mobile.twitter.com starting today, and it’s coming soon to Twitter for iPhone and Twitter for Android. After it rolls out to you, you can click “View Media” to play with living pictures directly in your Twitter feed.

Pictured: Lytro engineering manager Tom Hanley worked with his web development team to bring living pictures to Twitter.