Lytro Launch Flashback

Posted on by Lytro


Just a week ago we introduced the first Lytro light field camera to the world.  If you haven’t seen them already, have a gander at some of the pictures taken by attendees at our launch event.

CNET’s Brian Tong also shared a video he made that day that takes you end-to-end through how the Lytro camera works.

  • David

    Anyone has problem purchasing? my visa couldnt be validated and yet i got pending $1 debits on my visa.

    Tried with two different visa cards and called visa and verified no issue with my card.

    • Alex

      No problem here… Received a confirmation from Lytro as well. Semi-patiently waiting on a Hot Red one. (Come-on springtime!)

    • Lytro

      David – If you haven’t done so already, please contact Support for assistance.

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  • http://www.utahshometeam.com Ravath Pok

    Is the software compatible with a tablet or is there an ipad app to view photos in full screen mode?

    • Lytro

      You can view the pictures on any internet-connected tablet, mobile phone or computer. However, for now, to download pictures off of your own computer, you’ll need a Mac running OS 10.6 or higher.

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  • AaronF

    Not much point to having a blog if you don’t respond!

    • Lytro

      We introduced a Support site for FAQs and response to support questions. On the Lytro Blog, we encourage lively conversations among all Blog visitors.

  • http://www.killingthemessengerblog.com Eric

    If the images can only be viewed through proprietary software and websites, who owns the images? Does Lytro allow for photographer’s intellectual property rights, or do we throw them out with the box the camera comes in, just like w/ FB, Flickr, et al…

  • http://www.dkeats.com Derek Keats

    Has anyone tried one of these underwater yet? As an avid underwater photographer, I wonder how they would perform in marine conditions – in a housing of course. Regards, Derek

    • David Martin

      With the F2 lens and zoom, it seems workable for, say, taking casual pictures in the surf or doing a bit of snorkeling. More serious underwater applications would take flash.

      While it’s not in a league with the heavy camera equipment that professional photographers and videographers use to catch surfers, the no-focus, fast-acting aspect of Lytro, together with the minimal number of buttons, makes it a pretty obvious candidate for doing still photos in places where, say, GoPro video cameras (short focal length, no focus) go.

      I suspect that someone’s working on an underwater housing already.

  • http://www.photobymarkdavey.com Mark Davey

    When there’s software for windows I’ll get one straightaway just to try it out.
    Would also like to be able to edit in Photoshop and therefore print, which to me is the real point of photography.

    • Lytro

      Mark – The first Lytro is built for online sharing and is not intended for large format printing. There is more information about printing in the FAQs on our Support site, and you may also want to sign up to be notified when our Windows software is ready (and be eligible to get special offers at that time.)

      • http://www.markforte.com Mark

        Thank you for the pointer to printing resolution – 1080×1080 for anyone who missed it – and to information on tripod mounts & battery charging options.

        Not to put words in your mouth, but your phrasing suggests that a subsequent version of the Lytro – the next, I hope – may not be geared primarily to online sharing. If so, sign me on!

  • http://www.markforte.com Mark

    Tripods & Battery life
    I was thinking more about this new device – I am finding it hard not to. The lack of a tripod mount isn’t as an big issue as I first thought in my previous post. The flat sides of camera make it easy to rest against horizontal and vertical surfaces. And it could be fastened easily to a tripod with something as ordinary as a good rubber band. (I don’t think the magnet idea will work as the housing is aluminum.)

    The non-removable battery bothers me, though. In the video shown on the AsiaD blog post the battery was reported at about 700 shots. That is pretty fantastic, but when traveling I cannot always recharge, so I really, really like having a second rechargeable battery ready to go.

    • http://flickr.com/cskorik Christian

      My point was to have a magnet within the camera attach to the ballhead a-la MagSafe. It would just click on and off whenever brought into close range of the ballhead and be totally invisible when not in use.

    • Charlie

      battery recharge estimated at 5 hrs via computer port or about 2.5 with the OPTIONAL quick recharger.

    • Lytro

      Mark – More info on tripod mounts and other accessories is in the FAQs on our Support site. As for recharging, our Director of Photography has used the Satechi Portable Energy Station as a back up energy source when traveling.

  • http://flickr.com/cskorik Christian

    A nice strong magnet with an attractive mini ballhead would do nicely in place of a tripod mount thread directly on the camera.

  • Leonard Balbus

    I’ve been taking photos for 50 years. Polaroids broke new ground. I never imagined that anything like the Lytro could exist. As a 3-D stereo artist I look forward to a 3-D Lytro. The size is nice for what the camera can do, but I’d like to see a version with a larger touch screen. Removable memory and a tripod mount would be great.

    • Alex

      Looking at the camera, an integral tripod mount may not be practical. There does not seem to be a lot of spare room for the necessary socket. Looks like it would intrude into the casing. However I can envision an external mount that would clamp around the aluminum portion of the body.

      Extra memory capacity would be nice. One can never have too much. But the 16 gig model seems adequate for most uses. (A two week, once in a lifetime trip might push it though.)

      Assuming the camera is successful, I would imagine there will be additional offerings. Start-ups have to start someplace.

      Disclaimer: I do not work for, nor do I represent Lytro. I do have a Hot Red one on order.

    • Lytro

      Glad you’re excited about the first Lytro camera…this is just the beginning. You can find more info on tripod mounts and other accessories is in the FAQs on our Support site.

  • http://www.markforte.com Mark

    I have just learned about the Lytro camera (I know, I live under a heavy rock), and I am extremely excited about the possibilities this camera would bring to my fine art photographic work. I already have a project in mind. At the same time, however, I am not sure if the camera is up to the task, because there is little practical information in the online specifications and the video here adds little.

    Since most of my work is printed for publications and galleries, it would be extremely useful to know what file types can be exported from the software and what the maximum resolution will be. Also, is there the possibility of generating a RAW file to allow for additional processing in a program like Adobe Lightroom? Or, are plugins planned to work with these programs?

    I appreciate the sleek design, but I would appreciate a clumsy tripod mounting thread.

    Finally, since I travel for my photos, I am often in situations where I cannot offload the images, and the fixed internal memory will be limiting. Removable cards are a must for me – and they will be essential if the image resolution can be made high enough for serious printing. Is SD card compatibility in the works?

    Still, it’s all very exciting!

  • http://yourfoodchoices.com Jason

    We missed the deadline, is there any chance of getting on the list for early shipping? We want one of these cameras!

    Many thanks,
    Jason

  • Christian

    I’ve already put in a pre-order. How about a sneak peek at your software and some raw images? From what I understand, the material you’ve got posted on your website is compressed. I want to see the the best quality this camera can produce.

    Very excited to get my own in 2012!

  • Jeff

    This is a blog entry?!

    I agree with Bill. “Amazingly uninformative”. Couldn’t have said it any better.

  • Bevin

    What about TV display and RSS feeds? Specifically, if someone has a Roku box that currently displays RSS feeds from, say, SmugMug, would s/he be able to add Lytro RSS feeds?

    You can probably tell by now that I’m extremely interested in the possibility of touch-screen living photo frames :-D

  • Ed

    Can you only use this photos from this camera online? Or with your editing software, can you play with the photo, adjusting to the part you want in focus, and then export to jpg for prints?

  • bill

    amazingly uninformative.

    • Matt

      It was cool to see the device in actual use, but yeah, like so many video blogger tech reporter people, he’s clearly paid more for his style and on camera personality more than his ability to explain bleeding edge science/tech.