We’re celebrating the launch of three big changes for the Lytro camera: new manual controls, new colors and new accessories.

Manual Controls – Creative Tools for Lytro Photographers

With new, easy-to-use, and readily accessible manual controls, Lytro camera owners have more creative capabilities with light field photography. “Manual controls give Lytro photographers the opportunity to take control of the exposure in a scene,” said Eric Cheng, Lytro’s director of photography. “We introduced these features as a result of feedback from our most creative camera owners, who are capturing things like subjects in motion or experimenting with artistic styles like light painting. With manual controls, they now have more flexibility as they push the boundaries of the light field.” Check out these examples for inspiration.

The new controls are:

• Shutter Speed- By manually controlling the shutter speed, Lytro photographers can keep the shutter open longer to capture living pictures in dark conditions. The maximum shutter speed is 8 seconds and the minimum is 1/250 second.
• ISO Sensitivity – Controlling ISO gives Lytro photographers more ways to take creative living pictures in a variety of lighting conditions, from low-light concerts and restaurants to brightly lit soccer fields and amusement parks. The ISO range is 80 (min) to 3200 (max).
• Neutral Density (ND) Filter – When in full manual mode, Lytro photographers can turn on the ND Filter to adjust the amount of light captured in extremely bright settings.
• Auto Exposure (AE) Lock – Lytro photographers can lock the auto exposure while changing the composition of a picture in a scene.

These controls are included in all new camera purchases starting today. For existing Lytro camera owners, the free camera update begins rolling out today. To check for the update, just plug your Lytro camera into your computer.

New Colors and Accessories – More Choices to Customize Your Camera

In addition to introducing new creative tools, we’re also offering two new colors (U.S. only), Seaglass and Moxie Pink, and two new accessories, a Camera Case and Camera Sleeve.

• The Lytro camera in Seaglass – Available starting today, exclusively on Lytro.com (8GB, $399);
• The Lytro camera in Moxie Pink – Starting today, available exclusively at Target.com and in November at CityTarget stores (8GB, $399);
• Camera Case – Made of technical, coated canvas and lined with soft microfiber, it holds a Lytro camera and includes a removable bucket to hold several camera accessories. Available on Lytro.com and at select retailers ($59.95);
• Camera Sleeve – Meant for everday use, the camera sleeve is made of technical, coated canvas and soft microfiber. It includes a matching wrist strap. Available on Lytro.com and at select retailers ($29.95).