Lytro started in the consumer space a few year’s back by enabling light field camera sensor technology in a portable package. Back then it allowed the user to select the focus point in the image to control depth of filed after the shot had been taken. This is emulated by Panasonic on the GX8 and GH4 with Post Focus but that is a feature that does some tricks with multiple images and lens focus points to select final depth of field.
Lytro does this by capturing all the rays of light entering the sensor at different angles and times to create a light field or three dimensional map of a real subject or scene. The consumer cameras sold in less than stellar numbers due in part to low resolution and while they tried with the Lytro Ilum to bring a more SLR like camera with 40 mega-rays or down-converted to 4 traditional megapixels. It also bombed as the post focus feature was not enough pull to get consumers to adopt the platform; along with claims of low dynamic range and artifacts in bright spots. The Ilum camera is still available for purchase at under $370 USD from the 1299 introductory price; quite a drop!→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The DJI Phantom 4 quad copter drone has started shipping in some parts of the world and we now have a few samples of what the slow motion 1080p 120fps mode looks like. At first glance it looks to be ok with few artifacts controlled aliasing and moire and while compression seems severe, it is above 720p pixel quality which is encouraging.
There is an inherent softness as with many other 120fps modes used in similar action cameras like the GoPro Hero 4 or Sony Action Cam which spread the bit-rate of their maximum throughput and dice it to 120fps in the case of full HD.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
While the equipment is daunting to the common man and probably the rental price is equivalent to the price of a mid size sedan; it should not deter you from taking a look. High speed is especially suited to this kind of robot as the quick and rock solid movements are ideal to control every angle during a slow motion shot that lasts a few hundreds of a second to few secs.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
The recently announced DJI Phantom 4 Drone is finally pushing obstacle avoidance technology to the point where you are no longer worried about hitting trees, people or god forbid birds other flying craft. There is technology here that just 5 years ago would have been extremely expensive, however don’t expect this self awareness of space to translate into a perfect set and forget technology for now.
There is a lot of improvement here and the mobile application lets you track subjects and paths with just touch and drag. There are things that drone makers like DJI are working behind the scenes to get obstacle avoidance and self awareness even further to a level where people and governments can relax about these craft being a danger to society. We are still not there but things will continue to improve along those lines.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
There is no question that DigitalRev TV is the Top Gear of camera reviews on the internet. We are big fans of the antics of Kai and Lok doing all sorts of cool shoots and taking the mundane out of camera testing by making it fun or even ridiculous.
This time around they have decided to try the Sony RX10 II and The Sony RX100 IV slow motion feature for a spin. The video is educational also going over the basics of slow motion shooting with these cameras and comparing them with smartphones capable of doing slow motion. Our reader Rommel alerted us to this video.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
Nikon has delivered a shockwave for affordable slow motion with the three new Nikon DL Cameras announced yesterday. At first glance it seems a refresh of previous cameras with a 1″ sensor module but actually these are a completely new breed.
For starters the cameras offered are basically the same bare bones electronics with the difference being in a specific focal length for the fixed lens assembly. The cameras are presented in a DL18-50mm for the wide angle shooters, DL24-500mm for the sports and nature crowd who need the reach and DL24-85mm for portraits and general photography with a Super Macro mode.→ Continue Reading Full Post ←
