One Step Closer to The Esper Machine?

Did you ever wish you could capture time not just a singular image in a photograph, and then be able to come back later to choose what and where to focus on?

It sounds like a scene out of Blade Runner.  Harrison Ford, who plays the role of  Deckard, has a voice controlled compact gadget to zoom and analyze the crime scene. Esper is a machine to model the 2D images into 3D. Esper provides the possibility to maneuver even behind the object and see deeper.

Well we just got one step closer to Esper with the announcement of Lytro.  Lytro tells us that it lets you take pictures like never before. Unlike a conventional camera that captures a single plane of light, the Lytro camera captures the entire light field, which is all the light traveling in every direction in every point in space.

Capture living pictures with the press of a single button. By instantly capturing complete light field data, the Lytro gives you capabilities you've never had in a regular camera.


Since you'll capture the color, intensity, and direction of all the light, you can experience the first major light field capability - focusing after the fact. Focus and re-focus, anywhere in the picture. You can refocus your pictures at anytime, after the fact.  Take a look at this video from CNET.