Topic: "Are the days of the "still camera" numbered?"

[Lee Harper]

A very thought-provoking blog post by Vincent Laforet, prompted by RED's new EPIC Camera: http://bit.ly/kQFCXr

"Does the challenge of capturing "THE DECISIVE MOMENT" still exist when you can capture a 14 megapixel image at 120 frames per second?"

Interesting...
Lee.

[sjordan93436]

Interesting.  I though my computer was choking on 20+ mega pixel images. 

Consider varying the focus and capturing 150 images at different focus.  In post we could dial in the depth of field.  Wow, the HDR.
What about 15 stops of dynamic range?  What about ISO 500,000 noiseless? 

There are some who still use film!  View cameras with 4x5 and 8x10 negatives. 

[Lee Harper]

Steve,

You're right of course - we'd need a pretty good setup to be able to cope with that much data! I think that the RED Epic cameras are a sign of what's to come for everyone else within the next 5 years or so. RED are an interesting company, in that they have taken on the existing players in the movie camera business, and put out a better camera for far less money; their original camera (the RED One: www.red.com/products/red-one) gave film-makers the equivalent of a $250,000 camera for $25,000 - and by doing so, revolutionized the industry. The RED Epic and Scarlet look likely to put similar pressure on Canon and Nikon. Sure, Canon and Nikon will likely be able to beat RED on price - but at the higher end of the market I doubt that they will beat them by very much. One of the exciting aspects of the RED designs is that they are modular, so photographers will be able to upgrade there sensor without buying a whole new camera body; it will be interesting to see how disruptive this is to Phase One and Leaf...

Certainly, at the moment - for resolution - a digital image is not going to beat a large sheet of film, but that state of affairs is not going to last indefinitely - and the trade off with film is dynamic range, processing speed, and mobility (an 8x10 view camera demands a certain approach to image making). We are not yet at a point where film has been consigned to history, but from my point-of-view we are getting a little closer every year. The Canon Wonder Camera (concept) shows where things might be going (www.gizmag.com/canon-wonder-camera-concept/15591); it allows post-capture focus, among other things...

Also, for those who don't need the resolution of film - but like the aesthetic character of film stock - DxO FilmPack (http://www.dxo.com/us/photo/filmpack/what_is_dxo_filmpack) is another reason to put your SLR on eBay

It's exciting stuff - and a good time to be alive!

Cheers,
Lee.

[sjordan93436]

Lee, how about a camera with 40,000 lenses?  You can buy today.  3 megapixels and $30,000. 

http://www.popsci.com/gadgets/article/2011-05/cameras-40000-lenses-help-salvage-blurry-images

[Lee Harper]

Wow! Definitely want one of those That's a great find, thanks for sharing...

Cheers,
Lee.

[Greg Groess]

I'd order two Steve...gotta have a backup plan....
Greg

[Lee Harper]

Steve, Greg - I think that I may be able to save you both a little pocket change: Check out the Lytro Camera - http://bit.ly/kqvYfe

What are the chances that something like this is announced the same day that Greg commits to a $60,000 camera purchase

Cheers,
Lee.

[sjordan93436]

Adobe is working on software to edit the images.  CM next version?

[Greg Groess]

The way this is going the next version of CM will first alter the color of the scene... then you can capture the image. 
Of course you'll need the anti-CM plugin to return the world to it's normal color after the exposure is made....

Greg

[Lee Harper]

Just a quick follow-up on the Lytro camera (the one that lets you re-focus the image after you have taken it!) - This Week in Photography (a podcast that I listen to once in a while) have a really interesting interview with Ren Ng and Eric Cheng, the CEO and Director of Photography at Lytro, where they discuss how the camera works, and what this kind of technology means for photographers:
www.thisweekinphoto.com/twip-214-fix-it-in-post

Apparently the camera will be out before the end of the year, and they are pricing it as a consumer camera! Also, they've plans to extend the technology into video.

It is potentially a very disruptive technology. Check out the interview :  )

[sjordan93436]

I heard the same podcast.  The camera produces proprietary files  by necessity.  He said that they would have a program to convert them to standard with an interface to "focus".

Interesting.  Price, iso, resolution, frames per second, lens system, weight.  Just a few details....

[sjordan93436]

How do you focus a camera that does not need focusing?  Is that like asking where to clutch?

I assume that hyperfocal theory will have a resurgence.

[Greg Groess]

I would assume at this point that you do not focus the camera.  You simply shoot the scene.  Then later in the process you choose the focus.  You could have multiple focus points from the same view.  I would also assume then that it would allow you to make a GIF or AVI of the images where the focus shifts from the front of the image all the way to the back and you would have a 3D effect possible as well.

It opens many new possibilities...Think Hollywood classic portrait images...combined with Ansel Adams depth of filed all possible with one capture of the frame.

Greg

[sjordan93436]

Or maybe, three settings, Macro, portrait, and landscape.  It would be amazing to see the highest tech item look like a simple point and shoot (or green zone for the Canon people).