Lytro Illum

sany · 04-28-2014, 02:51 AM

I just recently started reading about this new camera but any research online fetches limited reviews about it. So may I ask the beloved experts here to share the drawbacks they think against a traditional DSLR.
All video coverage and promos on YouTube looks interesting though.
I did read somewhere the at the images are only 5 MP but maybe in a different context.

Steve.Ledger · 04-28-2014, 03:11 AM

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/76-non-pentax-cameras-canon-nikon-etc/258...superzoom.html

**Tony Belding** · 04-28-2014, 05:07 AM

I have the original Lytro and found it to be quite disappointing. The new one has much higher specs and would seem like a step in the right direction. However...

I'm afraid it's still only going to show the benefits of lightfield processing only in close-up or macro shots. As a general-purpose camera, almost anything else would be better.

I am also unable to get into the whole photo sharing scheme, where there is minimal post-processing and basically everything has to be viewed through a special website -- unless you convert the image down to a JPEG, in which case you've lost all the interactive effects.

What I really wish somebody would make is a better-specified stereo 3D camera. I got the Fuji W3, which is great by the standards of a pocket camera (and it does, in fact, fit in my pocket), but the W3 is out of production now. A bigger-and-better stereo camera is something I would shell out for. The Illum isn't it. (In macro shots you can get some limited 3D effect out of Lytro cameras, but it's rather pitiful compared with an actual stereo camera.)

Nass · 04-28-2014, 05:19 AM

I think it's a technology to watch out for in the future but at the moment it is not at all highly thought of in the advanced macro crowd.

sany · 04-28-2014, 05:36 AM

Originally posted by Nass

I think it's a technology to watch out for in the future but at the moment it is not at all highly thought of in the advanced macro crowd.

Since the same concept is (almost) being rolled out in very many mobile phone OEM cameras (HTC M8, Samsung Galaxy S5 and google's very own Google Camera with Camera blur) - if I project the maturity scale on these apps, I am seeing this end up in a matured state almost as near to this Lytro Illum. So this makes me wonder whether the price tag for this is worth it?
Also, down the road most camera giants would have already started working this (or similar feature) into their bodies and thereby bring the price tag for a similar product down. So putting a purchase decision on hold for now will be a wise thing to do now is what I feel.

**TER-OR** · 04-29-2014, 06:18 AM

It would be really cool to see this on sensors as potent as DSLRs we now have. Otherwise, it's kind of a one-trick pony. Good trick, though, I'll give it that!

srialto · 10-02-2015, 05:07 AM

I know this is an old thread but I thought I would share on the Lytro Illum's ability to provide data for 3D Lenticular Printing. Results can be taken directly from the Desktop software application or brought into a 3rd party program for processing.

**TER-OR** · 10-02-2015, 05:45 AM

OK, that's another trick - and would be interesting to see first-hand before pursuing the technology.

04-28-2014, 02:51 AM	#1
sany Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Dubai, UAE Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 448	Lytro Illum I just recently started reading about this new camera but any research online fetches limited reviews about it. So may I ask the beloved experts here to share the drawbacks they think against a traditional DSLR. All video coverage and promos on YouTube looks interesting though. I did read somewhere the at the images are only 5 MP but maybe in a different context.

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04-28-2014, 03:11 AM	#2
Steve.Ledger Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Far North Qld Posts: 3,301	https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/76-non-pentax-cameras-canon-nikon-etc/258...superzoom.html

04-28-2014, 05:07 AM	#3
Tony Belding Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Hamilton, Texas Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 781	I have the original Lytro and found it to be quite disappointing. The new one has much higher specs and would seem like a step in the right direction. However... I'm afraid it's still only going to show the benefits of lightfield processing only in close-up or macro shots. As a general-purpose camera, almost anything else would be better. I am also unable to get into the whole photo sharing scheme, where there is minimal post-processing and basically everything has to be viewed through a special website -- unless you convert the image down to a JPEG, in which case you've lost all the interactive effects. What I really wish somebody would make is a better-specified stereo 3D camera. I got the Fuji W3, which is great by the standards of a pocket camera (and it does, in fact, fit in my pocket), but the W3 is out of production now. A bigger-and-better stereo camera is something I would shell out for. The Illum isn't it. (In macro shots you can get some limited 3D effect out of Lytro cameras, but it's rather pitiful compared with an actual stereo camera.)

04-28-2014, 05:19 AM	#4
Nass Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The British Isles Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,402	I think it's a technology to watch out for in the future but at the moment it is not at all highly thought of in the advanced macro crowd.

04-28-2014, 05:36 AM	#5
sany Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Dubai, UAE Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 448 Original Poster	Originally posted by Nass I think it's a technology to watch out for in the future but at the moment it is not at all highly thought of in the advanced macro crowd. Since the same concept is (almost) being rolled out in very many mobile phone OEM cameras (HTC M8, Samsung Galaxy S5 and google's very own Google Camera with Camera blur) - if I project the maturity scale on these apps, I am seeing this end up in a matured state almost as near to this Lytro Illum. So this makes me wonder whether the price tag for this is worth it? Also, down the road most camera giants would have already started working this (or similar feature) into their bodies and thereby bring the price tag for a similar product down. So putting a purchase decision on hold for now will be a wise thing to do now is what I feel.

04-29-2014, 06:18 AM	#6
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	It would be really cool to see this on sensors as potent as DSLRs we now have. Otherwise, it's kind of a one-trick pony. Good trick, though, I'll give it that!

10-02-2015, 05:07 AM	#7
srialto New Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 1	I know this is an old thread but I thought I would share on the Lytro Illum's ability to provide data for 3D Lenticular Printing. Results can be taken directly from the Desktop software application or brought into a 3rd party program for processing.

10-02-2015, 05:45 AM	#8
TER-OR Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Dundee, IL Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,699	OK, that's another trick - and would be interesting to see first-hand before pursuing the technology.