The First Plenoptic Camera on the Market. It looks like the wait for plenoptic cameras to hit the market is shorter than we thought when we reported earlier today on Adobe’s interesting demonstration on the technology. In fact, there is no wait — you can already purchase a plenoptic camera. German company Raytrix is the first to offer plenoptic cameras that allow you to choose focus points in post processing and capture 3D images with a single sensor.
Their “entry-level” R5 camera shoots at 1 megapixel, while the high-end R11 shoots at 3 megapixels. They can also convert any existing digital camera into a plenoptic camera, creating a lens array for it within 6-8 weeks. Processing the resulting images is done through proprietary software written by Raytrix. Do you think this technology will soon be offered in consumer cameras? (via Photo Rumors) Apollo 11 Launch at 500 Frames per Second. Google Shows Off Chrome’s Speed at 2700 Frames per Second. Google just released the latest beta version of its Chrome browser, and created a pretty amazing video to demonstrate how fast pages load. Using a Phantom v640 high speed camera, they film the browser racing random Rube Goldberg-style contraptions at up to 2700 frames per second.
For example, in one test Chrome races a potato gun. Sweet. They also have a cool behind-the-scenes video showing how the tests were done. I can’t believe it took 51 takes to get the potato gun shot to come out right. Google puts out some of the most creative ads I’ve seen. Google just released the latest beta version of its Chrome browser, and created a pretty amazing video to demonstrate how fast pages load. They also have a cool behind-the-scenes video showing how the tests were done. Google puts out some of the most creative ads I’ve seen. Cupcakes Exploding on Faces at 700 Frames per Second. 52 Canon DSLR Cameras Used for Matrix-Style Surfing Shots. Surf wear maker Rip Curl recently teamed up with Timeslice Films for an ambitious project of shooting surfers in “bullet-time“, the effect that many people first saw in The Matrix.
They used a crazy camera array of 52 Canon 5D Mark II Rebel DSLRs in order to capture the same shot from 52 different angles, stringing them together for the final footage. Here’s the finished video: To see what they did, check out this awesome behind-the-scenes video they created: (via planet5D) Update: As many have pointed out in the comments, the cameras used were not 5D Mark IIs, but Rebels. Oops. Sea and Star Sparkles Captured Together in a Long Exposure Photo.
This is an amazing 1.5 hour exposure taken at the Gippsland Lakes in Australia by Phil Hart, showing both star trails and the crazy blue light given off by a bioluminescent algae called Noctiluca scintillans, commonly known as the Sea Sparkle. The algae glows blue whenever there’s movement in the water, which there is where the waves break onto the shore. Sea Sparkles is going under Northern Lights on my list of things I’d like to see with my own eyes someday. You can also check out some of the other photos he shot, and read about the story behind the photograph on Hart’s blog. (via Photojojo) Image credits: Photograph by Phil Hart. National Geographic Cameraman Films Being Swallowed by Giant Dust Storm. 13 Gigapixel Photo on a 22 Megapixel Interactive Display Wall. Students at the University of Tromso in Norway have created an interactive display wall using 28 separate projectors, which creates a 7168×3072, or 22 megapixel, display. Interactive with the display simply involves placing your hands in front of it.
Touching the display itself is not necessary, and multitouch is supported. What better way to demonstrate the capabilities of such a system than zooming through a gigapixel photograph? Gigapixel images are great, but navigating them on a regular sized display through a slow web browser isn’t such a great experience. This video shows how we navigate a 13.3 gigapixel image of Tromsø, Norway on a 22 megapixel display wall, using a custom, camera-based multi-touch interface and a custom system for high-performance navigation and visualization of high-resolution datasets.
Here’s an amazing video demonstrating the wall in action: Ah… A glimpse of the future. (via Engadget) EyeSeeCam Tracks Your Gaze to Capture What You See.