But price and complexity mean they’re not quite ready for the mainstream.

What if everything you knew about photography was wrong?

What Is a Light Field Camera?

Lytro Immerge 360-degree light field camera

Lytro

Light field cameras capture more detailed and accurate information about the light in a scene than traditional camera.

Related:What is a Rangefinder Camera?

This can be especially useful for creating 3D models or images with a more realistic look and feel.

Light field cameras capture more information about the light in a scene, allowing for greater post-processing flexibility.

Light field cameras can capture more light than traditional cameras, improving their performance in low-light conditions.

Offering a better low-light photography solution than comparable traditional cameras.

Related:What Is Camera ISO, and Why Does it Matter?

Another example of a light field camera is the L16 from Light, which was released in 2017.

Light left consumer imaging in 2020, so that’s a second light field camera pioneer calling it quits.

That means virtual environments or objects with greater realism and immersion.

Another potential utility for light field cameras is in3D printing.

Light field cameras can capture detailed and accurate information about the shape and surface texture of objects.

With that data you could create highly accurate 3D models that can be used to fabricate physical objects.

There are a few reasons to think light field cameras will never be mainstream.

Smartphone sensors and optics have become good enough to rival SLR cameras.

Thanks to advances in AI-drivencomputational photographyphones can simulate many light field cameras tricks.