Cameras that are changing the way we create
As a photographer, I am always waiting for the newest camera and imaging technology to come out. Today, we can create hyper-realistic worlds through CG and VR technology, zoom in on a license plate from space, and shoot billboard quality photos on a iPhone. This is only the beginning. While, many advanced technologies are only available commercially— costing thousands of dollars to rent and use —a few years down the road, their move into the mass market is inevitable. We are continually surrounded by media in all forms — photos, video, and apps. Media is a way to express our creativity, freedom, and our view of the world. Our job, as photographers, videographers, and multimedia artists, is to create work that continually blows peoples’ minds — and we need the technology to back us up.
It’s hard to believe that the first iPhone was created less than 10 years ago (1st gen released on June 29, 2007) and that in 10 years, self driving cars will be processing hundreds of gigabytes of visual data per second. Our ability to take a $100,000 camera and simplify it down to smaller products (like the iPhone and GoPro) has paved a path for the future of mass-market visual technology — pin-size, high-quality products that allow people to create high quality moving and still images anywhere, at any time. Both commercial and mass market technologies are changing the way we interact with each other, document our lives, and create new work. A few new technologies come to mind:
Commercial Cinema.
Lytro is a company pioneering the way cinematographers approach commercial live shooting and editing in post-production. Lytro’s cinema cameras are so advanced they capture a 3D model every frame. Through Lytro’s “light field” technology, cinematographers, photographers, and visual effects artists have the ability to map a photograph or video in 3D space in real time and can adjust focus, color, frame-rate, depth of field, and exposure in post-production. Essentially, each pixels’ data is captured independently for maximum customizability. At 755 megapixels of RAW 40K resolution and 300fps, the camera boasts “the highest resolution video sensor ever designed” to this date and captures an incredible 400 gigabytes of data per second — so much data, renting it comes with server space!
Mainstream Cinema.
Light is a company pioneering the way average people think of capturing the world. At the size of point and shoot camera, the Light L16 has 16 cameras capturing RAW photos at 52 megapixels and beautiful 4K video. The L16 captures light through many small apertures, allowing for enhanced low light performance and quality at full zoom. It uses “folded optics” technology that bounces light off internal reflex mirrors to create DSLR quality photos from a device the size of your palm. Each time the camera is fired, pixel data from 16 individual lenses is captured at different focal lengths to allow for pixel manipulation in post-production, similar to the Lytro. In addition, the camera is dust and waterproof, so you can pack for your next adventure and never worry about ruining your camera in any weather condition. Light allows everyone to capture billboard quality photos and cinema quality video with a device they can fit in their pocket!
Powerful imaging technology is not limited to Hollywood. It’s slowly becoming available to the masses. Obviously, the capabilities of a professional cinema camera will outweigh those of a $2,000 consumer camera, but as technology gets smaller and cheaper, mass market devices with better features and capabilities (like the Light L16) will continue to appear… and photographers, cinematographers, visual artists, and clients will demand it. As technology more accurately replicates our world to help us create hyper realistic experiences that appeal to all our senses, people will be able to experience worlds they otherwise would have never known.
Technology has an incredible power to greatly enhance our lives, but can also hinder it — so use it for good. No matter how much screen time you get, or how real it gets, nothing will compare to physically being somewhere, interacting with the people and culture, and seeing the innate beauty in nature. Get out there, experience the world, document your experiences, and figure out how to use digital and imaging technology to increase awareness, connect people, and better the world.
