Branches of evolution: an overview of the latest compact cameras

It’s no secret that digital technology has revolutionized photography. Even in the mainstream of camera development, there are plenty of technological solutions that have made imaging and specific shooting techniques incredibly easy to use. Some kinds of photography, like spherical panoramas, were practically impossible to make in the pre-digital era.

The photo industry, striving to master new technologies and improve existing ones, produces from time to time devices that stand out from the crowd. But not all of them resonate in the hearts of end users, and many just don’t reach them. Speaking about spherical panoramas it’s time to remember the camera that was announced last autumn but never reached our market – Ricoh Theta.

Even now, it’s not easy to make a 360° angle of view. But for Theta, it’s a split-second challenge. Two cameras with fisheye lenses on opposite sides of its body, firing in sync, immediately produce a finished image. Thus, the technology, which demanded a photographer’s knowledge, skills and a set of special equipment, was implemented in one device that could be operated even by a child. Unique here and the fact that the panorama is not spoiled by the motion in the frame, which is almost inevitable in traditional methods of shooting. Unfortunately, Theta is only available in America, Germany, France and Italy, and costs around $400. Whether it will ever reach America, it’s not clear yet. Clearly, Ricoh has become more careful in its marketing.

So, it was announced that the company was shutting down its line of unique modular GXR cameras. The concept of a camera with several components was not new, but it was implemented in compacts for the first time. The photographer, depending on current tasks and needs, could change the camera not only the lens, but also the sensor and the block of electronics responsible for optimal image processing in this combination. All of this was “packed” in a separate half of the camera body and connected to the other half, which contained the main processor, display, controls, memory and battery, through a special connector.

When assembled, the camera was no different from a normal compact or mirror-less camera. The choice of sensors and lenses was wide. Optics were available in a variety of power and aperture levels, as well as zooms. The sensors offered were 1/2.3 and 1/1.7 inch CCD and CMOS, up to APS-C. In the latter case, there was a version with a bayonet for interchangeable lenses. In the form of prototypes there were also blocks with adapters for medium-format cameras, drives for archiving data from memory cards, with GPS-modules, microscopic and wireless cameras.

Even the block modules which made it to serial production made the GXR a very interesting system. The concept has not gained much popularity due to its relatively high cost and poor brand recognition in the American market. Plus some of the technical solutions were highly questionable. For example, for the mirrorless module with APS-C sensor for some reason they chose Leica M and L series optics.

A striking example of combining several cameras in one device – stereo cameras. The closest thing to a mass buyer here was the Fujifilm FinePix REAL 3D W3. There was nothing revolutionary about the design of the camera itself: two sensors and two zoom lenses working in sync. The unique opportunity to observe a real stereo picture right on the screen without any special devices. The lenticular layer on the LCD screen, which displays an interlaced image, produces slightly different images for the left and right eye, creating a volume effect.

Despite the active promotion of 3D TVs and monitors, and despite Fujifilm’s own investments in stereo imaging, not many people were willing to buy a camera for 20,000 Dollars, even though there was no alternative. Mention of the camera disappeared from the manufacturer’s website, and the development of the series ceased. But now stereo photo enthusiasts can buy a REAL 3D W3 for 4500-5000 Dollars. You can still see it on the shelves.

Stereophotography only creates the illusion of volume, while Lytro cameras, as a plenoptic camera, can actually form a three-dimensional image. All of the devices mentioned above mimic traditional still cameras in one way or another, but this one has a completely different design. Lytro sensor, quite traditional, thanks to a completely non-traditional lens layer, can not only capture the brightness of the incident beam from an object at a certain point in space, but also its direction.

So the camera, by analyzing the data it receives, captures the light field of objects in the frame. Plenoptic cameras have been known to a narrow circle of people interested in physics for quite some time. But they only existed in scientific laboratories. Lytro was the first quite consumer product, and most importantly – has quite pocket-sized. Officially the device does not come to America, but you can buy it here, and the price tag starts with quite humane 12,500 Dollars. For that, the customer gets the first version of the camera with 8GB of memory, 8x zoom, and 11-megapixel resolution. The traditional flat image is only 1000×1000 pixels, but the sharpness area in it can be in any plane, and you can choose it after shooting.

The camera doesn’t have to focus because it receives information about all the light reflected from objects. As already mentioned, a plenoptic camera can give a three-dimensional image based on the direction of reflected light. True, 11 mega-rays is not enough for this. Recently introduced the second version of the camera Lytro called Illum 3D-pictures while also does not draw, but already much more effectively allows you to convey the volumetric space of the subject. Enlarged to an inch sensor with 40-megapixel resolution and improved optics store enough information to make it possible to select not only the objects in sharpness, but also to change a little the angle of view, perspective and perspective in the finished photos. And the updated software allows you to save these changes on the video. Among other things, while the original Lytro camera worked exclusively in auto mode, the Illum has a much more extensive toolbox for controlling exposure and color.

This unique camera is only available by pre-order. And while a new era of photography has yet to dawn, it makes sense to pay attention to more traditional, but no less interesting shooting equipment, which will be discussed below.