MIT Students Snap Space Pics on the Cheap

Lytro reviewers impressed, but you might not want to buy it yet

(NEWSER) - The company behind the Lytro camera calls its technology "the first major change in photography since photography was invented," and reviewers seem to agree. By analyzing and storing all the points of light in any given photo, the Lytro allows users to refocus the subject, or focus on an entirely new subject in the frame—after you've taken the picture. An 8GB model, which holds 350 pictures, will run you $399; for 16GB or 750 pictures, you'll spend $499. A sample of the reviews:

• Light field photography, the new tech behind the Lytro, is "hard to explain, but it’s amazing," writes Joshua Topolsky in the Washington Post . "Being able to refocus an image after it’s been uploaded to your computer will irrevocably alter your perception of what a photo is," and when he first saw a demo, he was "awestruck." It's not perfect—its shape and size are particularly irksome, and there's no flash—but it's definitely a "game-changer."

Balloon/camera contraption cost Robert Harrison just $750

(NEWSER) - Armed with a few hundred dollars and a dream, a British man has come up with a way to take photos of the earth from space that would make NASA proud—and have. “A guy phoned up who worked for NASA. He wanted to know how the hell we did it,” Robert Harrison tells the Times . “They said it would have cost them millions of dollars.” But a slim $750 got Harrison the meteorological balloon, digital camera, GPS device, duct tape, and home insulation he needed to take the shots. More»

Bands give up trying to control images

(NEWSER) - As camera phones held aloft become as common as lighters in the air used to be at rock-and-roll concerts, the music industry is starting to give in to reality and drop camera bans. Most bands are allowed to choose their own photo policy, and a growing number are letting fans capture gigs with any kind of camera they want. Others, including U2, allow point-and-shoot cameras only, and reserve digital SLRs for the professionals, reports CNET News. More»

(NEWSER) - Kodak is discontinuing its storied Kodachrome film line, the company announced today. Introduced in 1935, Kodachrome was the first commercially successful color film, and was immortalized in a Paul Simon song in 1973. But these days it represents less than 1% of Kodak’s film sales, and only one lab in the world—Dwayne’s Photo in Parsons, Kansas, processes it, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports. More»

Spy pens, 3-D cameras and new lens technologies on display

(NEWSER) - The biggest photography-gear expo on the globe, Photokina, got under way this week in Germany as manufacturers rolled out everything from state-of-the-art lenses to geotagging devices. Wired takes a look:

1. Fuji’s FinePix Real 3D System incorporates dual lenses that capture separate images, then meshes them into a single 3-D file.