Revolutionary Lytro Camera Landing at an Online Retailer Near You on October 9th

The Lytro, a curious and innovative light-field camera that lets you focus and adjust images in-camera after you’ve snapped a photo, will be widely available in the U.S. starting on October 9th.

In just under two weeks, you can purchase your own giant lipstick-looking Lytro online from Target, Best Buy, and Amazon. In November, they’ll be available at CityTarget stores in L.A., Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, and Westwood, CA. They’ll also be available online in Canada on October 9th and in store in Australia, Hong Kong, and Singapore later in the month.

The cameras are available in several colors, including Red Hot (16GB, $499), Electric Blue (8GB, $399), and Graphite (8GB, $399).

Lytro camera

The light field design of the cameras means that it captures light from all directions and enables users to focus on different parts of the image after an image is taken; it also eliminates the need for mechanisms like autofocus and shutter delay. The camera has a small 1.52-inch multitouch display and boasts an 8x optical zoom with a constant f/2 aperture.

Proud new Lytro owners will also get free desktop software for importing and processing (requires Mac OS 10.6.6 or higher or Win 7 64-bit), free picture storage on Lytro.com, and a 1 meter micro-USB cable.

The thing is a bit of a curiosity--not so much something you’ll buy to replace your trusty D-SLR or even necessarily your point-and-shoot--but if you have a penchant for exploring photography and have four or five hundred bucks burning a hole in your pocket, you’ll probably want to check the Lytro out.
Tags:  camera, Gadgets, lytro, Misc