Railfan Technology > Extreme depth of field camera

I found this in the NIST website.

https://newatlas.com/photography/nist-light-field-camera-record-depth-of-field/

Be Well,

Tim Colbert  K3HX

Thanks for posting.
Trilobytes were really smart fellers.

Since the human eye (at least not mine) doesn't focus simultaneously on objects in that range then why should anyone bother with a camera that could? Stitching together images is an easy way to create extensive depths of field, and unless you're taking strictly landscape images, any image with a central subject (like a train) could often benefit from isolating it from the background, especially if the background consists of monotonous rows of corn or soybeans...

I think they meant “trilobites”. Just based on spelling, I think trilobytes  must be a newer, computer-based creature. 

One obvious benefit would be in model photography, where a big part of "making it look real" is achieving depth of field comparable to a prototype photo. That is extremely challenging without focus-stacking programs. 

march_hare Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> One obvious benefit would be in model photography,
> where a big part of "making it look real" is
> achieving depth of field comparable to a prototype
> photo. That is extremely challenging without
> focus-stacking programs. 

A large format field camera with bellows adjusted lens down can do extreme depth of field....you'd have to use a tripod and mess around with the focusing screen to see what works best....but you don't require anything from the government spooks.

What a bunch of luddites.  This has potentially wide ranging applications.  Consider a smartphone camera that doesn't have to be perfectly in focus because everything is in focus.  Or a photo that you can go back to edit the "raw" to apply selective focus techniques after the fact.  Or the possible utility of having the photo metadata include distances to subject/multiple subjects, etc.

JUTower Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> What a bunch of luddites.  This has potentially
> wide ranging applications.  Consider a smartphone
> camera that doesn't have to be perfectly in focus
> because everything is in focus.  Or a photo that
> you can go back to edit the "raw" to apply
> selective focus techniques after the fact.  Or
> the possible utility of having the photo metadata
> include distances to subject/multiple subjects,
> etc.

If it could be shrunk up to fit in a smartphone fine.....but then it would have to be fast too....as it is HDR takes a wee few seconds to compose even on an iphone 13 pro max....and since field cameras still exist and are still actively bought and used...it's a worthwhile option. 

engineerinvirginia Wrote:

> If it could be shrunk up to fit in a smartphone
> fine.....but then it would have to be fast
> too....as it is HDR takes a wee few seconds to
> compose even on an iphone 13 pro max....and since
> field cameras still exist and are still actively
> bought and used...it's a worthwhile option. 

If the technology bears out, it will be miniaturized and made faster, to be sure.

$$$ more than a digital camera and stacking software....

Victor B.


engineerinvirginia Wrote:
--
> A large format field camera with bellows adjusted
> lens down can do extreme depth of field....you'd
> have to use a tripod and mess around with the
> focusing screen to see what works best....but you
> don't require anything from the government spooks.

Wow, since the trilobites (correct spelling?) were so good at seeing their prey closeup and predators far away, why did they become extinct?

Victor B.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/22 20:20 by wabash2800.

> ...were so good at seeing their prey closeup and predators far away, why did they become extinct?

Possibly because their "prey" and "preditors" could move faster than they could?

> ...with bellows adjusted lens down can do extreme depth of field...

Adjusted lens down?

> ...but you don't require anything from the government spooks.

So it's "government spooks" who produce the focus stacking software?