A High-End Camera in a Small Package
Light, based in Palo Alto, California, plans to start taking preorders for its L16 camera on Wednesday for $1,699, though some would-be customers may pause when they learn it won’t ship to them until late next summer.
The rectangular black camera can capture images of up to 52 megapixels. Unlike most cameras, which use just one lens and image sensor, the L16 will squeeze in 16 camera modules with three different focal lengths—five 35-millimeter ones, five 70-millimeter ones, and six 150-millimeter ones. Each of the camera modules will have a 13-megapixel image sensor. The cameras will simultaneously snap their own shots from different perspectives when you take a picture, and software will combine them automatically into one image that mimics what you’d get from a DSLR camera with a large lens attached to it.
In April, Light said it would bring its first cameras, with 52-megapixel resolution, to smartphones next year through a deal with contract electronics manufacturer Foxconn, which also invested an undisclosed amount in the company
The L16 will include a display (but no viewfinder) and a battery meant to last for about 400 shots.
Photography lovers may have a hard time adjusting to the L16’s form, which is radically different from the cameras and lenses they’ve used for years. Grannan thinks they will adapt, though he admits it could take a decade for high-end digital cameras to make the shift from bulky devices we have now.