open source camera

[gflanslo]

I found this interesting

http://news.stanford.edu/news/2009/a...ra-090109.html

[Robert Hughes]

"Talking about music is like dancing about architecture." - Steve Martin

updated:

"A Software update for photography is like..."

[Steven Barall]

The problem is that they don't know anything about photography or about how photographers use cameras. It's all just so pointless. Being able to program the computer in a camera is going to "change photography"? Huh?

[George Kara]

Perhaps, but perhaps in the hand of an accomplished photographer there may be possibilities. This is more about assisting the less skilled shutter clicker. Nothing wrong Daddy can obtaining a much better capture of junior in the pool with bright sunlight.

[Robert Hughes]

Now if they could do software control of lens types, that would be interesting. Aren't there adjustable curve lenses? My 135mm needs to be a 147 for this shot? I need an f/1.0 ? Adjust coma and spherical aberration? Tessar to triplet continuous control? Dial-a-Petzval? Lenses as containers, with flexible surfaces and cavities filled with optical fluid, dimensioned by software control? Hmm, sounds like an idea...

[Gordon Moat]

Large format cameras are already close to open source cameras. We have lenses easily adaptable to a variety of camera bodies. We have film that fits in somewhat standardized holders. Surprisingly much of this is accomplished without electricity.

[Bob Salomon]

Large format cameras are already close to open source cameras. We have lenses easily adaptable to a variety of camera bodies. We have film that fits in somewhat standardized holders. Surprisingly much of this is accomplished without electricity.

You can also put digital backs and DSLR cameras on many of them as well.

[Emmanuel BIGLER]

The annoucement is very interesting for people like me who only use free software for day-to-day office use (including some simple digital image processing)

It is not a secret that internal digital image processing inside either consumer cameras or professional digital cameras is a top-secret technology ;-) Since it less costly to copy a proprietary software to millions of cameras than putting an expensive piece of glass on each camera, the business of internal digital processing and pre-enhancement of really "raw" images is immense.

If you consider the various announcements by Hasseblad for their HxD line of cameras (sorry : this is off-topic) it is clear that digital enhancement of optical images is so mature that Hasselblad has developed 'inperfect' lenses to be corrected by their proprietary software... lenses that cannot be used at their full quality even with a bayonet adaptor !

So as a free software enthusiast, I cannot but be delighted at the idea that I could get free software and free upgrades to what is going on inside my camera.

Regarding the idea that photographers could be computer-illiterate, one should mention that millions of happy users use free software (for example : web servres, free office suites...) without ever hacking into the code....

[bsimison]

Very interesting, and no doubt there will be some useful applications of this product, but I'm flinching at the fresh wave of over-processed "creative imagery" that will flood Flickr and many other photo websites soon after it's released.

[ric_kb]

for those few of you who are geeks enough but even more impatient, two deeper links on this...

http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK
and
http://www3.elphel.com/

PS... the sensor in the stanford frankencamera is from a Nokia cell phone... this project is in very early days...