Sony is working on a Lytro alike camera (Patent).

The complex image on top shows you a new Sony Light Field sensor that has been patented by Sony (United States Application US20140071244). Basically it’s a Sony version of the famous new Lytro Illum (here on Amazon). As you know a Light field camera can take the entire light field instead of a pure 2D image. It means you can refocus in post production and even change the perspective. Try it out here:

Click to refocus. Click and drag for Perspective Shift. (Source: Pictures Lytro).

Well, the drawback of such cameras is that the resolution is very low. And that’s exactly what Sony claims to have fixed in this patent:

“a camera system that have no useless pixel arrangement and are capable of suppressing decrease in resolution which may be caused by adopting stereo function.“

The sensor tech is very complicated and we have to see how long it will take for Sony to get this into a real mass-produced camera. But now imagine for a second to have a Full Frame camera with such a sensor. Damn, that would be amazing …or not?