Computational Photography

A new surveillance video camera uses 5 lenses to capture a 180 degree view. The separate images are stitched together by a computer. This is the power of computational photography.

Adobe is also experimenting with it. Here is a snippet from the NYT article "On the Lookout, With a Digital Security Camera."

Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for professional digital imaging at Adobe, says the company is experimenting with a combination of lenses and software to process enough data in one shot, for example, that the focus of the image can be changed after the shutter snaps, something that is now impossible.

"We can capture the light rays in a scene and then later calculate a photo at any focal length," he said. "You can refocus your shot after it is captured."