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Smarter Cameras Help You Take Slicker Snaps


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Stephen Brewster

Credit: Courtesy of University of Glasglow

University of Glasgow researcher Stephen Brewster is developing a camera interface designed to make it easier for photographers to get pictures right on the first take.

The interface uses the sensors and processing power found in smartphones to give photographers more information before they take the picture, such as detecting if the image is aligned with the horizon or if the photographer's hands are shaking.

The system also comes with a traffic-light signal that indicates if a shot will turn out well. A red light means the shot should be recomposed, and a green light helps to ensure a good picture.

Meanwhile, Google's Sam Hasinoff is developing software that takes multiple wide-aperture photos with different depths of field (DoF) and combines them to create a picture with a DoF equivalent to a small-aperture photo but taken in a fraction of the time. The method, known as light efficient photography, automatically calculates which combination of photos will produce the desired picture for a selected exposure. "If either the scene or camera is moving, our method will record less motion blur, leading to a sharper and more pleasing photo," Hasinoff says.

From New Scientist
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Abstracts Copyright © 2011 Information Inc. External Link, Bethesda, Maryland, USA 


 

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