14 DAY TRIAL // Light, the company behind the L16, is the first multi-aperture computational camera that has a technology that uses a combination of "folded optics" with computational imaging algorithms.
In other words, "folded optics" means that with 16 individual cameras, out of which ten will fire simultaneously, the L16 can capture the details of your shot at multiple focal lengths. Afterwards, the images are computationally fused to create a final image with up to 52-megapixel resolution.
The L16 cameras have 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.
Besides that, the technology additionally features each camera to be placed on its side, light comes through an aperture, hits a mirror and then travels down the barrel of the lens to an image sensor.
Since the camera modules have different focal lengths, some will fire at once, others a bit later, and since there are different focal lengths for each camera, the distance you want to zoom in on a subject will trigger the camera.
Apparently users can also adjust focus and depth of field even after the shot is taken.
Normally being skeptical about a sudden change to the Light L16 camera, Light co-founder and CEO Dave Grannan said “We don’t think that on day one everybody drops their DSLR and buys one of these, but we think there’s a great population of people that will appreciate the size, cost, and weight reduction.”
According to MIT Technology Review, Light has been working on the L16 since 2013, and since then it has had a deal with Foxconn to bring the device to smartphones as well, and expects to happen sometimes next year.
Right now, Light is taking preorders for its L16 camera, and it will cost potential clients $1,699 (€1,496). Keep in mind though that if you preorder now, your product will arrive next summer since usually electronics manufacturing batches take about 6 to 9 months to produce and ship to your location.