Say Sayonara to Blurry Pics

A prototype camera made by a Stanford University graduate student could herald the end of fuzzy, poorly lit photos.

A computer science Ph.D. student at Stanford University has outfitted a 16-megapixel camera with a bevy of micro lenses that allows users to take photos and later refocus them on a computer using software he wrote.

The student, Ren Ng, ran out of patience with taking pictures the traditional way — adjusting the distance between the camera lens and sensor or film before snapping each shot. So he created something that far surpasses Photoshop. A photograph can be modified after the fact even if nothing is in focus, he said.

"We just think it’ll lead to better cameras that make it easier to take pictures that are in focus and look good," said Ng’s adviser, Stanford computer science professor Pat Hanrahan.

By Rachel Metz

Full Story: http://wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,69594,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_4