PetaPixel has an article about a revolutionary new camera, the LIGHT L16, which looks rather interesting, along with sample images. Its a novel concept and could change the camera market considerably, though perhaps is priced too high to really replace phone and compact cameras, costing more than many DSLRs with their kit lenses.
Apart from PetaPixel, most informative page I’ve so far found on the LIGHT L16 is Introducing the Light L16 Camera by Rajiv Laroia, Light co-founder and CTO which has a couple of videos and at the bottom of the page the press release, which doubtless you will read recycled as articles on many photography web sites and magazines.
Here are a couple of quotes from it:
Key features of the L16 include:
Integrated 35mm-150mm optical zoom
DSLR-quality high-resolution images
Exceptional low-light performance
Low image noise
Fine depth of field control
Five-inch, easy-to-use touch-screen interface with on-device editing and social network sharing
The L16 will retail for $1,699 and ship in late summer 2016. A limited quantity will be available for pre-order through November 6 at a special price of $1,299 at https://light.co/.
It looks interesting and truly innovative, though only fuller reviews next spring and summer – and user experience – will really tell how well it works.
I don’t see it as a replacement for my own DSLR – it simply doesn’t cover much of the focal length range at which I work – around half my pictures are taken with the 16-35mm lens and mainly in the wider part of its range, while some require a rather longer reach than the 150mm can provide. And although they say its innovative technology gives great low-light results, I think they may be thinking in camera-phone rather than DSLR mode on this.
But there are certainly some very interesting aspects. I remain somewhat sceptical until it actually reaches the point of sale, as we have had a number of innovative products that never quite made it in the past, but this could well be the a great success. And if so, it may be a killer for DSLRs not because it can really replace them, but because it will take away the market for cheaper amateur DLSRs without which the higher end models may not survive.
I’m not sure whether I would want to buy one. It lacks one key feature I’d find it hard to live without, a viewfinder.
