Issues with focus could become a thing of the past at the start of the next year, thanks to the debut of the first compact camera to utilise ‘light field’ technology. The camera, produced by American manufacturer Lytro, captures ray of light in the scene, as well as the directions of each of those rays. This information is interpreted in to ‘living pictures’ which can then be endlessly refocused after the shot. The camera also features an 8x optical zoom and constant f/2 aperture throughout the focal range, thus maximising light to the sensor.

The Lytro is accompanied by a desktop application for importing images from the camera, although interestingly the software will only be available for Mac OS X at launch, with a Window version due later in 2012. Consumers wanting to purchase the Lytro will have to part with $399 for an 8GB version, whilst a 16GB model will set you back $499. The Lytro is available for pre-order now from www.lytro.com.

See our video review here: