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Higher megapixels don't mean better photos

<p><br /><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0083325#s1">PLOS ONE</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>What if we could identify a child pornographer by magnifying his reflection in the scared, sad eyes of the victim in the photograph?</p>
<p>The law may not have explored these capabilities yet, but research just took the first step to making this "CSI"-like technology real.</p>
<p>A study published Dec. 26 in the journal <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0083325#s1" target="_blank">PLOS ONE</a> found that participants could frequently identify a person from a blown-up reflection found in the eye.</p>
<p>Researchers took "passport-style photos" of college students with bystanders opposite them, on the same side as the camera. The researchers then tested if the students could recognize the bystanders' reflections, which appeared in their corneas in the photos.</p>
<p>The resulting images were 27 to 36 pixels wide by 42 to 56 pixels high - about 30,000 times smaller than the subject's face.</p>
<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_left"><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0083325#s1">PLOS ONE</a></span></p><p class="caption">Pair a is the same person. Pair b is different. Can you tell?</p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p>Researchers then paired each corneal reflection with a larger, high quality version of either the same person (pair a to the left) or a similar-looking person (pair b).</p>
<p>When subjects were unfamiliar with the person, they could correctly say whether the two photos pictured the same person 71% of the time. And in those familiar with face, matching shot up to 84%.</p>
<p>Both scenarios' results show instances much higher than simple chance at 50%.</p>
<p>"Spontaneous recognition," when researchers showed multiple images much like a police line-up, also yielded impressive results. In those cases, participants could correctly identify a person as high as 90% of the time, although false positives wouldn't allow for strict statistical analysis.</p>
<p><span>Our </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Face_perception" target="_blank">innate ability to recognize faces</a> of other humans likely aided participants' correct identification of the blurry images. Our brains process information about faces in special ways.</p>
<p>The cornea reflections came from photos taken with a 39 megapixel camera. For comparison, an iPhone 5's camera is only 8 megapixels, according to <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/12/31/eye-reflections-in-photos-can-reliably-identify-whos-behind-the-lens/#.UsLX2GRDs_4" target="_blank">Discover Magazine</a>. Professional lightning also illuminated the room, so we don't know how often this would work in a real-life setting.</p>
<p>The experiment may not have the most practical applications. But eyewitness misidentification accounts for 75% of all convictions later overturned by DNA evidence, according to the <a href="http://www.innocenceproject.org/understand/Eyewitness-Misidentification.php" target="_blank">Innocence Project</a>. Every bit of evidence can help.</p>

We Might Be Able To Identify Criminals From The Reflections In People's Eyes

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Silicon Valley wants to expand its reach beyond your smartphone.</li><li>The first human patient has received a brain chip implant from Elon Musk's Neuralink.</li></ul><p>Silicon Valley doesn't just want to be in your pocket or on your arm anymore.</p><p>After spending years getting people hooked on smartphones, tech leaders have been scrambling to figure out what comes next.</p><p>In part, they've been driven by a growing sense that we might have reached <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-15-features-versus-samsung-galaxy-google-pixel-android-2023-9"><u>peak smartphone.</u></a></p><p>Apple's new iPhone each year looks virtually identical to its predecessor. The Samsung Galaxy S24's exterior is a carbon copy of the S23. Meanwhile, market saturation and sales have slowed with global smartphone shipments dropping 3.2% to 1.17 billion units in 2023, <u>per data from IDC.</u></p><p>Where next, then? Closer to our brains, apparently, in whatever shape or form is possible.</p><h2>Mind control</h2><p>This year, Silicon Valley seems finally ready to introduce the world to devices such as brain interfaces, while the likes of virtual reality headsets and augmented reality goggles begin to mature as a product categories.</p><p>On Monday, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tesla-ceo-elon-musk#:~:text=After%20graduating%20from%20high%20school,at%20the%20University%20of%20Pennsylvania."><u>Elon Musk</u></a> announced that the first <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-claims-first-human-patient-received-neuralink-implant-2024-1"><u>patient had received a brain chip implant</u></a> from Neuralink, his secretive company.</p><div type="image" title="Neuralink brain chip" height="738" width="766" msid="107268044" hostid="261"></div><p>"The first human received an implant from<a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/neuralink"><u> @Neuralink</u></a> yesterday and is recovering well," the billionaire wrote on his social media site, X. "Initial results show promising neuron spike detection."</p><p>According to Musk, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/neuralink-elon-musk-microchips-brains-ai-2021-2#the-second-is-a-robot-that-could-automatically-implant-the-chip-3"><u>the goal of Neuralink</u></a> since its founding in 2016 has been to create a brain interface laced with high-grade AI that allows humans to "control a computer or mobile device" with their minds.</p><p>It sounds like the stuff of sci-fi, but Neuralink's touted the potential benefits of this technology — <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1752118131579867417?s=20"><u>a product Musk has called "Telepathy"</u></a> — in fields such as medicine.</p><p>"Initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs," <a target="_blank" href="https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1752119586470949056?s=20"><u>Musk wrote</u></a>. "Imagine if Stephen Hawking could communicate faster than a speed typist or auctioneer. That is the goal."</p><p>Musk has a lot more in mind for this technology, however. At an event held at Neuralink's Fremont office in December 2022, he played <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-neuralink-video-monkey-games-pong-brain-chip-2021-4"><u>a video showing a monkey playing a game of Pong</u></a> without touching a gaming pad as an illustration of what a Neuralink chip could do.</p><p>This stuff is still clearly a long way from mainstream adoption — and whether it will even get that chance is unclear.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-neuralink-monkeys-infections-paralysis-brain-swelling-implants-sec-2023-9"><u>Monkeys have died following Neuralink trials</u></a>, though the company denies they're linked to its experiments. Neuralink has also been the subject of a federal probe amid <a target="_blank" href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/musks-neuralink-faces-federal-probe-employee-backlash-over-animal-tests-2022-12-05/">concerns it had violated the Animal Welfare Act.</a></p><p>But others are ready to have a crack at making the technology work too. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-unveils-ambitious-plan-to-take-on-elon-musks-neuralink-2024-1"><u>China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology disclosed plans</u></a> to create brain-computer interfaces that rival Neuralink by 2025 — a move sure to stoke competition.</p><h2>But first, headsets</h2><p>If that vision of a post-smartphone future seems too radical, tech companies have some headwear they'd like you to try out instead.</p><p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/guides/tech/apple-vision-pro-order-price-release-date-features"><u>Apple is set to launch its Vision Pro</u></a> headset on Friday in what it describes as its big foray into "spatial computing." The $3,500 goggles incorporate virtual and augmented reality to give users a more immersive experience of the internet.</p><div type="image" title="Apple Vision Pro" height="1760" width="3040" msid="107268045" hostid="261"></div><p>As Apple puts it, <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=88d995478b2bf5973d6a6a2317f063ccc15419abb8ac3ab58bfa99132f2dc186&amp;postID=65b8eeb44ea3930022fe01aa&amp;postSlug=silicon-valley-neuralink-apple-meta-targeting-head-vision-pro-quest-2024-1&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.apple.com%2Fapple-vision-pro%2F"><u>"your apps live in your space."</u></a> That space is essentially your head, with the Vision Pro built to create a canvas that emerges before your eyes while you wear it.</p><p>As much as an answer to the "what comes after the iPhone?" question, the Vision Pro is also a response to the growing suite of headgear that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-turning-20-mark-zuckerberg-meta-future-ai-ceo-2024-1"><u>Mark Zuckerberg</u></a> has been creating at Meta.</p><p>Products include the mixed reality <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-apple-vision-pro-launch-metaverse-mixed-reality-mark-zuckerberg-2024-1"><u>Meta Quest Pro</u></a> and Meta Quest 3, which, like the Vision Pro, are designed to be worn over your head.</p><p>There are also the less imposing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-meta-people-walking-around-vr-headsets-ray-ban-2023-10"><u>Meta Ray-Ban AR glasses</u></a> introduced at the company's Connect developer conference in September. These are integrated with a 12 megapixel camera and AI that allow users to engage with a "conversational assistant" by saying "Hey Meta."</p><p>The post-smartphone future is coming quickly, then, in all shapes and sizes. Your head is its target.</p>

Silicon Valley literally wants to get into your head &mdash; any way it can

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Sphere in Las Vegas is a new performance venue with a giant wraparound LED screen.</li><li>Irish rockers U2 were the first band to play at the new venue.</li></ul><p>The Sphere, a new performance venue in <a href="https://www.insider.com/las-vegas-first-visit-things-to-do-from-frequent-traveler-2023">Las Vegas</a>, opened this past weekend with <a href="https://www.insider.com/bono-embarrassed-listening-to-u2-2022-1">Irish rockers U2</a> launching their <a href="https://www.insider.com/photos-show-inside-mind-bending-las-vegas-sphere-u2-concert-2023-10">"U2:UV: Achtung Baby Live" residency</a>.</p><p>During the opening show on Friday, the band was surrounded by the venue's giant wraparound LED screen, which added unique visuals to the show. </p><p>The world actually got its first look at what the Sphere is capable of back in July when its screens were turned on for the first time, making it appear like <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@jasonkpargin/video/7256945309874457899?q=las%20vegas%20sphere%20eyeball%20pumpkin&amp;t=1696241847100" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a giant eyeball</a> had landed in the middle of the city. </p><p>The globe-shaped building, which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/nyregion/james-dolan-las-vegas-sphere.html">reportedly</a> cost $2.3 billion to build, also transformed into a basketball, a pumpkin, and even the Earth itself. </p><p>U2's residency at the Sphere is scheduled to span 25 shows over the next few months, with their final performance on December 16. But the Sphere has already lined up another immersive performance to draw crowds in. </p><h2>'The Sphere Experience'</h2><div type="image" title="Sphere lights up, displaying an eyeball on July 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada." height="2168" width="2891" msid="104108216" hostid="261" sizebytes="612380"></div><p>"The Sphere Experience" is the other attraction taking place at the venue from October 6, and it's apparently hosted by a robot.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.thespherevegas.com/shows/the-sphere-experience" target="_blank" rel="noopener">official description</a> reads: "'The Sphere Experience' begins the moment you walk through the doors where you'll be greeted by Aura, our real-life humanoid robot: one of five identical robots you can interact with."</p><p>Attendees are expected to get hands-on with some of the groundbreaking visual technology inside the venue.</p><p>"Aura will show you how culture and technology and science and art have always been intertwined throughout human history," the description for the experience reads.</p><p>"And some of the latest technology you get to experience personally - including a 360-degree avatar capture, a beam-forming sound display, and a 50-foot-high holographic image."</p><h2>'Postcard from Earth'</h2><div type="image" title="Sphere lights up for the first time, displaying an image of the Earth on July 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada." height="2089" width="2785" msid="104108218" hostid="261" sizebytes="154176"></div><p>"The Sphere Experience" then culminates with a screening of a new film from "Black Swan" and <a href="https://www.insider.com/jennifer-lawrence-sleeping-director-darren-aronofsky-mother-plot-2023-6">"Mother!" director, Darren Aronofsky</a>, called "Postcard from Earth."</p><p>The project has been specifically made for the spherical venue using a 316-megapixel camera to capture footage for its <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/sphere-u2-opens-las-vegas-1235598725/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">336-foot tall and 516-foot-wide screen</a>.</p><p>"'Postcard From Earth' will take you on a journey to all seven continents: deep into the ocean, high into the mountains, into the eye of a storm, and out into space. And everywhere you go, you'll feel like you're really there," the description for the 50-minute film reads.</p><p>Speaking to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/darren-aronofsky-msg-sphere-immersive-postcard-production-1235523381/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Hollywood Reporter</a> about the project in June, Aronofsky said: "At its best, cinema is an immersive medium that transports the audience out of their regular life, whether that's into fantasy and escapism, another place and time, or another person's subjective experience. The Sphere is an attempt to dial up that immersion."</p><p>Beyond U2 and "The Sphere Experience," the people behind the massive venue are staying tight-lipped about the next performances coming to the Sphere. </p><p>In a lengthy interview with <a href="https://variety.com/2023/music/news/u2-sphere-las-vegas-behind-residency-james-dolan-1235739726/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a>, the team behind the Sphere said that there will be three or four artist residencies per year. In September, rumors suggested <a href="https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/latest-harry-styles-sphere-buzz-a-march-residency-launch-2909403/">that</a> Harry Styles might take up residency next year, but nothing is confirmed.</p>

After U2, here's what else is coming to the mind-bending Las Vegas Sphere

Best security cameras with motion detection in India for 2023

<ul><li>Xiaomi is the latest company to get into the <keyword id="1531472" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="smart-glasses" source="Orion">smart glasses</keyword> segment.</li><li>The Xiaomi Smart Glasses look like a normal pair of glasses.</li><li>It is capable of displaying notifications, taking photos and translating text in real time.</li></ul>Xiaomi today launched its first pair of smart glasses called ‘Xiaomi Smart Glasses’. The smart glasses are capable of displaying messages and notifications, make calls, navigate, capture photos and even translate text. All of this happens right before your eyes with a bigger display visible through the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/facebook-and-ray-bans-smart-glasses-let-you-capture-photos-and-videos-listen-to-music-or-take-phone-calls/slidelist/86088610.cms">smart glasses</a>.<br /><br />The Xiaomi Smart Glasses use MicroLED imaging technology to make it look like a normal pair of glasses and lightweight. It features a 0.13-inch MicroLED display, and the smart glasses weigh 51g. MicroLEDs also have a high pixel density and allows for a more compact display and easier screen integration. For the display on the Xiaomi Smart Glasses, the company used a display chip that is around the size of a grain of rice. The display is monochrome, and it can reach a peak brightness of 2 million nits.<br /><br />Xiaomi <a href="https://blog.mi.com/en/2021/09/14/xiaomi-unveils-xiaomi-smart-glasses/">said</a> it uses optical waveguide technology to “transmit light beams to the human eye through the microscopic grating structure of the optical waveguide lens.” The grating structure that is on the inner surface of the lens also allows light to be refracted safely into the human eye, and let it see a complete image, the company added.<br /><br />In a video of the Xiaomi Smart Glasses, we can see the display is overlaid in front of the eyes and it looks quite futuristic. The smart glasses are seen displaying notifications for messages and phone calls. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/you-will-no-longer-see-mi-on-xiaomi-products-as-company-officially-drops-decade-old-branding/articleshow/86165673.cms">Xiaomi</a> said that the smart glasses only displays important notifications such as “smart home alarms, urgent information from office apps, and messages from important contacts.”<br /><br /><div type="Youtube" id="I9bnmES7O74" title="Xiaomi Smart Glasses | Showcase | A display in front of your eyes" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/I9bnmES7O74/mqdefault.jpg"></div><br />The Xiaomi Smart Glasses has a 5-megapixel camera to capture photos and translate text in real-time through the company’s XiaoAI voice assistant. Similar to the Snap Spectacles and Facebook’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/facebook-and-ray-bans-smart-glasses-let-you-capture-photos-and-videos-listen-to-music-or-take-phone-calls/slidelist/86088610.cms">RayBan Stories</a>, the Xiaomi Smart Glasses also illuminate an indicator light when the camera is taking photos. It can also be used for navigation with roads and maps displayed through smart glasses. <br /><br />Xiaomi wants its smart glasses to act as an independent device and not necessarily a secondary display for your smartphone. It also comes with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support, runs on Android and has a touchpad. But we don't know when the Xiaomi Smart Glasses will be available commercially as the company is yet to reveal its price and release date. <br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/gadgets/news/facebook-and-ray-bans-smart-glasses-let-you-capture-photos-and-videos-listen-to-music-or-take-phone-calls/slidelist/86088610.cms">Facebook’s first smart glasses are here — everything you need to know about Ray-Ban Stories</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/its-ridiculously-easy-to-secretly-record-bystanders-with-facebooks-new-camera-glasses-even-if-its-against-the-rules/articleshow/86099324.cms">It's ridiculously easy to secretly record bystanders with Facebook's new camera glasses - even if it's against the rules</a><br />

Xiaomi’s first smart glasses can take calls, capture photos, translate text and more

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Visual China Group via Getty Images/Visual China Group via Getty Images</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>China's 854 million internet users will soon need to use facial identification in order to apply for new internet or mobile services. </strong></li><li><strong>The Chinese government <a href="http://www.miit.gov.cn/n1146285/n1146352/n3054355/n3057724/n3057728/c7448683/content.html">announced</a> last month that telecommunications companies will need to scan users' faces in order to verify their identities before they can access new services. </strong></li><li><strong>The new rule will apply from December 1. </strong></li><li><strong>The new legislation is part of China's wider efforts to keep close tabs on its citizens and monitor their activities and behaviors. </strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more.</a></strong></li></ul><p>Chinese citizens will soon have to start using facial identification in order to sign up for internet services or get a new mobile number. </p><p>The Chinese government <a href="http://www.miit.gov.cn/n1146285/n1146352/n3054355/n3057724/n3057728/c7448683/content.html">announced</a> last month that residents applying for a new mobile or internet device will have their faces scanned by telecommunications carriers. The new rules will apply from December 1. </p><p> China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which is the state agency responsible for internet and technology regulation, wrote that the decision was part of its moves to "safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of citizens in the cyberspace" and prevent fraud, according to <a href="https://qz.com/1720832/china-introduces-facial-recognition-step-to-get-new-mobile-number/">Quartz</a>.</p><p>Recent reports indicate that China has around <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-08/30/c_138351278.htm">854 million internet users</a>. </p><p>The new legislation will also ban residents from transferring their mobile numbers to other people. According to Quartz, China appears to be the first country to require facial ID to sign up for mobile and internet services. </p><p>The new legislation is part of China's wider efforts to keep close tabs on its citizens and monitor their activities and behaviors. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Thomas Peter/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A promotional video shows an actor wearing LLVision live facial recognition smart glasses during a demonstration at the company's office in Beijing, China February 28, 2018.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Last month <a href="http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1165190.shtml">Chinese state media announced</a> the development of a new "super camera," and artificial intelligence-driven 500-megapixel camera capable of identifying individual faces in crowds of tens of thousands of people in "perfect detail." State media said the device, which is five times more powerful than the human eye, could have "military, national defence and public security applications."</p><p>China last year also said it developed a new surveillance camera which could <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-says-new-surveillance-tech-can-id-people-from-their-walk-2018-11">identify users based on their walking style</a> and silhouette. The "gait recognition" technology has reportedly already been rolled out in several Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.</p><p><strong><em>Read more: </em></strong><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4">C</a></em><em><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4">hina has started ranking citizens with a creepy 'social credit' system - here's what you can do wrong, and the embarrassing, demeaning ways they can punish you</a></em></p><p>Chinese censorship and monitoring <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-great-firewall-censorship-under-xi-jinping-2018-3">has soared</a> under Chinese President Xi Jinping, and thousands of new censorship and surveillance initiatives have been issued every year. </p><p><a href="https://chinacopyrightandmedia.wordpress.com/2014/06/14/planning-outline-for-the-construction-of-a-social-credit-system-2014-2020/">In 2014</a>, the Xi's government announced plans for its "social credit system," a vast, mandatory ranking system of all of its 1.4 billion citizens. According to China, the ranking system seeks to reinforce the notion that "keeping trust is glorious and breaking trust is disgraceful."</p><p>The plan, which has already been implemented in some cities, will be fully implemented in 2020. Blocking the sidewalk, jaywalking, fare evasion, and even loitering <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-things-you-can-do-wrong-and-punishments-2018-4#using-phones-and-laptops-on-planes-when-youre-not-supposed-to-9">can lower your social credit score</a>. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4">Punishments</a> for maintaining a low social credit score include being banned from taking trains, having your internet speed cut, and being publicly shamed.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-impeachment-process-president-congress-constitution-2017-2">Columbia Law School professor explains exactly how impeachment works, and what it takes for a president to be impeached</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Chinese citizens will soon need to scan their face before they can access internet services or get a new phone number

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In photography gear, there are hills and peaks and higher mountains. And Hasselblad's amazing, expensive devices are Everest.</p><p>These are powerful tools for hardcore photographers, <a href="https://www.slrlounge.com/may-fourth-annie-leibovitz-shoots-new-star-wars-set/">favored by the Annie Leibovitzes of the world</a>, but largely unknown outside enthusiast circles. Hasselblad film cameras traveled with Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the moon - and remain there to this day, film removed and body discarded to make room for moon rocks.</p><p>I got my hands on Hasselblad's newest cameras, the H6D series, for a rare, brief hands-on Monday. These are still demo models, the only two in North America. When they hit stores, the <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1244709-REG/hasselblad_h_3013742_h6d_100c_medium_format_dslr.html">H6D-100c and H6D-50c</a> will retail for <span>$32,995 and a comparatively frugal <span>$25,995 respectively. And that's before you price in the lenses.</span></span></p><p>Here's what it's like to use these high-end cameras. </p><h2>The H6D has an incredibly well-designed body</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>You've never held a camera like this camera.</p><p>At 4.7 pounds, the H6D is much bulkier than my Nikon D800 DSLR, which at two pounds still manages to wear my arm down after a day of shooting. But the H6D is comfy as heck. Long and square like a big camcorder, the H6D is well-balanced around a central battery grip, so your wrist doesn't torque as you lift it. After two hours hefting the camera my arm didn't feel tired at all.</p><p>Similarly, the viewfinder offers an experience unmatched in DSLR and mirrorless photography. I've <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/the-best-kind-of-camera-for-newbies-2016-4">written before how important</a> the look of a viewfinder is to your image making, and the H6D's looks like an open window. It operates by the same mechanism as traditional DSLRs, with a flipping mirror bouncing light up from the lens, but this mirror and these lenses are much, much wider.</p><p>But that's just what it's like to hold this camera. Here's what happens when you shoot it.</p><h2>Medium-format is a whole other beast in photography</h2><p>The most important difference between this class of camera and the DSLRs and mirrorless cameras you may have encountered out in the world is sensor size.</p><p>Hasselblad makes medium-format cameras, which are basically cameras with much larger sensors than the 35 mm sensors found in professional DSLRs.</p><p>That means that Hasselblad's cameras have much higher megapixel counts (100 mp for the 100c, and 50 for the 50c) than their lower-tier cousins, but that's <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/megapixels-dont-matter-2016-1">not the main reason</a> why photographers prize medium format.</p><p>Medium format is excellent for replicating the way the world looks through a human eye. You can see that in the images I made of actors (and friends of mine) Janice Theard and Phoebe <span>González.</span></p><p>Big sensors interact with the light coming through their lenses differently, creating much less optical distortion than smaller sensors. In the shot below, Theard stands just a couple feet from the lens. There's no zoom going on, but her features look natural - not stretched like they would on most cameras.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The effect is subtle, and a bit difficult to notice if you're not looking for it. But it makes for an entirely different experience as a photographer. You can get up close and personal with your subjects without wrecking the shot. The world looks tangible and human.</p><p>Compare that to  the opposite extreme: what happens when you try to take a portrait with the <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/why-the-lg-g5s-dual-camera-is-bad-2016-4">LG G5's ultra-wide, narrow-sensor camera</a>:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Steve Kovach/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>That image is much harder to relate to as real life because the lens is skewing the world so much.</p><p>Another big difference with a big sensor? Shallower depth-of-field. This is a little more technical, but it means that when set to the same <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/why-the-s7-camera-is-better-than-iphone-2016-3">aperture</a>, the medium-format will keep a narrower slice of the image in focus, blurring out the background more intensely.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>You can see in the above image of Theard that while her eyes are nicely in focus at f/2.2, her ears are blurred way out.</p><h2>Don't you wish your camera could focus like this?</h2><p>In order to stay sharp in a wash of all that shallow depth-of-field, Hasselblad engineers its devices with a truly fantastic auto-focus system.</p><p>It's actually much simpler than those you'll find on fancy 51-point-autofocus DSLRs. There's just a single autofocus point in the middle of the viewfinder.</p><p>All you have to do is aim it where you want the focus to land, press the "True Focus" button by your thumb, and the lens will snap sharply to attention. Then, as you re-angle the camera for your composition, it'll adjust to compensate for your changes. It's not perfect, but way better than the more common system which has you click a little square around a screen to the focus spot like you're playing the old cell phone game "Snake."</p><h2>This may be the closest digital comes to film</h2><p>This is a much more subjective measure, but medium-format fans will insist that the larger, more expensive sensors make images much closer to the texture and quality of film.</p><p>You can see this is true in a few obvious ways. First of all, film has no pixels so it makes images as sharp as the lens that shot them (up to the point when grain starts to obscure things). Digital cameras are limited by the size and quality of their pixels. Medium-format cameras are high-resolution without sacrificing individual pixel quality and fidelity <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/xperia-z5-vs-iphone-6s-camera-comparison-2016-2">like some unnecessarily high-res smartphones</a>, so they can produce astoundingly sharp, detailed images.</p><p>Here's a picture of <span>González trying to keep the Manhattan winds from mussing her hair all over the place. I blew a tiny portion of it up to show its true size and sharpness.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>And that's an image from the H6D-50c, which is a meager 50 megapixels. The 100c (which wasn't ready for shooting Monday) has twice the resolution, demanding sharpness Hasselblad's amazing lenses are more than up for providing.</span></p><p><span>Also, like good film, Hasselblad's sensors have excellent dynamic range. That means they gather incredibly high quality color and detail from way up in the highlights and way down in the shadows. (Not to be confused with high-dynamic-range, a software trick that attempts to mimic the effect of an excellent sensor, usually poorly.)</span></p><p><span>Here's a shot I overexposed on the H6D:</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>That's a nice picture blown way out. If I'd shot it on my D800 I'd be kicking myself for wrecking an image so badly that it couldn't be recovered. But the H6D's incredible dynamic range made it a trivial fix in Lightroom, Adobe's photo-processing program. Here's the result after 30 seconds of tweaking:</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Not only are her skin tones recovered from the glare, but the colors and details are perfect. Looking at this shot, I can detect no sign that it was originally overexposed.</span></p><p><span>You can see a similar effect in an underexposure:</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>But in the end, the medium-format/film comparison comes down to a feeling. Hollywood portrait photographer David Walter Banks <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/kendrick-brinson-david-walter-banks-interview-2016-3">told me there's a texture to his medium-format shooting</a> (which he does with a<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-645D-Medium-Format-Digital/dp/B004A4U886?tag=TIsafetynet-20"> comparatively bargain-basement </a><span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pentax-645D-Medium-Format-Digital/dp/B004A4U886">$3,670 Pentax 645D</a>) that he doesn't find on 35 mm.</span></span></p><h2><span>This camera has an incredibly fast shutter</span></h2><p><span>Another feat the H6D can accomplish is moving its shutter precisely and speedily enough to expose a picture at the exact same moment a flash goes off - up to 1/2000th of a second. </span></p><p><span>Even the best DSLRs can only match a flash to 1/250th of a second, and the Pentax 645D medium format hits an even lower 1/125th of a seconds. Flash sync speed might seem like a trivial detail, but it's incredibly important for photographers who want to control all of the light in their scene. The faster your flash sync, the more ambient light you can cut out in favor of your flash.</span></p><p><span>For this shot, I used just one umbrella with a low-end Nikon flash, but I was able to cut out almost all of the sunlight on the roof that morning.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>No unexpected eclipses hit New York Monday. That's just the power of split-second timing.</span></p><h2><span>So, should you buy it?</span></h2><p><span>Bottoming out at $26k before lensing, this is a seriously expensive camera system. Most photographers, even at the most elite levels, will never own a Hasselblad.</span></p><p><span>Company representative Dan Weikel told me that many pros end up renting Hasselblads for highly paid assignments, and insists that buyers find they "pay for themselves" after one shoot. I suspect that any photographer making 30 grand on a shoot has more than enough talent to survive without the absolute apex of digital camera engineering. But after playing even briefly with one I definitely see the appeal.</span></p><p><span>Unlike ever-more-feature-heavy DSLRs and mirrorless cameras, this is a photo system designed to do one thing very, very well: take beautiful single pictures. (Although the H6D also shoots 4K and HD RAW video.)</span></p><p><span>Other photographers report that medium format shooting makes them slow down and be more thoughtful in their process, and I'd agree. The learning curve is a bit steep, but once you get the hang of it it's an absolute pleasure.</span></p><p><span>If you're an amateur enthusiast and not expecting to make tens of thousands of dollars per shoot, I'd suggest going the film route for medium format. For the first half of the twentieth century, medium format film was the dominant mode of photography and a lot of those old cameras are still kicking around on <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/Vintage-TLR-Cameras/11721/bn_150897/i.html">eBay</a> and other places for just a couple hundred bucks. The film is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-Professional-Portra-Color-1808674/dp/B004V3I6JY">pretty cheap</a> too.</span></p><p><span>And on the off chance that you're an amateur, but Hasselblad's price tag doesn't feel prohibitive, I have just one question: Can I have a ride on your private plane?</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/household-gadgets-future-2016-4">5 household gadgets that are about to change our everyday lives</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="E3OGduMjE6EpNySWH_3EvVwJAsTl6J-k" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

Here's what it's like to shoot with a brand-new $26,000 camera

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Light</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>At the end of the first season of the HBO tech comedy "Silicon Valley," the characters turn up at a conference where one CEO after another stands up on a stage and insists that their company is "making the world a better place." But the reasons these imaginary entrepreneurs give are intensely niche and jargon-filled, bordering on nonsensical.</p><p>That's a pretty good send-up of the real-life tech industry: Everyone insists they're changing the world. But true innovations - the smartphone, the global internet, self-driving cars - are uncommon signals in all that noise.</p><p>Rajiv Laroia is the rare technologist who can offer a compelling argument that his product carries that revolutionary potential. As the chief technology officer at a camera startup called Light, he's created a camera promising never-before-seen quality and functionality with a footprint small enough to fit (maybe a bit uncomfortably) in your pocket.</p><p>Light announced its first camera, the L16, back in October. Described rather obtusely in a press release as the "first multi-aperture computational camera," the small company nonetheless received so many pre-orders for a $1,699 camera still in its prototype stage that they had to shut down the pre-order program.</p><p>Asked in an interview if he thinks the L16 can compete with top-tier offerings from established companies like Nikon and Canon, Laroia laughs.</p><p>Light's VP of marketing Bradley Lautenbach clarifies: Because of their product, he says, in "five to ten years" the major camera brands will no longer exist.</p><h2>Cameras are better then ever, but they need to go</h2><p>I first heard about Light's L16 camera not from a press release but from Chicago wedding photographer <a href="http://www.mistywinter.com/">Misty Winter</a>. She'd worked in the industry for long enough to grow tired of hauling around two heavy Canon DSLRs and bags full of lenses everywhere she went.</p><p>After hearing rumors about an iPhone-sized device with optical zoom, wide-aperture lensing, and DSLR-like sensor quality, she told me she'd ditch her Canons as soon as she could get her hands on one. Riding in her passenger seat with my back aching after a day of hauling around heavy equipment, I privately doubted that day would come.</p><p>Serious photographers favor cameras with detachable lenses and physically large sensors - the sort that can only be found in large, professional DSLRs - because they offer a degree of control over image-making that you just can't find in smaller, cheaper devices. Purpose-built interchangable lenses offer exceptional quality with the option of wide apertures and shallow depths of field. And the width of a DSLR's sensor area produces an image closer to what you see with a human eye.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p><p class="caption"> A DSLR can produce an image at any focal length with wide dynamic range, excellent color, and shallow depth of field timed to a perfect moment. </p></div><p></p></div></div>Reproducing or beating that technology in a device as portable and convenient as a smartphone would have been the holy grail of camera design if it weren't so utterly implausible that no one was talking about it.</p><p>Until Light launched the L16 it seemed obvious that physics would prevent professional cameras from getting much smaller than they are. A 35-millimeter sensor requires large glass projecting far from its nose in order to properly focus light. Even now the loudest debate in high-end cameras is whether the bulky mirror mechanisms in DSLRs will ever give way to <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/the-best-kind-of-camera-for-newbies-2016-4">marginally lighter and thinner MILCs</a>.</p><p>But even as Light promises to leapfrog generations of professional camera design, Lautenbach says the company doesn't think much at all about photographers like Winter.</p><p>"Professionals represent a tiny sliver of the big pie in the camera market," he says. Instead, he says, Light's goal is to bring premium image-making capabilities to casual shooters used to the simple interface of a smartphone screen.</p><h2>How the L16 aims to do the impossible</h2><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Light" title_caption="An image from Light's gallery of photos from the L16." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/571e6bcddd0895507f8b46d3-960/phonebooth1.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Light</span></p><p class="caption">An image from Light's gallery of photos from the L16.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>The L16 collects light information from 16 different lenses and sensors mounted haphazardly on its back.</p><p>Five of those cameras shoot at 35mm and are roughly equivalent in design to those you'd find on the back of your phone. The other 11 have long 70mm- or 150mm-equivalent lenses, and involve some incredible innovation.</p><p>In order to shoot with such a long focal length without popping out the front of the device, each long lens lies flat across the L16 and collects light from mirrors set into the camera's body at 45-degree angles. The result is a folded lens, with its bulk stowed neatly and invisibly into the camera. The mirrors can also tilt to adjust the segment of the scene each sensor captures.</p><p>Depending on the focal length (zoom) the L16 is set to within its 35mm-150mm range, up to ten of the L16's eyes fire for a given shot. The camera records the light information and uses it to generate a single image.</p><p>Due to the wealth of information the camera collects, only zoom and shutter speed are determined at the moment of shooting. Photographers can adjust the focus, depth-of-field, and exposure of the up-to-52-megapixel result after the fact, according to Laroia.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Light" title_caption="The same image appears twice on Light's website, with depth of field adjusted after the fact." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/571e6bcddd0895507f8b46d4-960/skate_blur.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Light</span></p><p class="caption">The same image appears twice on Light's website, with depth of field adjusted after the fact.</p></div><p></p></div></div><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image"><a title_source="Light" title_caption="" class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/571e6bcddd0895507f8b46d5-960/skate.jpg"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span></a><p class="source"><span>Light</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>All that light connecting with all those sensors should also result in much better low-light images, though again we have only a few example shots and Laroia's word to go by.</p><p>I haven't actually gotten my hands on one of the ~50 L16 prototypes Lautenbach says Light has built. No journalist has, and its exact design and specs are not yet public. (We do know that it will lack certain features, like a hotshoe or port for flashes, that some photographers rely on.) But the example shots the company has released look promising, if a bit kit-lens-y.</p><p>Regardless of whether the L16 has the capacity to truly shoot like a top-of-the-line camera though, it seems almost certain that it represents the bleeding edge of a generational leap in photography at least as massive and disruptive as the one from film to digital.</p><h2>The L16 is just a first step</h2><p>Laroia and Lautenbach describe the L16 less as a blockbuster gadget than an industry-upending proof-of-concept. Whether the product crushes Nikon, Canon, and Sony sales or entirely flops, a functioning L16 on a Best Buy shelf would be a massive success. As long as Light can show computational photography cameras working in consumers hands, the L16's release will mark the beginning of the end both traditional cameras and traditional smartphones.</p><p>That's because the concept is scalable. Laroia says the L16 doesn't need all 16 of its eyes to function. The company has partnered with Foxconn, the massive faceless behemoth behind the manufacture of the world's iPhones, iPads, Kindles, Playstations, Huawei P9s and countless other devices.</p><p>Lautenbach says he can't say exactly how the consumer giant will use Light's technology in smartphones, but hints at some major difference from what consumers are used to.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>Rafi Letzter/Tech Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>"You'll start to see smartphones with two or three cameras," he says. (The LG G5 is a <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/why-the-lg-g5s-dual-camera-is-bad-2016-4">good example</a>.) But he says the first company to work with Light to include many more than that on its smartphone will have a huge advantage. So while the iPhone 7 might have a <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/iphone-7-will-have-a-dual-lens-camera-2016-2">dual lens</a>, it's not crazy to think that iPhone 8 or 9 could have something closer to the L16's compound eyes.</p><p>An important caveat here: With about the length and width of an iPhone 6s Plus, a Snapdragon processor, Android, and a 5-inch touchscreen on the back, the L16 already strongly resembles a smartphone. But it's closer in thickness to a paperback serial novel. Unless smartphone makers decide to work against trend with future devices, it's likely that no mass-market smartphone will feature quite this level of functionality. However, it's extremely likely that capabilities once reserved for enthusiasts and professionals will proliferate to the general public through similar small, high-powered devices, including phones.</p><p>As for the premium photography market, Lautenbach and Laroia seem less interested in directly competing there. They say they're confident their product and its descendants will make big cameras impractical for most consumers. However, it's easy to imagine that upmarket computational cameras, perhaps with wider zoom ranges or effective sensor sizes closer to <a href="http://www.techinsider.io/hands-on-with-the-hasselblad-h6d-camera-2016-4">medium format</a>, will be on their way sooner or later.</p><p>However this all plays out, expect any camera you buy today to be utterly obsolete by its fifth birthday.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/ask-siri-is-jon-snow-dead-iphone-video-game-of-thrones-2016-4">Here's what happens when you ask Siri if Jon Snow is dead</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="pubndxMjE60uammQDxEwsF4Er_M3z9jL" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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