A startup company named Lytro is about to introduce a radically new consumer camera that uses light field technology to capture image data in new ways. As Lytro explains on its website:

Light field cameras offer astonishing capabilities. They allow both the picture taker and the viewer to focus pictures after they’re snapped, shift their perspective of the scene, and even switch seamlessly between 2D and 3D views.

Click on the samples below to change the plane of focus. Click the arrow in the lower right hand corner to view the image full screen.

The New York Times has an excellent story on the founder of the company and the technology.

Update: Gadgetbox post.

As a photographer, I want to make the creative choices of composition and focus. But as a journalist, I realize that these immersive interactive technologies have great potential when used correctly. Just yesterday, PhotoBlog featured a 360 degree video technology; ultra high resolution images like Gigpan and Microsoft's Photosynth are other examples of this.

But bringing something like this to a consumer point and shoot camera is definitely something new. Do you think this is a game changer, or just another gimmick?