Yesterday we had the opportunity to play with the world’s first mass-market light-field camera, the Lytro. VP of Marketing Kira Wampler ran us through its paces as we learned how the camera grabs not only the color and intensity but the direction of light coming in from a scene.

The product is still in its infancy and it will soon receive a cool upgrade that will allow Lytro users to extrapolate 3D scenes from standard Lytro pictures. The device is already replacing a room full of cameras and electronics, said Wampler, and now the mini Lytro can replace bulky dual-lens 3D cameras.