4 ms·

Yeah, computational photography is actually closer to Terry Pratchet’s Discworld version of a camera - a box with an imp who paints the picture. Artistic inter

by fsloth 3y ago

Yeah, computational photography is actually closer to Terry Pratchet’s Discworld version of a camera - a box with an imp who paints the picture. Artistic interpretation of a scene is often very nice. But we would really need to be able to discern cameras that give you the pixels from the ccd from the irreversible kind. In the worst case scenario it’s back to photographic film if you want to be sure no-one is molesting the data :D

actionfromafar 3y ago
I kinda like that scenario!
- underlipton 3y ago
  That's the scenario where evidence of police/military misconduct gets dismissed out-of-hand because the people with the ability to capture it only had/could afford/could carry their smartphone, and not a film camera. Thanks, I hate it.
- TeMPOraL 3y ago
  I don't, because the set sum of population of people who will buy selfie cameras if marketed heavily, and artistic photographers, is orders of magnitude larger than people who proactively know an image recorder could come in handy. And, as tech is one of the prime examples, if the sector can identify and separate out a specific niche, it can... tell it to go fuck itself, and optimize it away so the mass-market product is more shiny and more profitable.
jorvi 3y ago
> Yeah, computational photography is actually closer to Terry Pratchet’s Discworld version of a camera - a box with an imp who paints the picture. I mean… you’ve pretty much described our brain. Your blue isn’t my blue. People need to stop clutching pearls. For the scenario it is used in, computational photography is nothing short of magic. > In the worst case scenario it’s back to photographic film if you want to be sure no-one is molesting the data :D Apple already gives you an optional step back with ProLog. Perhaps in the feature they’ll just send the “raw” sensor data, for those that really want it.
- TheFuzzball 3y ago
  I think you might mean Apple ProRaw [1]. ProLog might mean ProRes Log [2], which is Apple's implementation of the Log colour profile, which is a "flat looking" video profile that transforms colours to preserve shadow and highlight detail. [1]: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT211965 https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT211965 [2]: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iphde02c478d/ios https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iphde02c478d/io...
- fsloth 3y ago
  ”Your blue isn’t my blue.” Is there actually sufficient understanding of qualia to state this concretely? Brain neurology is unknown territory for me.
- TeMPOraL 3y ago
  > Your blue isn’t my blue. Of course it is, in practical sense ("qualia" don't matter in any way). If it isn't, it means you're suffering from one of a finite number of visual system disorders, which we've already identified and figured out ways to deal with (that may include e.g. preventing you from operating some machinery, or taking some jobs, in the interest of everyone's safety). Yes, our brains do a lot of post-processing and "computational photography". But it's well understood - if not formally, then culturally. The brain mostly does heuristics, optimizing for speed at the cost of accuracy, but it still gives mostly accurate results, and we know where corner cases happen, and how to deal with them. We do - because otherwise, we wouldn't be able to communicate and cooperate with each other. Most importantly, our brains are calibrated for inputs highly correlated with reality. Put the imp-in-a-box in between, and you're just screwing with our perception of reality.

by fsloth 3y ago

actionfromafar 3y ago

I kinda like that scenario!

underlipton 3y ago
That's the scenario where evidence of police/military misconduct gets dismissed out-of-hand because the people with the ability to capture it only had/could afford/could carry their smartphone, and not a film camera. Thanks, I hate it.
TeMPOraL 3y ago
I don't, because the set sum of population of people who will buy selfie cameras if marketed heavily, and artistic photographers, is orders of magnitude larger than people who proactively know an image recorder could come in handy. And, as tech is one of the prime examples, if the sector can identify and separate out a specific niche, it can... tell it to go fuck itself, and optimize it away so the mass-market product is more shiny and more profitable.

jorvi 3y ago

> Yeah, computational photography is actually closer to Terry Pratchet’s Discworld version of a camera - a box with an imp who paints the picture. I mean… you’ve pretty much described our brain. Your blue isn’t my blue. People need to stop clutching pearls. For the scenario it is used in, computational photography is nothing short of magic. > In the worst case scenario it’s back to photographic film if you want to be sure no-one is molesting the data :D Apple already gives you an optional step back with ProLog. Perhaps in the feature they’ll just send the “raw” sensor data, for those that really want it.

TheFuzzball 3y ago
I think you might mean Apple ProRaw [1]. ProLog might mean ProRes Log [2], which is Apple's implementation of the Log colour profile, which is a "flat looking" video profile that transforms colours to preserve shadow and highlight detail. [1]: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT211965 https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT211965 [2]: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iphde02c478d/ios https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/iphone/iphde02c478d/io...
fsloth 3y ago
”Your blue isn’t my blue.” Is there actually sufficient understanding of qualia to state this concretely? Brain neurology is unknown territory for me.
TeMPOraL 3y ago
> Your blue isn’t my blue. Of course it is, in practical sense ("qualia" don't matter in any way). If it isn't, it means you're suffering from one of a finite number of visual system disorders, which we've already identified and figured out ways to deal with (that may include e.g. preventing you from operating some machinery, or taking some jobs, in the interest of everyone's safety). Yes, our brains do a lot of post-processing and "computational photography". But it's well understood - if not formally, then culturally. The brain mostly does heuristics, optimizing for speed at the cost of accuracy, but it still gives mostly accurate results, and we know where corner cases happen, and how to deal with them. We do - because otherwise, we wouldn't be able to communicate and cooperate with each other. Most importantly, our brains are calibrated for inputs highly correlated with reality. Put the imp-in-a-box in between, and you're just screwing with our perception of reality.