The Lytro Illum features a 40 ‘megaray’ light field sensor, compared to 11 on the original version, and an 8x f/2 lens designed to deliver the 35mm equivalent of a 30-250mm lens (compared to 43-344mm on its predecessor).

A megaray is defined as the number of light rays captured by the light field sensor.

Also on board the ‘professional-grade’ model is a hotshoe, to support ‘all leading flashes’, plus a larger, 4in, tilting LCD touchscreen.

Housed in a magnesium and aluminium body, the Lytro Illum incorporates a ‘faster’ Light Field Engine 2.0 image processor.

After image capture, photographers can use software to adjust focus, tilt and depth-of-field, for example.

The Lytro Illum, which is compatible with SD memory cards, is due to be available in the UK from September, at a price to be announced. It is available for pre-order from today.

In the US it will cost $1,599 – more than three times the price of 16GB version of the original Lytro.

Software will also allow images to be viewed in 3D, and share photos on the web in JPEG format, for example.

Image files are also compatible with photo-editing software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

First announced in 2011, the original Lytro went on sale in the UK last year.

See What Digital Camera’s quick video review here:

https://youtu.be/AKbw7dwUJvk