AN EXAMPLE: DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY TECHONOMIC METRIC

I had a deep interest in digital photography, since the transition from film to digital
was the key to ease of use for mass producing the iPIX 360°
image.

Without economical digital cameras, the iPIX process required labor-intensive film scanning
to produce an immersive image. In the early 1990s, few digital cameras would satisfy
our resolution needs, and none were in mass production. We required a two-megapixel
minimum image, a camera under $1000 for mass distribution, and a special
lens to capture a wide field of view (fisheye) that was not typical of anything on the
market. We lacked resources to develop the whole camera, but we did have the
resources to develop the lens when the “right” cameras became available. Moore’s
Law was progressing, so it was only a matter of time before the cameras would be on the market.

But when?
Specifically, when would we need a fisheye lens for our process that would allow
digital production of 360° images, greatly reducing the labor content for the iPIX
process? An accurate answer to this question was critical to the timely deployment
of our limited resources.