Microsoft's Photosynth, the best thing to happen to photography since the digital camera.

The best thing to happen to photography since the digital camera? Come on. The "cool" factor of Photosynth is undeniable, but the author doesn't address what Photosynth can actually be useful for once the novelty wears off (in my case, about 3 minutes in). A few points:

- Creating decent Synths is a PITA. You need either a huge number of photos or extreme care in making them evenly spaced and overlapping; otherwise your Synth will end up fragmented and will not render right. I was very disappointed with the results when I tried making a Synth of my bedroom and surroundings.

- We already have advanced video and photo technology, which obviates many conceivable uses of Photosynth. For example, 360 degree cameras (as found in Google Maps Street View) provide a much better user experience for providing virtual tours of physical locations. Or, simpler yet, just hold up a video camera and film the location, panning into and out of areas of interest.

Photosynth must have some practical future uses for Microsoft to be investing in it (unless this is just for publicity); I'm just disappointed the article didn't address what these might be. Maybe they're just reusing the same technology they use to patch together different satellite images for Live Maps.

It's really amazing from the technical point of view, but I'm not sure if that's really a good thing to happen to photography. Photosynths are more like a rollercoaster ride in a fun park while a really good photo can be a piece of art.