Abstract: A method and apparatus for new digital image/video camera that directly acquires random projections of the incident light field without first collecting the pixels/voxels and has a startle reflex. The startle reflex is achieved by collecting a training set of samples while operating the imaging device at the low sampling rate, computing an empirical probability distribution of the training set of samples, collecting a testing set of samples while operating the imaging device at the low sampling rate, computing an empirical probability distribution of the testing set of samples, computing an empirical entropy test statistic, and capturing an image at the high sampling rate in response to the computed empirical entropy statistic exceeding a threshold.