Database Users

Google Camera2 API

Hello every one! Hope you're having a great day
I'm here because I need your help To make a long story short, until I can save enough to buy a new proper camera, I'm stuck with my P9 Lite, which cannot save pictures as RAW/DNG files. This feature is provided by Google's Camera2 API, which my phone doesn't have/support. Four questions:
1. Is it possible to install Camera2 API on my phone, through a custom ROM?
2. Is it possible to install a custom ROM without losing on the initial image quality provided by my phone's camera?
3. In theory, could this API be enabled by a future software update? Or does it only have to do with how the phone was originally conceived?
4. Even if I managed to get the API on my phone, would it be possible to make it fully supported, and would I be able to save RAW/DNG files even if my phone originally doesn't offer this option?
Thank you very much!
P.S: I've never thought of "flashing" a custom ROM on my phone, this issue is the only reason why I'm considering it. As you may have noticed by my way of explaining things, I'm a five year old when it comes to informatics, and I'd probably be the first in line to buy Smartphone Software For Dummies. As much as I admire how technical and specialised you can get about a science that goes way beyond my understanding abilities, if you can keep things slow and simple, as if you were talking to an actual five year old, I'd be very grateful

themadbuddha said:
Hello every one! Hope you're having a great day
I'm here because I need your help To make a long story short, until I can save enough to buy a new proper camera, I'm stuck with my P9 Lite, which cannot save pictures as RAW/DNG files. This feature is provided by Google's Camera2 API, which my phone doesn't have/support. Four questions:
1. Is it possible to install Camera2 API on my phone, through a custom ROM?
2. Is it possible to install a custom ROM without losing on the initial image quality provided by my phone's camera?
3. In theory, could this API be enabled by a future software update? Or does it only have to do with how the phone was originally conceived?
4. Even if I managed to get the API on my phone, would it be possible to make it fully supported, and would I be able to save RAW/DNG files even if my phone originally doesn't offer this option?
Thank you very much!
P.S: I've never thought of "flashing" a custom ROM on my phone, this issue is the only reason why I'm considering it. As you may have noticed by my way of explaining things, I'm a five year old when it comes to informatics, and I'd probably be the first in line to buy Smartphone Software For Dummies. As much as I admire how technical and specialised you can get about a science that goes way beyond my understanding abilities, if you can keep things slow and simple, as if you were talking to an actual five year old, I'd be very grateful
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Can't you just install https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera on stock ROM? I think the camera2 api should be available.

Thank you for replying! The application supports Camera2 API, but if the API is not available on my phone in the first place, I don't think the application will work...According to my researches, the API is like, let's say, a camera: if your phone doesn't have a camera, you could install as many camera apps as you want, your phone still won't take any pictures...What I need is a way to add a camera to my phone - in our case, the API - so that I can start taking pictures - in our case, saving RAW/DNG files. Also, I might be wrong.

themadbuddha said:
Thank you for replying! The application supports Camera2 API, but if the API is not available on my phone in the first place, I don't think the application will work...According to my researches, the API is like, let's say, a camera: if your phone doesn't have a camera, you could install as many camera apps as you want, your phone still won't take any pictures...What I need is a way to add a camera to my phone - in our case, the API - so that I can start taking pictures - in our case, saving RAW/DNG files. Also, I might be wrong.
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So the app doesn't work? I can't test it cause I am not on stock.

Just tried open cam on stock rom and I can capture RAW dng files, so it seems like camera2 is supported try it out!
UPDATE: Enable "Use alternative flash method" in photo settings if it won't take pictures when camera2 is enabled.

Open camera is pretty buggy on this phone when shooting RAW. Try "Footej camera", seems to work better

yaa but for footej need to pay to have fully featured. I payed for this but for m there is no diference to open camera.

I didn't say that Footej is better than open camera. Just that open camera often bugs for me when using camera2 - eg nothing happens when pressing camera button.

Sry for reviving the thread, is there any way to increase max shutter speed in camera2 api? I'm really interested in shooting some raw stuff but apps like Opencamera or Adobe Lightroom won't allow me to set over 1 second shutter speed (apart from the built-in camera app that allows up to 8 secs, but without raw support...) so it's a pain in the butt if I want to take raw pictures at night.
Using the stock Marshmallow Emui

The Lightroom app has a built in camera which can shoot RAW, I tried it and it works flawlessly.
Camera API2 *IS* present on p9 lite and *DOES* work.

zgomot said:
The Lightroom app has a built in camera which can shoot RAW, I tried it and it works flawlessly.
Camera API2 *IS* present on p9 lite and *DOES* work.
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Yup it does, but shutter speed cannot be set over 1 second (see the screenshot), that means night photos end up being very noisy since I need to drastically increase iso. The default camera app allows much longer shutter time, that's why I'm wondering what's wrong
If it was possible to set it to like 10 secs in the Lightroom app, the camera would be damn great

Krastinov said:
Yup it does, but shutter speed cannot be set over 1 second (see the screenshot), that means night photos end up being very noisy since I need to drastically increase iso. The default camera app allows much longer shutter time, that's why I'm wondering what's wrong
If it was possible to set it to like 10 secs in the Lightroom app, the camera would be damn great
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Have you tried Camera FV5?

zgomot said:
Have you tried Camera FV5?
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Yea, but it says that this device doesn't support raw :|

Krastinov said:
Yea, but it says that this device doesn't support raw :|
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Is it the trial version?

zgomot said:
Is it the trial version?
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Full. Does it work for you?
Also I heard that official Nougat brings raw support to the built-in camera, can anyone verify that? I might wanna update in that case

Krastinov said:
Full. Does it work for you?
Also I heard that official Nougat brings raw support to the built-in camera, can anyone verify that? I might wanna update in that case
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I Know This Is Quite Old But In Case Someone Is Still Wondering;
I'm Using Stock Nougat Firmware On My P9 Lite And It Does Support Raw Format, But You Have To Root The Phone And Enable Raw/DNG Format In Some System Files

Whats the best camera app for A7

Currently just trying out open camera, is this the best? Clearly the ZTE camera software is terrible, the image processing looks like its been handled by my 1985 Casio calculator.
Mike

Hi. I've been using this, much more controls/settings. Even turned on HDR. NO ADS EITHER!
Open Camera is a fully featured and completely free Camera app for Android phones and tablets. Features:
* Option to auto-stabilize so your pictures are perfectly level no matter what (see example image).
* Expose your camera's functionality: support for focus modes, scene modes, color effects, white balance, ISO, exposure compensation/lock, face detection, torch.
* Video recording (including HD).
* Handy remote controls: timer (with optional voice countdown), auto-repeat mode (with configurable delay).
* Option to take photo remotely by making a noise (e.g., voice, whistle), or by voice command "cheese".
* Configurable volume keys.
* Optimise GUI for left or right-handed users.
* Zoom via multi-touch gesture and single-touch control.
* Option to lock orientation to portrait or landscape for photo or video. Upside-down preview option for use with attachable lenses.
* Choice of save folder (including support for Storage Access Framework).
* Disable shutter sound.
* Overlay a choice of grids and crop guides.
* Optional GPS location tagging (geotagging) of photos and videos; for photos this includes compass direction (GPSImgDirection, GPSImgDirectionRef).
* Apply date and timestamp, location coordinates, and custom text to photos; store date/time and location as video subtitles (.SRT).
* Yes you can take a selfie (also known as front camera), includes support for "screen flash".
* Support for (some) external microphones.
* Widget to automatically take a photo after launching.
* Support for Camera2 API: manual focus distance; manual ISO; manual exposure time; RAW (DNG) files.
* Support for HDR and Exposure Bracketing (Camera2 only).
* Dynamic range optimisation mode.
* Small file size.
* Completely free, and no ads in the app

Since ZTE did not implement Camera2 support, third pary apps do not handle it well. The only good option is the native camera app. Image processing is bad yes, but if you care about your photos, shoot them in RAW and do the processing yourself. That can get you some impressive results, on par with the hardware really. Hopefully the next update will fix the autofocusing problem.

How do I shoot in Raw mode on this thing?
I'd rather have a larger file size but a better result.
Mike

rolfey83 said:
How do I shoot in Raw mode on this thing?
I'd rather have a larger file size but a better result.
Mike
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If you are on the US version of the phone, go to manual mode, settings and enable raw. (you have to shoot in manual mode but can leave all settings auto). If your device is the A2017G version or you use a custom rom, you would have to flash the US camera app from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/themes/zte-camera-flashable-zip-t3553638
Or, if you cannot flash, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the G version implements the american camera improvements.
I'm not sure what the situation is with the chinese version of the device

0Kajuna0 said:
If you are on the US version of the phone, go to manual mode, settings and enable raw. (you have to shoot in manual mode but can leave all settings auto). If your device is the A2017G version or you use a custom rom, you would have to flash the US camera app from here: https://forum.xda-developers.com/axon-7/themes/zte-camera-flashable-zip-t3553638
Or, if you cannot flash, I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the G version implements the american camera improvements.
I'm not sure what the situation is with the chinese version of the device
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Flashing the camera zip won't bring raw support on G devices running marshmallow/nougat roms for G devices...
I think it's a kernel-dependent feature. There's so little information about this...I'm waiting for nougat just for this, but I don't want to lose Xposed either

aLexzkter said:
Flashing the camera zip won't bring raw support on G devices running marshmallow/nougat roms for G devices...
I think it's a kernel-dependent feature. There's so little information about this...I'm waiting for nougat just for this, but I don't want to lose Xposed either
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Oh ok. I assumed it would work on Nougat stock rom, if flashed. It does work on LineageOS A2017G

0Kajuna0 said:
Oh ok. I assumed it would work on Nougat stock rom, if flashed. It does work on LineageOS A2017G
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You assumed something and I assumed something else. I hope I'm wrong. I just found it very weird that no one said anything about it working/not working

Deleted

Well, I'm not rooted, and have no plans to currently, so maybe raw mode will come at some point.
If not.....I'll live with it.
Mike

rolfey83 said:
Well, I'm not rooted, and have no plans to currently, so maybe raw mode will come at some point.
If not.....I'll live with it.
Mike
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You don't need to root the phone to install TWRP and flash the zip. But you do need to unlock the bootloader.

Yep, I know
I've done all that in the past, flashing ROM after ROM.
I totally understand why people do it, I was one of them....it's just that's all gone for me now, just want to use the phone.
I'll sideload and apk, but that's about it for me now
Mike

Snap Camera

meboy said:
Snap Camera
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I'll take a a look.
Mike

rolfey83 said:
I'll take a a look.
Mike
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Mike did you try it? I'm gonna try one of them. My major problem is when I take a photo in a WhatsApp chat, it opens ok and takes the pic, but then freezes for a while on the photo. If I hit back or try to type or select a function, nothing​ happens. However the home and recent apps keys work. Actually if I snap the pic then hit recent apps right away then reselect WhatsApp, I can immediately use tools or type. Makes no sense to me, but maybe someone can tell what's happening. For now will try one of the suggested apps.

Manual camera controls

Hi, I was wondering if there is any 3rd party camera app that could enable manual camera controls such as ISO selection and shutter speed?

Leriche-Fontaine said:
Hi, I was wondering if there is any 3rd party camera app that could enable manual camera controls such as ISO selection and shutter speed?
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Good question, i had issues with this too (coming form Nokia Lumia with manual controls) , now this android camera seems lame.
So this is almost the best i could come up with overall quality of pictures and features : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera
Apart from that Pro shot is a good app too but i cant find a way to go above 12 MP in that app which is a dud for the powerful 16 MP we have as a rear cam.

Thank you surya, do you happen to know what's the shutter speed range with those apps?

Leriche-Fontaine said:
Hi, I was wondering if there is any 3rd party camera app that could enable manual camera controls such as ISO selection and shutter speed?
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Click to collapse
Hi!
If we're talking about 3rd party camera apps, they are dependent on how well the manufacturer of the phone has implemented the Camera2 API into Android that was introduced with Lollipop. If the Camera2 API has not been implemented properly the developers can't really do a lot in terms of manual controls (shutter speed etc) because the system doesn't give them access to it. You can test the level of Camera2 support on your phone with the app "Camera2 probe". The hardware support levels are "Legacy" (worst), "Limited", "Full" and "Level 3" (best). Would be interesting to know the results if you test it. Depending on the level of implementation, you can run certain apps or not or have certain manual controls available or not. If you use "Open Camera", you have to activate Camera2 features in the settings, it's not switched on by default.
Hope this helps a bit.

Try this https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.fgnm.baconcamera&hl=en
NOt based on camera2 api though..

Using camera2 probe -
Model : TA-1003
Build Version : 7.1.1
SDK version : 25
Hardware level category : Level 3
Exposure : All exposures are ticked.
Focus - Auto Focus EDOF is not ticked but all else is.
Whitebalance - All whitebalance options have been ticked
RAW capture is available.
So the TA-1003 is able to access the camera features properly, all except the Auto Focus EDOF.
There may be a discrepancy with the TA-1000 so someone with that model can try...
Cheers guys...

ultramag69 said:
Using camera2 probe -
Model : TA-1003
Build Version : 7.1.1
SDK version : 25
Hardware level category : Level 3
Exposure : All exposures are ticked.
Focus - Auto Focus EDOF is not ticked but all else is.
Whitebalance - All whitebalance options have been ticked
RAW capture is available.
So the TA-1003 is able to access the camera features properly, all except the Auto Focus EDOF.
There may be a discrepancy with the TA-1000 so someone with that model can try...
Cheers guys...
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Good to see it has the best implementation level (Level 3).

So can you shoot in raw? If yes, this would be one of the cheapest phones with raw!
This app shows what is supported: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=pl.vipek.camera2_compatibility_test
Could anyone post the result?

Any news?

Raw is supported and tweaked google camera hdr+ works. Quality is amazing.

camera2 api

p10 plus doesn't seem to have full camera2 api at least till B177. Can anyone who's updated to Oreo confirm if there's any change in that case? Or any other updates considering camera app perhaps?

On stock Oreo (see blackball's thread in this forum) and the manual camera compatibility checker app from the play store shows this:
(Note 3rd party camera apps only use the 12mp colour sensor so the quality is not so good)

baddesthad said:
On stock Oreo (see blackball's thread in this forum) and the manual camera compatibility checker app from the play store shows this:
(Note 3rd party camera apps only use the 12mp colour sensor so the quality is not so good)
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Thanks! Manual camera compatibility checker shows the same for me (stock Android 7.0/EMUI 5.1) yet, I haven't managed to get manual shutter working on any 3rd party app when using video recording. I didn't check the camera2 api myself, someone had wrote about it mentioning that Huawei flagships (p9, p10 etc.) doesn't have full camera2 api or it's restricted for system app. Can someone confirm this?
I'm trying to solve this for video recording only, so it doesn't matter if 3rd party apps can't handle the monochrome sensor. I've purchased both Cinema FV-5 and ProShot and neither seem to work with manual video controls.
By the way, Huawei Developer center is updating their support for 3rd party development and on their web page seem to have dual camera abilities "coming soon". Does anyone have any idea what that could mean?

Use telephoto and wide-angle cameras in other Apps

Hey everyone!
I'm not sure if this question has already been asked but is there a way to use cameras with telephoto and wide-angle lenses in other apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Google Camera etc.?
From what I've seen is that all of these apps open up the main standard camera and ignore the other two as if they doesn't exist.
May be a setting where I can change the default camera for the time being? FYI, there's no such option in Developer Options.
Thanks ya'll!

No, there's no way unless the developer specifically implements that, and even if they do I still recommending taking the picture through the original camera app and then sharing it through the third party due to the way third party apps work on Android
Only Instagram and Snapchat will make proper use of S10's cameras and that's because of an agreement, nothing has been implemented yet and pictures through external apps are all trash.

Corv0 said:
No, there's no way unless the developer specifically implements that, and even if they do I still recommending taking the picture through the original camera app and then sharing it through the third party due to the way third party apps work on Android
Only Instagram and Snapchat will make proper use of S10's cameras and that's because of an agreement, nothing has been implemented yet and pictures through external apps are all trash.
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Hi, I tested Instagram and snapchat, but didn't find how to use all the cameras there. An explanation should help