Hi All,
I'm new to the Android world, but since I get by banging out code for a living, and have a penchant for photography in my free time, I was hoping to toy around with the camera software a little to see if it could be improved.
Basically, given the specs of the lens and the device (which, while obviously not specialized hardware, crushes my SLR in terms of raw processing power), I see no reason as to why it has to take two-to-three seconds between shots (fixable by buffering the writes methinks), or roughly a second to autofocus (the issue...).
Which brings me to the heart of my question: the Android SDK (and, I'm assuming NDK, though I haven't toyed with that yet) only interfaces the camera firmware, ie., I can do something really basic like takePicture, but I can't really delve into the nuts-and-bolts of that process.
Assuming the nitty gritty would be located as a driver/firmware in the kernal, I downloaded the source for my phone. It appears that most of the drivers are precompiled .bin's, and I can't seem to find the source for those. The manufacturer is a bit sparse in providing the actual specifics of the camera hardware so I could dig out the manufacturer's docs, and I'm hesitant to disassemble my phone for something which may or may not even be worthwhile.
Is there a way for me to assert low level control over the camera? Would I need to rewrite the firmware from scratch? Has anyone toyed with this kind of thing and can offer some insight?
Your help is most appreciated! Thanks!
I'd like to see something like this possible.
My previous phones were almost like SLR's in comparison to what I have now ( k750i, k800i and even the dreaded P1i versus Gio ) despite the same or even lower Mpix count. The pics produced by Gio are simply awful in terms of everything except the color representation.
What I'd like to have, is the ability to manually adjust ISO and exposure times. Tried most available apps, but the outcome still is *sigh*...
Indeed, everything I've seen in the market pertaining to the camera appears to be "post processing" of the raw image. My hope was rather to optimize/tweak/flat-out-rewrite the image capture itself (AF, AE, WB, ISO, drive, metering and the like) to allow for something a little more robust (and in my case, speedy).
But given that I haven't been able to dig much up on the topic, I'm guessing that this is tied into the firmware (making a universal solution difficult), and I'm further guessing that the camera firmware may, in general, be closed source.
My hope is that someone with a little more experience than moi can confirm?
bump! anyone?
last try! bumpitybump
Related
Hello there.
I'm a new Archos 101 16GB User having a mixed experience.
I feel that what I've got has huge potential, but just isn't being fulfilled - don't know if anyone else feels that.
I've come straight to tablets from netbooks and an iPhone, and have tried not to have any preconceived notions about how iPad sets the bar for these devices, although it does seem to be the case.
I'm finding, knowing very little about Android, that manufacturers have apparently rushed to force-fit a phone OS in a bigger package, which in respect of certain features makes the A101 seem like a giant (largeprint) smartphone. An example of this is the way in which the small, dainty iPhone-worthy icons for Apps can only be laid out on the 'desktop' panes with massive margins of space between them because the Android system seems to rigidly adhere to strict grid patterns for layout when really what users in this day and age want is user-definable pixel-perfect precise placement of elements. Of course, even iPhone is lacking this configurability.
Anyway, I'm currently trying to overcome my disappointment with the UI and the usability and consistency of desktops across horizontal and vertical orientations (Beautiful Widgets look 'OK' in portrait layout, and fugly in horizontal orientation), indeed the feeling that while what I wanted was the unified visual goodness of a WindowsMobile 7 type platform (or indeed the style brought by both HTC and third party developers (SPB?) to WinMo6, or indeed the carefully tuned visual loveliness of some of the HTC Android skins (Sense?) what I've actually got is a pretty clunky and grumpy Linux build that doesn't play well with its own software applications.
This is only a seventy two hour evaluation so far.
I've been looking at benchmarking, and have been led to Quadrant.
So I've got a batch of results, and I'm wondering if anyone cares to compare results and then compare notes.
I've already wiped and reinstalled the fresh FroYo firmware on the device, and am using gApps4 from these forums. I've populated with some apps and such, and had very unsatisfying attempts to switch from the stock Launcher (LauncherPro and ADW) as well as attempting to find usability in QuickDeskPro, mostly to no avail.
So in this 'stock' but loaded with apps state, Quadrant gives me a result of 780.
Then I've rooted with z4root and run SetCPU to give me 1000mhz on demand, and Quadrant gives me a result of 933.
Since then I've used SetCPU to give me 1000mhz on the 'performance' (non-scaled) setting and I get a result of 974.
With people in various forums talking about Archos Internet Tablet devices running Froyo giving them up to 1200 under Quadrant, I'm wondering what I'm doing wrong or lacking?
The 1200 scores you are talking about came from beta software and not the release software. Something was changed in the release version that brought Quadrant scores back down to those of 2.1. Don't read to much in to Quadrant scores though as they don't really affect real world use.
As for apps, the main issue is screen size and resolution. Many apps were not written with a resolution of 1024X600 in mind. So they don't scale very well. Beautiful Widgets is one of those. Once more developers become tablet aware and as Google increases compatibility with tablets this issue will go away.
The Android home screen is what you make it. There are other launcher, as you mentioned, that can be more customized however, there is no real theming that can be done on the 101 until it is rooted. This is the same for all Android devices unless of course you get a phone from HTC or one of the other OEMs that add their own theme to Android.
I think your main issue is that you know very little about Android and you are expecting it to be as evolved as iOS is even though it hasn't been around as long. New version of Android are coming that will be prettier and more tablet friendly but it will take a little time for it to be perfected.
with another beta beta firmware
the score is 1313
cajl said:
with another beta beta firmware
the score is 1313
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
any rumors regarding the release date?
About the same scores here. Topping out around 1000 in quadrant and a bit over 13 in Linpack.
Not sure about your problems installing launcherpro and adw, but I would try one or both again. The stock browser is horrendous in comparison (laggy, takes much longer swipes to see action, etc).
czesiu said:
any rumors regarding the release date?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
With the A5A last year they gave us one on 14 Dec and another on 24 Dec.
Allen
AllenPapapetrou said:
and another on 24 Dec.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
crazy Archos devs
no firmware the friday
cajl said:
no firmware the friday
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
?
________________
I get 820 on a temp-rooted archos 101 8GB with 1GHz set by set cpu.
Appearently the H264-coding takes much too long... my htc desire takes a fraction of a second to pass this test while the archos takes several seconds (20+). I read in another thread that the hardware isn't supported yet by Android-API on the Archos, which will be changed in the future, i presume.
Another glitch: The second 3D-test is much slower than on the Desire (7fps compared to 25), with some errors on the moon (black triangles). Perhaps the OpenGLS-driver is faulty in some way. The first 3D-test, however, shows 3-5 frames more per second than the Desire (clocked at 1152 MHz).
Thanks for the input, guys. I'm sure you all know how comforting, and useful it is to be able to geek out on a forum, compare stories and get tips.
BlazingWolf, I'm certain that you're right. Android is entirely new to me other than a quick fiddle (ooh-err) with a Sammy GTab in a branch of PCWorld with a snotty little elf breathing down my neck to see if he could play games on it.
My big mistake in starting to experiment with this device was that I came at it from an iPhone background, expecting to just load up a device with apps from an app store and watch as it sings, dances and performs tricks for me.
I'm back down to earth with a bump (and not in a bad way) because of the greater openness, some would say 'fragmentation' of the Android platform which creates a scenario similar to that in the PC world where we can have any one of a number of preconfigured devices using specific but sometimes unique chipset combinations, with an array of OS's and software that can be installed on them.
I'm sure one day Android will mature to the place where we begin to see such harmony on the software front end in such a way as the hardware backend becomes irrelevant.
My first 72 hours with the device were bitty. I was expecting these instant results and instant satisfaction, and progress didn't really start to be achieved until I'd wiped the A101 and reinstalled 2.2 from scratch. That's a daunting task, especially to a casual user who might buy this off the shelf. Of course, I'm sure Archos are already looking at that and working to fix it so that the product is good to go from the off.
I'm warming very quickly to the A101. I want to like it. I still have an A504wifi which has only ever been used as a much-loved, if clunky looking and with a sucky interface, portable video player, which has had a great deal of use. So I've been excited about the A101 for a while.
And as a device it is an odd one to classify. The inevitable comparison with the iPad is not necessarily as clear cut as it seems. We have to be utilitarian, sometimes, in looking at these things. The iPad fulfils a multiple of tasks, like the Archos, and it does it within a tightly regulated and strictly defined 'controlled' environment which pushes constantly at 'parity' across all contemporary devices (the OS version for example). This gives us an elegant, reliable but inflexible interface, the trade-off for which is the relative safety of the apps in the app store. The Archos, on the other hand, has a less than elegant interface, is suffering from the issues of platform fragmentation and the remote relationship between the OS developer and the hardware manufacturer, has an App Store full of garbage that doesn't work properly but might get fixed one day, and takes a lot of 'taming' as an all-round package in order to get consistent and satisfying results. That said, the nature of the more open platform affords more opportunities, akind to jailbreaking the iDevices, in successfully customising the device to complete satisfaction, and as already said assuming the OS platform is sufficiently developed to catch up with these new 'tablet' formats, especially the larger screen varieties, we could see something really special and really refined happening.
Where the Archos succeeds, however, is that it is clearly a better platform for at least two of the intended functions of the iPad. We've got a better movie player, capable of working with more formats, with instant HDMI output, and with a proper widescreen display instead of the iPad's nearly 4:3 widescreen letterbox squinty vision. We've also got a better e-reader than the Apple ArmBreaker. OK, the bezel on the iPad is easier to grip single-handed than the Archos's much thinner, but much more elegant design, but this is a device I can sit in an armchair with and actually fall asleep while still holding the thing (I know... it happened). With an iPad, I have to keep shuffling position because the thing is so dang heavy.
The Archos seems to be only a few shades shy of perfect, as far as a hardware platform goes.
Granted, Tegra2 might be fun. And definately the low amount of RAM is an inexplicable and bizarre mistake. Plus we could have done with a 32Gb storage option. Oh, and a more easily viewable screen would be nice.
But as I tweek the thing, and accept the failings of OS and softwares, while anticipating future fixes, I'm really getting to like the little fella. I just need a really nice case to cart it around in, and a decent size memory card so I can store more, and I suspect that if someone can make a permanent root happen, that will pave the way to things like 'Startup Managers' so I can stop some of these apps auto loading when I don't need them to.
A question, though... is there any reason why the MicroSD capacity is listed as being limited to 32GB? Is that an actual capacity ceiling, or is it just the number that was most commonly available or tested at the time? Is the hardware limited to 32Gig or is it Android which is limited? Can the Archos 101 'scale' as MicroSD capacities get larger, or are we literally stuck with 32GB?
I've had no issues with build quality, possibly because I don't expect it to be as solid as an iPad, being a cheaper price and different materials. I've never really had much history of busting my devices with rough treatment or accidents, and even my 'expensive' iPhone 3GS has experienced the not-uncommon 'natural' phenomena of cracks appearing in the back casing around the dock port.
One thing I did notice is that when the A101 first arrived fresh from FedEx the box was freezing cold and so was the device, and when I unpackaged it, the top edge of the device (top of the screen when held in landscape) appeared to be quite significantly convex in shape, arced, not separated from the glass in any way, but definitely bulging. I did a lot of pressing back down on the bulge and letting the device get to room temperature before this 'bulge' became minimal. It is there ever so slightly even now, but doesn't appear to be putting any pressure or distortion on the screen.
Oh, and I think it is just the viewing angle issue, but when I hold the device in portrait to browse long pages or long lists, it almost appears as if the screen itself is convex, and I tend to tilt it back and forth to change the viewing angle on each section of the screen. The screen could definately have been executed better, and I don't think it would have raised the price too significantly.
Any other tips for an A101 n00b would be greatly welcomed.
32GB is atm the maximum you can build a sd to.
The std doesn't give more.
There is a new spec by sony that has more, but it seems not compatible.
I'm not sure if you're interested, but my Samsung Galaxy S used to only do about 900 on the Quadrant benchmark with Android 2.1, it was laggy and slow and really seemed a bit disappointing! Then came Froyo! My oh my, what a difference, unbelievable! It's snappy, touch, and it's there, spin, and it spins, breath, and it feels you! And, it also performs excellently in a Quandrant test now, usually in excess of 1700, even out performs most Nexus One phones I think.
It's absolutely blown me away that a simple software upgrade could entirely change a user experience so much! Battery life has also improved dramatically, at times giving me upto 12 hours or more with general use (regular texting plus photos etc). Which is really great for a 1500mAh battery.
So, I wouldn't give up. Froyo is a really smooth incarnation of Android, and future releases will no doubt get even better. It's exciting seeing what having a company as powerful as Google, backing an opensource project like Android can achieve.
While Microsoft and other companies are focusing purely on developing products from a financial profitability standpoint, Google seems to be able to focus more on simply developing a really excellent product.
I think the biggest 'downside' to Android is that numerous companies overload it with bloatware and don't optomise it enough for their hard ware. There is maybe just a general lack of understanding on the importance of making Android work WITH not against the hardware it's on.
Keep the faith though, have a play around with it and I'm sure eventually things will improve for you, otherwise, if you're really disappointed just go and buy a Samsung Galaxy tab or something similar! Samsung does a really good job, even though they take a looooooong time for updates!
Just ran quadrant, score was 1380. Gapps5 launcher pro plus non root.
2500 with urukdroid build
Hello everyone,
I was wondering if there is a way to upgrade certain parts of the phone, i.e. processor, camera, audio card, etc. I view my phone alot like a pc, and i built my own pc...so i thought to myself. Is there a way to build an android phone? or maybe upgrade existing parts? I think it would be awesome if we were able to pick and choose what we want in our phones! Personally id like a faster processor, and more internal memory. But i feel it'd be beneficial to all people who only use their phones to do certain things and may not want other "Stock" accesories. Maybe not, Let me know what you think/know about this! Id be interested in building my own android device!
Thanks!
Pascal Borner
Sorry but this would be really unrealistic. The battery is one thing, but phones are so compact and dense that parts aren't really made to take out and put in. I know what you mean, I build computers for a living.
But the parts in phones aren't socketed or use slots, so even just to start would require major unsoldering. I briefly tried to find out how many pins the ARM v6 processor of the Eris has. I'm sure it's a lot, perhaps not as many as the 940-pin AMD AM3 or the 1366-pin Intel Core i7, but it's probably in the hundreds.
And then we're dealing with compatibilities. In desktop processors, they keep the same pin architecture for at least a couple years (but you can find the same architecture for at least five). But they probably don't worry about that with phone processors since they're even more dense than laptops so each and every phone has to be made from scratch, so, for instance, the ARM v7 probably wouldn't fit where an ARM v6 was. There's also the software compatibility. I don't know if they make ARM v6's of different processor frequencies, but I doubt it. Even if they did, you'd still have to deal with the many, many pins.
It's doubtful that they have unused spots for RAM in these phones, and it's doubtful you could just remove the existing RAM and replace it with larger without having problems, but even if so, you're still dealing with all of the pins, procuring compatible RAM of a larger logical size...
You get the idea. I guess I'm just a big ray of sunshine!
The FCC probably would object to roll-your-own cell phones, too...
Thanks for your helpful info. I guess that makes sense. I saw a website (from a European country) that you can order a phone and pick parts from them, I.e. size of internal/external drive, different MP for the camera, flash/no flash(camera) , etc. I forget the company but if you like ill post a link to it when I find it. Once again, thanks for the explaination!
Sent from my Vanilla FroShedYo using XDA App
Sure, no problem. Back a while (maybe years now) there was a similar offering by some company for laptops where you could upgrade parts of it at a later time because it was more modular than most laptops at the time. You could almost always upgrade CPUs on laptops as long as they were socketed, and you still can now, it just requires downloading a service manual to find out what the best order of disassembly is in order to do so, so it's not for the everyday user.
But only laptops with discrete video cards have the possibility to upgrade them, although I have no experience with these kind of laptops so I don't know how easy that is.
but...
So i was checking out stuff on replacing screen etc on an samsung s3, and i also found a section where it shows how to replace camera and motherboard, this is to replace with the exact same one obviously. But i was wondering if maybe you could find a similar camera from a different phone that may fit? I know i cant really answer the question...sorry but just adding input. And another question came to mind with regard to the upgrading of hard ware, is if it were possible lets say to upgrade the camera to a better megapixel, would there be a conflict with the os etc, ie in the coding for the phone is it configured to only be able to process and capture a picture of megapixel of the stock camera. not sure if that makes any sense
this is the link with the replacements http://www.ifixit.com/Device/Samsung_Galaxy_S_III
I was just wondering are there any graphic designers / photographers on here that would consider using a photo taken on the galaxy s2 for their professional work?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
I suspect that they would given that the photo was well taken, because the camera is pretty good if you ask me
I've done some professional photography work. SGS2 photos, well taken (as Regretful mentioned) , could definitely be offered professionally.
Well it depends what for, and frankly no, not really . For stuff like newspaper editorial or web use it might just about do. However for anything like proper advertising, event photography or landscape/travel stuff erm no, no chance ever. It's a decent enough point and shoot but that's it... tiny sensor, no proper manual controls, no lenses, no off-shoe flash, it would also never survive the sort of use we put our gear through and I could go on and on and on...
Thanks for the replies, that gives me something to go on. I'm a graphic/packaging/web designer myself and I'm looking to advance my photography skills. I just needed to get past the mental block that if a photo opertunity presented itself when I didn't have my DSLR camera on me, then it wasn't worthwhile taking my galaxy s2 out of my pocket. Perhaps for some things it may just about do
Does anyone know of any good photography communities on the web?
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
How a Mobile camera and the word Professional goes together?
I'm not sure that's why I'm asking here, I suppose there is that age old saying that 'it's not the camera but the person behind the camera that counts'. I do remember seeing however a news story a while back about a older well respected world class photographer who was doing a photo shoot with a mobile phone and I'm sure the mobile he used wasn't a scratch on the galaxy s2.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
You'd be much better served by pretty much any digital compact. The S2 has an OK camera for quick snaps and what not, but it's still a phone camera with all the limitations that implies.
prove the doubters wrong! post something epic
disiples said:
prove the doubters wrong! post something epic
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Forget looking on a screen, most stuff looks ok - the real test would be printing A2 or double-page mag spread...
theinstagator said:
I just needed to get past the mental block that if a photo opertunity presented itself when I didn't have my DSLR camera on me, then it wasn't worthwhile taking my galaxy s2 out of my pocket. Perhaps for some things it may just about do
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Now that's different better to have some pictures than none if you come across something you think is worth shooting, and in this case I wouldn't hesitate to use the phone but for a paid job, I'll stick to the proper gear
Mmm I feel a challenge coming on ;-)
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
I'm a web designer, jux got my SGS II for 3rd weeks, for me, I wont consider using it as Professional Camera use.. the camera more like the snapshot, compact-kind of camera for me..
or maybe anyone here can intro some nice apps for it "transform" into a professional camera?
www .goo .gl/qddv7
There's your answer, an album containing photographs taken with an iphone!
The book btw is widely available - printed or as a virtual print, so here you see the golden rule for success in photography still applies:
1. To be there = 75%
2. To know how = 20%
3. To have the gear = 5%
So the gear - an iphone, sgs2, nokia 3210 (if it had a camera), canon 5dmkII - practically doesn't matter! It's you, your skills, knowledge etc.. makes the difference.
If you know your gear's strenghts and weaknesses (huge depth of field for instance) you may actually use it to your favour.
So go and shoot, shoot, shoot!
All the best.
chalger
chalger said:
www .goo .gl/qddv7
There's your answer, an album containing photographs taken with an iphone!
The book btw is widely available - printed or as a virtual print, so here you see the golden rule for success in photography still applies:
1. To be there = 75%
2. To know how = 20%
3. To have the gear = 5%
So the gear - an iphone, sgs2, nokia 3210 (if it had a camera), canon 5dmkII - practically doesn't matter! It's you, your skills, knowledge etc.. makes the difference.
If you know your gear's strenghts and weaknesses (huge depth of field for instance) you may actually use it to your favour.
So go and shoot, shoot, shoot!
All the best.
chalger
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Interesting....can you post that link again please? I'd like to take a look.....
chalger said:
1. To be there = 75%
2. To know how = 20%
3. To have the gear = 5%
So the gear - an iphone, sgs2, nokia 3210 (if it had a camera), canon 5dmkII - practically doesn't matter! It's you, your skills, knowledge etc.. makes the difference.
If you know your gear's strenghts and weaknesses (huge depth of field for instance) you may actually use it to your favour.
So go and shoot, shoot, shoot!
All the best.
chalger
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can take a good picture with any camera - that much is true. However what we are discussing here is professional use to earn a living... and a mobile will just not do.
For example, I used to shoot a lot of motosport... your mobile will not have the reach, your mobile will not be able to focus fast enough and keep focus, your mobile will not survive long if you have to shoot in the rain all day, your mobile will not survive long if you have to take close to 1000 pictures in a day. How are you going to have decent pictures if you cannot manually change your settings for example if there's big dark clouds overhead, cars have headlights on and to get a good exposure you're going to need to shoot 800 f2.8 iso 800?
Then you have to look at the actual quality of the pictures (not whether it's a good shot or not) and what it's going to be used for.
And then there's the fact that earning your living from photography isn't about taking the best picture in the world every time you press the shutter, it's about delivering what your client requires every time without fail. You simply cannot say that you can't do x or y shot because your phone camera isn't capable of delivering what they want.
I whished to repost the asked link but the weird policy of this site does not agree with it ;-) (as it is also not possible for newcomers to post on the real forums of their concern ! Never seen this before )
Anyway it seems to me obvious that the number 1 quality of a recording device is to be available when you need it... professionnal or not
picture quality is an issue but the one of SGS2 is very good. Better than many compact dedicated cameras
Very big no from me...
1. No aperture control on it (as with all android cam s/w, not open or I would have made an app ) (or shutter time etc)
2. Dire stop range in latitude of the image (compensated for with f/w by quite harsh contrast i think)
3. No RAW image data, be pointless with the sensor neways
4. No Focus control (control does not = touch the screen )
5. No external flash or way to sync to external flashes with speeeeeed
There are loads more, but they are my top 5
Thanks for all your options and the link, it's certainly given me some food for thought I think what I had in mind was an image no larger than A5, maybe A4 max to be used along side my graphics. If anything it will give me an excuse to practice my composition and for more advanced things and paid work my DSLR will be there.
Does anyone know of any good photography forums/communities they could point me to? This has given me an idea to see how good of an image I can catch with the gs2. If I get anything I think could be worthwhile I'll post it here and if anyone else is up for it I'll be very interested in what they can achieve. All the best, happy snapping
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App
Oh ****, I know some photography-addicts that don't want to hear anything about photo's made by mobile phones. Nothing compares to a good quality camera with huge lenses that allow you to change the focus.
I do have to say playing with the focus on one of those cameras sure looks badass and makes the picture speak a lot more.
I have been keeping track of this as I use my phone as my main source of pics. What is really the deal? There are some great devs saying it is possible to hack and up the mp and others yelling fraud. I'm not smart enough to know the true answer. Anyone with real knowledge want to give me their opinion on what really is possible?
Sent from the deep South in Ga
sprintuser1977 said:
I have been keeping track of this as I use my phone as my main source of pics. What is really the deal? There are some great devs saying it is possible to hack and up the mp and others yelling fraud. I'm not smart enough to know the true answer. Anyone with real knowledge want to give me their opinion on what really is possible?
Sent from the deep South in Ga
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say anything's impossible. But, the current method of doing it involves nothing more than a few smali edits (decompiling the dex file within apks and jar files) with no testing. Some of the smali edits are as easy as changing a 0x1 to 0x0 or vice versa and a lot of them are easily labeled within code. For instance something like:
IsSupportCoffeMaker
0x0
May be easily enabled by changing it to 0x1 in which 0x0 would be disabled (0=off) and 0x1 would be enabled (1=on)
I haven't bothered tinkering with the HTC Camera apk to see what exactly was changed to enable the camera to show 2mp and even 1080p, but be rest assured that for something like this, it isn't as easy as flipping a switch in code and is more than likely going to need real talent such as those who worked on getting 720p to the Nexus One--which is why none of these camera mods actually work. If the proper testing would have gone into this before getting it rushed out to the public, we would see none of them being advertised.
Taking pictures at the 2mp setting on the front facing camera yields the same 1mp photos, and trying to shoot video in 1080p in 2D turns the viewfinder black and produces 0byte files.
If it were actually discovered through reverse engineering that the camera sensors were capable of recording in 1080p as well as the front facing camera shooting photos at 2mp, then it most definitely is possible and would require great minds to unlock it. HTC normally ships a lot of Android phones running slightly modified software of the same base with different switches flipped on and off to support the different types of hardware that are in said phone. Since it would cost much more money for them to develop specifically for each phone, it's easier to develop a single software base, then just flip things on and off as the hardware calls for it. But, there are also a lot of phones that can handle having certain features that were meant for other phones, or even as a test of some sort being enabled, that's why some smali edits actually work. You also have to take into account some features that people enable will come at a cost of stability since some things were never meant to be on any phone and was probably added for testing purposes.
At any rate, with the right people working on this, I would say that it may very well be possible to get both of the hacks working, but I would also say don't hold your breath.
sprintuser1977 said:
I have been keeping track of this as I use my phone as my main source of pics. What is really the deal? There are some great devs saying it is possible to hack and up the mp and others yelling fraud. I'm not smart enough to know the true answer. Anyone with real knowledge want to give me their opinion on what really is possible?
Sent from the deep South in Ga
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a camera mod in the "themes and apps" section. It opened up 2mp front cam, HDR, panorama, etc.(most of which don't actually work) I did update it to unlock 8mp as well but never uploaded because it didn't actually work. I also saw many devs release an 8mp cam around that timeframe too.
My thoughts are that the HTCCamera.apk and many other apps that are involved in Sense are a "fit to order" type deal. So they would add all these features for all their cameras into a single apk. And simply flip the right "switches" which are present in the smali files to get it to work. Since our cam doesn't actually have those features. Flipping the "switch" doesn't turn anything on. Its a broke switch, basically.
In short. Just because a feature can be unlocked doesn't mean our phone can even do it. That's my thought anyway.
I'm not knowledgeable in this area but is it possible to develop a camera app completely separate from stock that allows for DSLR like control and save codec change?
The reason I ask is that if the camera's sensor can do 4k resolution then it should see everything in 4:4:4 detail instead of the H.264's 4:2:0
As a film hobbyist I supplement my main gear with my phone camera at times. This phone's camera possibly opens soooo many more avenues for indie and hobbyists. Not so much a samsung gimmick if we can actually put it to good use.
Zebriah said:
I'm not knowledgeable in this area but is it possible to develop a camera app completely separate from stock that allows for DSLR like control and save codec change?
The reason I ask is that if the camera's sensor can do 4k resolution then it should see everything in 4:4:4 detail instead of the H.264's 4:2:0
As a film hobbyist I supplement my main gear with my phone camera at times. This phone's camera possibly opens soooo many more avenues for indie and hobbyists. Not so much a samsung gimmick if we can actually put it to good use.
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There are a few guys that specialize in adjusting camera settings and options.
There is a really popular guy over at the lg g2 forums. I would recommend we wait til they come over or ask some of them to check out our camera.
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Is there anyone else knowledgeable in this subject or possibly something new I've not come across?