Published in Mobiles

Google revamps Android camera framework

by on26 November 2013



Adds burst mode and RAW support

Google has confirmed that it is overhauling the Android camera app to add a bit more functionality, including RAW support and burst mode.

Google said the latest camera hardware abstraction layer and framework already support RAW and bust photography. It will soon release a new developer API to bring the functionality to actual devices. It sounds like the whole process could take a while, so don’t expect to see RAW support on your phone anytime soon. The Nexus 5 is the most obvious candidate, but it is unclear when it will get the new update.

Frankly, we are not sure RAW on mobile phones makes a lot of sense for most users. The most obvious problem is the sheer size of RAW photos. Since there is no compression, one megapixel tends to equal one megabyte of space, hence it won’t replace JPEG for most users.

However, RAW is great for editing and it could allow developers to come up with more intelligent filters, increase dynamic range and apply all sorts of advanced post processing techniques. The biggest problem with smartphone cameras is the size of the sensor and the quality of the lens (or lack of it), so RAW could help developers eliminate some of the shortcomings, at least in theory.

You can check out the details here.

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