Google's CameraX API is something that was revealed at Google I/O this year and came as a welcome relief for developers with a passing interest in camera applications. The complexity of the previously released Camera2 API – despite being a massive improvement over previous iterations – was still beyond belief. CameraX is aimed at developers who may not be developing camera applications full-time, and instead, want to take a more casual approach.
CameraX enables developers to implement non-native camera features with as little as two lines of code. What this means is that any device which uses CameraX can access features that were previously specific to certain devices. A prime example of this is the Google Pixel devices and their fantastic Night Sight mode. Google has made the mode – and other features – available via the CameraX API, presumably in an attempt to showcase the API's capabilities.
If that was indeed Google's intention, it's worked. Covering the 2019 Google Developer Days in China, a report from Dr. Commodore states that OPPO has announced that it will be making its camera features available to developers via the CameraX API. At the event, OPPO allowed users to take photos on varying devices both with and without the API. Using the API gave a noticeable increase in image quality.
This announcement opens up OPPO's Beauty and HDR mode for wider use. While this in itself is not much to shout about – OPPO's camera software is not exactly revolutionary – it's an important step for Google. We've seen Xiaomi experimenting with Camera2, enabling it on some devices. Depending on how well-received this announcement is, it could encourage them to start looking at CameraX as well.
The benefits of CameraX are numerous. Snapchat's much-bemoaned Android app, for example, could benefit greatly from Google or OPPO's HDR mode. Given that CameraX is backward compatible as far back as Android Lollipop (API Level 21), it's also possible that older devices – with weaker cameras) could benefit from the software too.
Via: Dr Commodore
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