android camera object always a null pointer

Question

I call this method and it gives me a camera object is a null pointer on the recorder.setCamera(this.camera) call

    private void initRecorder()
{
    if(camera == null)
    {
       camera = Camera.open();
       camera.unlock();
    }
    recorder.setCamera(this.camera);
    recorder.setPreviewDisplay(holder.getSurface());
    recorder.setAudioSource(MediaRecorder.AudioSource.DEFAULT);
    recorder.setVideoSource(MediaRecorder.VideoSource.DEFAULT);
    recorder.setVideoEncoder(MediaRecorder.VideoEncoder.H264);
    recorder.setVideoFrameRate(60);

    CamcorderProfile cpHigh = CamcorderProfile.get(cameraInfo.facing,CamcorderProfile.QUALITY_HIGH);
    recorder.setProfile(cpHigh);
    String fileName = java.text.DateFormat.getDateTimeInstance().format(Calendar.getInstance().getTime());
    recorder.setOutputFile(varPtr.DefaultStorageDir + fileName  + ".mp4");
    recorder.setMaxDuration(50000); // 50 seconds
    //recorder.setMaxFileSize(5000000); // Approximately 5 megabytes
}

it is called from my onSurfaceCreated function seen here

 @Override
public void surfaceCreated(SurfaceHolder holder)
{
    Log.v(LOGTAG, "surfaceCreated");
    initRecorder();

}

I have this in my manifest

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.autofocus" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.front" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.back" />
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.microphone"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO"></uses-permission>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE"></uses-permission>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_INTERNAL_STORAGE"></uses-permission>

I even tried using this code which should definitely work because I have selected in my avd settings to emulate both the front and back cameras so they are emulated. I even tested the emulator's default camera app and the video and still camera work on it.

 private Camera openFrontFacingCamera()
{
    int cameraCount = 0;
    Camera cam = null;
    cameraCount = Camera.getNumberOfCameras();
    for (int camIdx = 0; camIdx < cameraCount; camIdx++) {
        Camera.getCameraInfo(camIdx, cameraInfo);
        if (cameraInfo.facing == Camera.CameraInfo.CAMERA_FACING_FRONT) {
            try {
                cam = Camera.open(camIdx);
            } catch (RuntimeException e) {
                Log.e("WTF", "Camera failed to open: " + e.getLocalizedMessage());
            }
        }
    }

    return cam;
}

please if anyone is experienced with android help! I'm really starting to absolutely despise developing for android.

Answer 1

I will try it even without your LogCat and additional Code from your side.

For me it Looks like your recorder isn't initialized. That's why it throws a NPE at this line.

Make sure you are initializing recorder before Setting a CameraObject to recorder.

Because regarding to the docs:

RuntimeException if opening the camera fails (for example, if the camera is in use by another process or device policy manager has disabled the camera).

so your camera-objectshould be valid... so the only Logical answere is your recorder isn't initialized.

Read more here: http://developer.android.com/reference/android/hardware/Camera.html#open(int)

Hope it helps!