Android Camera2 null preview image

Question

I'm trying to get the camera frame while in preview mode of the sample Camera2 project on github https://github.com/googlesamples/android-Camera2Basic

This is similar to this question Android Camera2 getPreviewFrame

But, i'm running into 2 different problems that I can't solve and were not addressed in the previous question.

First problem: In the method onImageAvailable, reader.acquireNextImage() returns a null image.

Second problem: adding mPreviewRequestBuilder.addTarget(mImageReader.getSurface()) significantly slows down the camera preview.

I added this line

mPreviewRequestBuilder.addTarget(mImageReader.getSurface());

in createCameraPreviewSession() underneath where it adds the surface to the same previewRequestBuilder.

And this is my onImageAvailable method

@Override
public void onImageAvailable(ImageReader reader) {
    try {
        image = reader.acquireLatestImage();
        ByteBuffer buffer = image.getPlanes()[0].getBuffer();
        // use byte buffer for processing
    } finally {
        if (image != null) {
            image.close();
        }
        // make sure to close image
    }
}

Answer 1

Use this createCameraPreviewSession() method. Make sure you do the necessary declarations. Else you may find errors.

private AutoFitTextureView mTextureView;
private Size mPreviewSize;
private CaptureRequest.Builder mPreviewRequestBuilder;
private CaptureRequest mPreviewRequest;
private CameraDevice mCameraDevice;
private ImageReader mImageReader;
private CameraCaptureSession mCaptureSession;
private Handler mBackgroundHandler;
private int mState = STATE_PREVIEW;
private static final int STATE_PREVIEW = 0;
private static final int STATE_WAITING_LOCK = 1;
private static final int STATE_WAITING_PRECAPTURE = 2;
private static final int STATE_WAITING_NON_PRECAPTURE = 3;
private static final int STATE_PICTURE_TAKEN = 4;


private void createCameraPreviewSession() {
    try {
        SurfaceTexture texture = mTextureView.getSurfaceTexture();
        assert texture != null;

        // We configure the size of default buffer to be the size of camera preview we want.
        texture.setDefaultBufferSize(mPreviewSize.getWidth(), mPreviewSize.getHeight());

        // This is the output Surface we need to start preview.
        Surface surface = new Surface(texture);

        // We set up a CaptureRequest.Builder with the output Surface.
        mPreviewRequestBuilder
                = mCameraDevice.createCaptureRequest(CameraDevice.TEMPLATE_PREVIEW);
        mPreviewRequestBuilder.addTarget(surface);

        // Here, we create a CameraCaptureSession for camera preview.
        mCameraDevice.createCaptureSession(Arrays.asList(surface, mImageReader.getSurface()),
                new CameraCaptureSession.StateCallback() {

                    @Override
                    public void onConfigured(@NonNull CameraCaptureSession cameraCaptureSession) {
                        // The camera is already closed
                        if (null == mCameraDevice) {
                            return;
                        }

                        // When the session is ready, we start displaying the preview.
                        mCaptureSession = cameraCaptureSession;
                        try {
                            // Auto focus should be continuous for camera preview.
                            mPreviewRequestBuilder.set(CaptureRequest.CONTROL_AF_MODE,
                                    CaptureRequest.CONTROL_AF_MODE_CONTINUOUS_PICTURE);
                            // Flash is automatically enabled when necessary.
                            setAutoFlash(mPreviewRequestBuilder);

                            // Finally, we start displaying the camera preview.
                            mPreviewRequest = mPreviewRequestBuilder.build();
                            mCaptureSession.setRepeatingRequest(mPreviewRequest,
                                    mCaptureCallback, mBackgroundHandler);
                        } catch (CameraAccessException e) {
                            e.printStackTrace();
                        }
                    }

                    @Override
                    public void onConfigureFailed(
                            @NonNull CameraCaptureSession cameraCaptureSession) {
                        showToast("Failed");
                    }
                }, null
        );
    } catch (CameraAccessException e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
}

This is the setAutoFlash method, included in the above method:

private void setAutoFlash(CaptureRequest.Builder requestBuilder) {
    if (mFlashSupported) {
        requestBuilder.set(CaptureRequest.CONTROL_AE_MODE,
                CaptureRequest.CONTROL_AE_MODE_ON_AUTO_FLASH);
    }
}

This is the mCaptureCallback used in createCameraPreviewSession() method:

private CameraCaptureSession.CaptureCallback mCaptureCallback
        = new CameraCaptureSession.CaptureCallback() {

    private void process(CaptureResult result) {
        switch (mState) {
            case STATE_PREVIEW: {
                // We have nothing to do when the camera preview is working normally.
                break;
            }
            case STATE_WAITING_LOCK: {
                Integer afState = result.get(CaptureResult.CONTROL_AF_STATE);
                if (afState == null) {
                    captureStillPicture();
                } else if (CaptureResult.CONTROL_AF_STATE_FOCUSED_LOCKED == afState ||
                        CaptureResult.CONTROL_AF_STATE_NOT_FOCUSED_LOCKED == afState) {
                    // CONTROL_AE_STATE can be null on some devices
                    Integer aeState = result.get(CaptureResult.CONTROL_AE_STATE);
                    if (aeState == null ||
                            aeState == CaptureResult.CONTROL_AE_STATE_CONVERGED) {
                        mState = STATE_PICTURE_TAKEN;
                        captureStillPicture();
                    } else {
                        runPrecaptureSequence();
                    }
                }
                break;
            }
            case STATE_WAITING_PRECAPTURE: {
                // CONTROL_AE_STATE can be null on some devices
                Integer aeState = result.get(CaptureResult.CONTROL_AE_STATE);
                if (aeState == null ||
                        aeState == CaptureResult.CONTROL_AE_STATE_PRECAPTURE ||
                        aeState == CaptureRequest.CONTROL_AE_STATE_FLASH_REQUIRED) {
                    mState = STATE_WAITING_NON_PRECAPTURE;
                }
                break;
            }
            case STATE_WAITING_NON_PRECAPTURE: {
                // CONTROL_AE_STATE can be null on some devices
                Integer aeState = result.get(CaptureResult.CONTROL_AE_STATE);
                if (aeState == null || aeState != CaptureResult.CONTROL_AE_STATE_PRECAPTURE) {
                    mState = STATE_PICTURE_TAKEN;
                    captureStillPicture();
                }
                break;
            }
        }
    }

    @Override
    public void onCaptureProgressed(@NonNull CameraCaptureSession session,
                                    @NonNull CaptureRequest request,
                                    @NonNull CaptureResult partialResult) {
        process(partialResult);
    }

    @Override
    public void onCaptureCompleted(@NonNull CameraCaptureSession session,
                                   @NonNull CaptureRequest request,
                                   @NonNull TotalCaptureResult result) {
        process(result);
    }

};