Hey all. Just pushed a new version, build is still running: Release v1.4.0-beta.4 · IvanVojtko/PROCam · GitHub
What’s new in ProCam 1.4.0-beta.4
Video: ProCam’s own recorder
- New video recorder, on by default. Video is now recorded through ProCam’s own camera session instead of the system camera service.
- Stabilization out of the box. Electronic stabilization works without any system configuration file. A new button in the Video tab’s top bar turns it on or off (on by default). The viewfinder shows exactly the stabilised frame that is recorded.
- Sharper, cleaner video. The camera’s own video noise reduction and sharpening are used, and the encoder records at a constant bitrate with its higher-quality profile, so busy or dim scenes no longer turn blocky and grainy.
- Choose the size and codec in the Video tab’s menu:
- Size: 1080p or 1440p (2560x1440) at 30 fps. ProCam offers only the sizes both the camera and the phone’s video encoder support. On the Jolla Phone 2 that tops out at 1440p, so there is no 4K. Phones with a 4K encoder get a 4K option.
- Codec: H.264 (plays everywhere) or HEVC (smaller files).
- Instant start and stop. Recording starts without the viewfinder blinking, and stopping waits until the last frames are in the file.
- Recordings are never lost. If you leave the app while recording, the recording keeps going and stops after a minute. If the camera has to close mid-recording, the file is still finished properly.
- 16:9 viewfinder in the Video tab.
- Sound is recorded in sync with the picture. The microphone is only open while you record.
- Videos are saved to Videos/ProCam.
- Fallback. If a phone’s camera can’t run the new recorder, ProCam switches to the system recorder for that camera automatically. You can also turn the new recorder off in Settings → Apps → ProCam → “ProCam video recorder”.
- With the system recorder, the video menu keeps its old entries. If your system configures stabilization for it, that now also applies when ProCam starts directly in the Video tab.
Photos
- HDR and night bursts drop frames whose exposure differs from what was asked for. Some phones (Xperia 10 III) deliver the first frames of a burst with the viewfinder’s exposure, which made merged photos uneven. Photos on the Jolla Phone 2 are unchanged.
- If HDR or night bursts fail on a camera, ProCam takes normal photos with that camera for the rest of the session instead of failing every shot.
- Clear message when the photo folder can’t be written: “Cannot write to folder …” instead of a failed capture.
Diagnostics
- More detail in Pictures/ProCam/procam-capture.log when a capture or a recording fails. Every recording is logged with its size, codec, frame rate and bitrate.
- The camera probe lists each camera’s stabilization modes.
Known limitations
- No zoom in the Video tab yet (just 2x).
- Video uses continuous autofocus; tap-to-focus is not available while recording.
- Video is 30 fps only.