Camera Access in your Android App | Camera2 Api | CameraX Api

In Android development, accessing the camera is crucial for apps that need photography, video recording, or even AI-based image processing features. Android provides two primary APIs for this: Camera2 and CameraX.

Camera2 API offers complete control over the camera, allowing developers to manage settings like ISO, shutter speed, focus, and exposure manually. However, this flexibility comes with complexity, making it harder to integrate without a deep understanding of camera operations. To use Camera2, you must add the relevant dependencies in your app-level gradle file:

implementation "androidx.camera:camera-camera2:1.1.0"        

With CameraX API, things are simplified. CameraX is a higher-level wrapper around Camera2 that abstracts away much of the complexity. It’s designed to make camera integration easier by offering built-in use cases like image capture, preview, and image analysis, making it perfect for most applications. One of the key advantages of CameraX is its ability to work seamlessly with AI-powered features, such as real-time image analysis (ideal for machine learning tasks like object detection and facial recognition). Include this dependency in your app level gradle file to integrate camera X API.

dependencies {
    // CameraX core library using the camera2 implementation
    val camerax_version = "1.5.0-alpha01"
    // The following line is optional, as the core library is included indirectly by camera-camera2
    implementation("androidx.camera:camera-core:${camerax_version}")
    implementation("androidx.camera:camera-camera2:${camerax_version}")
    // If you want to additionally use the CameraX Lifecycle library
    implementation("androidx.camera:camera-lifecycle:${camerax_version}")
    // If you want to additionally use the CameraX VideoCapture library
    implementation("androidx.camera:camera-video:${camerax_version}")
    // If you want to additionally use the CameraX View class
    implementation("androidx.camera:camera-view:${camerax_version}")
    // If you want to additionally add CameraX ML Kit Vision Integration
    implementation("androidx.camera:camera-mlkit-vision:${camerax_version}")
    // If you want to additionally use the CameraX Extensions library
    implementation("androidx.camera:camera-extensions:${camerax_version}")
}        

Camera2 vs. CameraX: Which One Should You Use?

• Camera2: If you need full manual control of the camera settings for professional photography or custom image manipulation, Camera2 is your go-to.
• CameraX: CameraX is the better option if you need ease of use, lifecycle management, and built-in AI features without deep control over the hardware.

Let's Understand with example

Suppose your app requires advanced features like?Astrophotography. In that case, the Camera2 API is an excellent choice as it provides granular control over camera hardware, enabling fine-tuned adjustments such as long exposure times and low ISO for optimal results. However, if your app also needs to integrate AI-powered features, CameraX would be a better option due to its seamless support for AI and machine learning tools, such as real-time image analysis and integration with ML Kit.

Moreover, CameraX includes Camera2Interop, which allows developers to access specific hardware features of the Camera2 API while benefiting from CameraX's simplified interface and lifecycle-aware components. This hybrid approach makes CameraX more versatile, enabling apps to cater to a broader range of devices and offering a wider array of features with less development complexity.

In comparison, while Camera2 offers deep hardware-level control, CameraX stands out with better compatibility, ease of use, and the ability to support a larger number of devices without compromising functionality.

Docs of both APIs Camera 2: https://developer.android.com/media/camera/camera2 and

CameraX: https://developer.android.com/media/camera/camerax