Camera2 API is the best API that Google came up with Android 5.
It allows you to take control over camera and even capture RAW or DNG images. For those who dont kniw what is RAW or DNG is, DNG stands for Digital Negative and capture a whole lot more data than conventional JPEG images. The JPEG images you see after capturing, do looks sharp, but when edited, it can lose a way lot data than expected.
In that case DNG/RAW comes into play. They capture a lot more details than JPEG and easy to edit (if you know how to) than JPEG, and retain data.
But, with capable Android Devices, Samsung restricts everything, if its not a flagship.
I have A71. A good, very capable device, only crippled by bogus, and late software updates out of all the available smartphones from Samsung. Plus addition of bloats with almost every update. This device is capable of RAW/DNG capture. I have tested it with Camera2 Probe, which checks what features are available with your camera. Also tried capturing DNG files via OpenCamera, but quality turns out to be bad, either becauae of old algorithms or i dont know how to set properly. They captured it very well. At last I tried with Lightroom just in case, which turned out to be pretty well.
Now coming to Samsung's default app. Lot less options if you own a non flagship device.
No DNG support at all, even if the device is completely capable of it.
For reference, here are some screenshot from Camera2 Probe:
In the first screenshot, you can see that the Camera2 API level 3 is supported. Interestingly, the second screenshot shows that the sensor is capable of capturing RAW images along with Burst images. Even in the Available capabilities, it shows RAW supported.
So why strip the useful features and introduce bogus things like bloats in every software update?
Moreover, not much of a manual control is possible in the app. Why? Arent we paying for the phone?
Plus even if I add it in the Innovation discussion, they will not consider it at all. There is 110% chance they will ignore every request.
If anyone says Expert RAW will come to most devices, even high end A-series devices, then sorry for letting you down, it will not come, and even Samsung Korea's community rep has already said that it will come for flagships only.
