#1350 When I take a photo, the flash fires a few milliseconds too late.

[A d]

When I take photos with the flash, all the photos come out pitch black. This is because the flash firing time and the photo capture (saving) time are out of sync. The app is blinding the camera sensor with the flash. That’s why the photos come out pitch black. This issue occurs regardless of whether it’s daytime, nighttime, or under artificial lighting (like with the lights on in the evening), and regardless of whether the lighting is strong or weak. The problem is software-related. I checked the camera sensor calibration and sensor data—there are no issues there. The app triggers the flash a few microseconds too early. As a result, the sensor is temporarily blinded and experiences a delay in detecting light. Just as the human eye needs time to adjust to darkness after exposure to bright light, the camera sensor is also temporarily blinded for a few microseconds. Or, just as you experience a momentary loss of vision when emerging from a tunnel because the light flashes a few microseconds too early, the camera sensor takes and saves the photo while still “blind”—before it has had time to adjust to the bright light. I’m not sure which one it is. It can be fixed through trial and error and a bit of science. Artificial intelligence can identify the cause and source of the problem.

Open Camera v1.56.2
Code: 96
Package: net.sourceforge.opencamera
Android API version: 35
Device manufacturer: realme
Device model: RMX3890
Display size: 1080x2156
Current camera ID: 0
No. of cameras: 2
Multi-camera?: false
Camera API: Camera
Camera orientation: 90
Photo mode: Standard
Min zoom factor: 1.0
Max zoom factor: 9.99
Preview resolutions: 3264x1840, 3264x1472, 3264x1456, 3200x1440, 2592x1944, 2592x1168, 2400x1080, 2328x1748, 2304x1728, 2304x1296, 2304x1046, 2160x1080, 1920x1440, 1920x1080, 1920x864, 1920x856, 1680x720, 1600x900, 1600x800, 1612x720, 1600x720, 1600x716, 1584x720, 1520x720, 1440x1080, 1280x960, 1280x768, 1280x720, 1200x540, 1188x540, 1080x960, 1024x768, 960x720, 800x600, 800x480, 800x400, 792x360, 720x540, 720x480, 640x480, 640x400, 640x360, 352x288, 320x240, 176x144
Preview resolution: 1440x1080
Photo resolutions: 4000x3000, 4000x2256, 3456x2592, 3840x2160, 3264x2448, 3200x2400, 4000x1818, 4000x1800, 3264x1840, 2592x1944, 3264x1472, 3264x1456, 3200x1440, 2328x1748, 2304x1728, 2592x1168, 2304x1296, 1920x1440, 2400x1080, 2304x1046, 2160x1080, 1920x1080, 1920x864, 1920x856, 1440x1080, 1600x900, 1600x800, 1280x960, 1680x720, 1612x720, 1600x720, 1600x716, 1584x720, 1520x720, 1080x960, 1280x768, 1280x720, 1024x768, 960x720, 1200x540, 1188x540, 800x600, 720x540, 800x480, 720x480, 800x400, 640x480, 792x360, 640x400, 640x360, 352x288, 320x240, 176x144
Photo resolution: 4000x3000
Video qualities: 1, 5_r1920x864, 5_r1920x856, 5_r1440x1080, 5_r1600x900, 5_r1600x800, 5_r1280x960, 5_r1680x720, 5_r1612x720, 5_r1600x720, 5_r1600x716, 5_r1584x720, 5_r1520x720, 5_r1080x960, 5_r1280x768, 5, 4_r1024x768, 4_r960x720, 4_r1200x540, 4_r1188x540, 4_r800x600, 4_r720x540, 4_r800x480, 4, 3_r800x400, 3_r640x480, 3_r792x360, 3_r640x400, 3_r640x360, 3, 7, 2
Video resolutions: 1920x1080, 1920x864, 1920x856, 1440x1080, 1600x900, 1600x800, 1280x960, 1680x720, 1612x720, 1600x720, 1600x716, 1584x720, 1520x720, 1080x960, 1280x768, 1280x720, 1024x768, 960x720, 1200x540, 1188x540, 800x600, 720x540, 800x480, 720x480, 800x400, 640x480, 792x360, 640x400, 640x360, 352x288, 320x240, 176x144
Video quality: 1
Video frame width: 3840
Video frame height: 2160
Video bit rate: 90000000
Video frame rate: 30
Video capture rate: 30.0
Video high speed: false
Video capture rate factor: 1.0
Auto-level?: Etkinleştir
Auto-level enabled?: true
Face detection?: Etkinleştir
RAW?: Etkin değil
HDR?: Etkinleştir
Panorama?: Etkinleştir
Gyro sensors?: Etkinleştir
Expo?: Etkinleştir
Expo compensation?: Etkinleştir
Exposure compensation range: -12 to 12
Manual ISO?: Etkin değil
Manual exposure?: Etkin değil
Manual WB?: Etkin değil
Optical stabilization?: Etkin değil
Optical stabilization enabled?: false
Video stabilization?: Etkinleştir
Video stabilization enabled?: false
Tonemap curve?: Etkin değil
Tonemap max curve points: 0
Can disable shutter sound?: Etkinleştir
Camera view angle: 72.4697 , 54.83485
Flash modes: flash_off, flash_auto, flash_on, flash_torch
Focus modes: focus_mode_auto, focus_mode_infinity, focus_mode_macro, focus_mode_locked, focus_mode_continuous_picture, focus_mode_continuous_video
Color effects: none, negative, solarize, sepia, posterize, aqua, blackboard, whiteboard
Scene modes: None
White balances: auto, incandescent, fluorescent, warm-fluorescent, daylight, cloudy-daylight, twilight, shade
ISOs: None
Magnetic accuracy?: 3
Using SAF?: true
Save Location: OpenCamera
Save Location SAF: content://com.android.externalstorage.documents/tree/primary%3ADCIM%2FOpenCamera
Parameters: video-size=1920x1080;preferred-preview-size-for-video=1920x1080;preview-size-values=3264x1840,3264x1472,3264x1456,3200x1440,2592x1944,2592x1168,2400x1080,2328x1748,2304x1728,2304x1296,2304x1046,2160x1080,1920x1440,1920x1080,1920x864,1920x856,1680x720,1600x900,1600x800,1612x720,1600x720,1600x716,1584x720,1520x720,1440x1080,1280x960,1280x768,1280x720,1200x540,1188x540,1080x960,1024x768,960x720,800x600,800x480,800x400,792x360,720x540,720x480,640x480,640x400,640x360,352x288,320x240,176x144;video-size-values=1920x1080,1920x864,1920x856,1680x720,1600x900,1600x800,1612x720,1600x720,1600x716,1584x720,1520x720,1440x1080,1280x960,1280x768,1280x720,1200x540,1188x540,1080x960,1024x768,960x720,800x600,800x480,800x400,792x360,720x540,720x480,640x480,640x400,640x360,352x288,320x240,176x144;preview-format=yuv420sp;preview-format-values=yuv420p,yuv420sp,;preview-fps-range-values=(10000,10000),(15000,15000),(15000,20000),(20000,20000),(10000,24000),(20000,24000),(24000,24000),(10000,30000),(30000,30000);preview-frame-rate-values=10,15,20,24,30;picture-size-values=4000x3000,4000x2256,4000x1800,4000x1818,3840x2160,3456x2592,3264x2448,3264x1840,3264x1472,3264x1456,3200x2400,3200x1440,2592x1944,2592x1168,2400x1080,2328x1748,2304x1728,2304x1296,2304x1046,2160x1080,1920x1440,1920x1080,1920x864,1920x856,1680x720,1600x900,1600x800,1612x720,1600x720,1600x716,1584x720,1520x720,1440x1080,1280x960,1280x768,1280x720,1200x540,1188x540,1080x960,1024x768,960x720,800x600,800x480,800x400,792x360,720x540,720x480,640x480,640x400,640x360,352x288,320x240,176x144;picture-format=jpeg;picture-format-values=jpeg;jpeg-thumbnail-width=320;jpeg-thumbnail-height=240;jpeg-thumbnail-size-values=0x0,176x144,213x160,240x144,256x144,240x160,256x154,246x184,352x160,240x240,400x180,320x240;jpeg-thumbnail-quality=90;rotation=0;whitebalance=auto;whitebalance-values=auto,incandescent,fluorescent,warm-fluorescent,daylight,cloudy-daylight,twilight,shade,;effect=none;effect-values=none,negative,solarize,sepia,posterize,aqua,blackboard,whiteboard;antibanding-values=off,50hz,60hz,auto;flash-mode=off;flash-mode-values=off,auto,on,torch;focus-mode-values=infinity,auto,macro,continuous-video,continuous-picture;max-num-focus-areas=1;focal-length=5.24;max-exposure-compensation=12;min-exposure-compensation=-12;exposure-compensation-step=0.166667;auto-exposure-lock=false;auto-exposure-lock-supported=true;auto-whitebalance-lock=false;auto-whitebalance-lock-supported=true;max-num-metering-areas=1;zoom-ratios=100,109,118,127,136,145,154,163,172,181,190,200,209,218,227,236,245,254,263,272,281,290,299,309,318,327,336,345,354,363,372,381,390,399,409,418,427,436,445,454,463,472,481,490,499,509,518,527,536,545,554,563,572,581,590,599,609,618,627,636,645,654,663,672,681,690,699,709,718,727,736,745,754,763,772,781,790,799,809,818,827,836,845,854,863,872,881,890,899,909,918,927,936,945,954,963,972,981,990,999;zoom-supported=true;max-zoom=99;smooth-zoom-supported=false;focus-distances=Infinity,Infinity,Infinity;max-num-detected-faces-hw=10;max-num-detected-faces-sw=0;video-frame-format=android-opaque;video-snapshot-supported=true;video-stabilization-supported=true;video-stabilization=false;antibanding=60hz;exposure-compensation=-2;jpeg-quality=100;focus-mode=continuous-picture;picture-size=4000x3000;preview-size=1440x1080;recording-hint=false;zoom=0;focus-areas=(0,0,0,0,0);metering-areas=(0,0,0,0,0);preview-frame-rate=30;preview-fps-range=10000,30000;horizontal-view-angle=72.4697;vertical-view-angle=57.588

[Mark]

Thanks for the bug report. Although flash is indeed controlled by software, this exact behaviour in this case is handled by the camera driver. How do other third party camera applications behave?

In Open Camera, does Settings/"Camera API" show? If so, try "Camera2 API" do any better? (With this option, Open Camera will have more control over the flash timing/behaviour.)