S21 GCam Ports

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beserker15

Senior Member
Sep 21, 2009
776
685
Just installed. Is there any way to get the front camera working? All I get is a black screen with front cam. Switching back to another lens works fine, only front cam does not show any image. Thanks.
No there isn't, that's a Samsung limitation with the Snapdragon model. Only Samsung can fix it. Also I've posted updates with the newest Arnova and BSG builds with my S21 Ultra configs here: https://xdaforums.com/t/gcam-for-snapdragon-s21-ultra.4253809/

Like before, they should work with the S21/S21+ snapdragons as well but it will require separate configurations to look good.
 
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kenfb1

Senior Member
Oct 25, 2012
218
26
Scranton
Oh yeah mine is Snapdragon. If yours doesn't crash before the XML, I'd suggest just setting the noise models and play with the settings to see what works best for you.


What do you mean by "fully working"? Yeah using stock camera is simpler but people use GCam because they don't like the picture quality from Samsung. I usually keep both stock and GCam easily accessible and will switch between them depending on what I need to capture.
Hi,
Fully working means everything works- Front Camera/Back Camera and any and all settings without crashing or freezing, that's what it means to me anyway. I know it's Samsung's fault, but why bother with Gcam ports if they don't work????
 

beserker15

Senior Member
Sep 21, 2009
776
685
Hi,
Fully working means everything works- Front Camera/Back Camera and any and all settings without crashing or freezing, that's what it means to me anyway. I know it's Samsung's fault, but why bother with Gcam ports if they don't work????
We've gotten to a point where the builds are stable enough that nothing is crashing unless you enable a feature that isn't supported. I have no issues with going to the stock camera just for the front since I rarely ever use the front camera.

I hope you know that not everything in stock camera "works" either. You can't manually choose the 3x and 10x when there's somewhat low light, or if the camera claims that you are too close to the subject. Oh, and not to mention that the stock camera still looks way worse on the auxiliary lenses.

This picture is impossible to get via stock because stock will always switch away from the 10x and instead use the 3x cropped in because it's "too close".
PXL_20210709_160555525.jpg

This here is the limit to what the camera will still allow the 10x to be used before switching to the 3x:
20210707_153235.jpg
which looks horrible still compared to GCam:
PXL_20210707_223332516.jpg
but even worse since that's not the minimum focus distance the 10x can achieve, which is this with GCam:
PXL_20210707_150019494.jpg

So yeah, in summary just using stock is fine, except I refuse to accept crappier quality and weird software limitations when I know I can get better pictures with something else.
 

nimbleenigmas333

New member
Jul 23, 2021
4
0
Yup, so the freezing thing is stream configs. Wichaya has it auto-apply for all lenses but the 10x one since most phones don't have a second tele lol. Go to the Stream Config settings and change the lens to the 4th one and set it to EISV3. As for video, also in stream configs, change the video streams to FOVC instead of EISV3. Also enable Auxillary Restart in the Auxillary settings.

View attachment 5340757

My preferred Noise Models for my S21U
View attachment 5340759
And preferred RAM Patcher settings
View attachment 5340763
Thank you for sharing all this info. I've got it running pretty well on my S21U now!
 

Lartsch

Senior Member
Oct 23, 2012
201
235
Karlsruhe
Samsung Galaxy S4
OnePlus 3T
Has someone seen the RAW enabler for S21U that was released from Wyroczen?
Has someone tried to use this on a normal S21? Does someone know if it is suitable for Exynos?

// Edit: I can't try, but as far as I can tell from other forums this fix only works for the specific firmware (AUF2). Sadly. Would be great if we could achieve a library patcher that does the job for out S21.
 
Last edited:

vincement

Member
Jan 8, 2015
18
5
The answer for the video stream config, is I'm not sure. For my S21U, I actually have to use FOCV in order to record rather than EISV3. Whichever works for you guys for video, let me know.

As for the rear cameras, yes it is true that the S21 only has 3, but Samsung decided to give it two different IDs with two different characteristics. You can disable the 4th ID by going to Advanced > Auxiliary Config > Set Back Cameras to 3 instead of 4...but wouldn't it be more fun to try to get both IDs working? I just attached another XML with a few modifications to try to get both 1.1x and 2x working. Let me know if it does.

✓BACK ID[50] (Tele)(1.1x)
FocalLength = 5.9
35mm eqv FocalLength = 28.71mm
Aperture = 2.0
SensorSize = 7.3984x5.5488
PixelArray = 4624x3468
PixelSize = 1.60µm
AngleOfView(Diagonal) = 103°
AEModes = [0, 1, 2, 3]
FlashSupported = true
RAW_SENSOR sizes = [4624x3468]
SupportedHardwareLevel = LIMITED

✓BACK ID[52] (Tele)(2.0x)
FocalLength = 5.9
35mm eqv FocalLength = 54.58mm
Aperture = 2.0
SensorSize = 3.8912x2.9184
PixelArray = 4864x3648
PixelSize = 0.80µm
AngleOfView(Diagonal) = 37°
AEModes = [0, 1, 2, 3]
FlashSupported = true
RAW_SENSOR sizes = [4864x3648]
SupportedHardwareLevel = LIMITED
Tele 2.0 freezes upon selection, other lens just freeze after a few seconds on base S21 Snapdragon.

These are my settings based on berserker15's suggestion for Ruler Gcam 6.210329.0034 build-8.1.101. Though a bit late, hope it is still useful to anyone who needs it.
 

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beserker15

Senior Member
Sep 21, 2009
776
685
Are these settings valid for my s21 snapdragon? Mine is not ultra...

Tele 2.0 freezes upon selection, other lens just freeze after a few seconds on base S21 Snapdragon.

These are my settings based on berserker15's suggestion for Ruler Gcam 6.210329.0034 build-8.1.101. Though a bit late, hope it is still useful to anyone who needs it.

Alright guys, this BSG version with my XML attached should work well for the base S21 and S21 Plus. My cousin upgraded to an S20 which has the same camera setup so I messed around with it a little.

Obviously the processing between the S21 and S20 is probably a little different but here's an example of stock vs BSG setup. Stock is brighter and sharper than my GCam settings but much more artificial looking.

20210731_143641.jpg
PXL_20210731_143635531.jpg

Also telephoto on GCam will provide more details. Stock is down sampling things to 12MP, but GCam will actually use 17MP for it.
20210731_143839.jpg
PXL_20210731_143854604.jpg

 

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  • BSG_8.1_S20-S21.xml
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Last edited:

mxl180

Senior Member
Nov 2, 2008
678
108
Alright guys, this BSG version with my XML attached should work well for the base S21 and S21 Plus. My cousin upgraded to an S20 which has the same camera setup so I messed around with it a little.

Obviously the processing between the S21 and S20 is probably a little different but here's an example of stock vs BSG setup. Stock is brighter and sharper than my GCam settings but much more artificial looking.

View attachment 5375199
View attachment 5375197

Also telephoto on GCam will provide more details. Stock is down sampling things to 12MP, but GCam will actually use 17MP for it.
View attachment 5375201
View attachment 5375205

Thanks for your work beserker15. This combo works good on my base21.
 

rmc6901

Senior Member
Oct 19, 2015
86
17
Just installed latest BSG with beserker15's xml file. So far, so good on my S21 Ultra. Took some great pics. I've been trading off with my Pixel 4XL. Now I can stick with my S21. Of course, Android 12 could break the Gcam port and we start all over again.
 

rmc6901

Senior Member
Oct 19, 2015
86
17
Alright guys, this BSG version with my XML attached should work well for the base S21 and S21 Plus. My cousin upgraded to an S20 which has the same camera setup so I messed around with it a little.

Obviously the processing between the S21 and S20 is probably a little different but here's an example of stock vs BSG setup. Stock is brighter and sharper than my GCam settings but much more artificial looking.

View attachment 5375199
View attachment 5375197

Also telephoto on GCam will provide more details. Stock is down sampling things to 12MP, but GCam will actually use 17MP for it.
View attachment 5375201
View attachment 5375205

Beserker15, I need your advice. As I wrote yesterday, I downloaded the latest BSG 8.1 from your link and installed your .xml file and it worked great on my Snapdragon S21 Ultra. This morning, I got up and went to a park to take pictures. I noticed the GCam icon was missing from my home screen and the app was also gone from settings. I deleted the .apk, re-downloaded it, made sure "unknown sources" was toggled on for My Files. It refuses to install it. I downloaded apk installer from the Play Store, gave it the necessary permissions and it too could not install the BSG apk file. I do use Eset mobile security, but it's history shows it only scanned the app and no threats were found. I didn't remove the .apk file, but something did. I rebooted the phone and tried a third time and it still won't let me install it so I'm back to square one unless you have an idea.
 

beserker15

Senior Member
Sep 21, 2009
776
685
Beserker15, I need your advice. As I wrote yesterday, I downloaded the latest BSG 8.1 from your link and installed your .xml file and it worked great on my Snapdragon S21 Ultra. This morning, I got up and went to a park to take pictures. I noticed the GCam icon was missing from my home screen and the app was also gone from settings. I deleted the .apk, re-downloaded it, made sure "unknown sources" was toggled on for My Files. It refuses to install it. I downloaded apk installer from the Play Store, gave it the necessary permissions and it too could not install the BSG apk file. I do use Eset mobile security, but it's history shows it only scanned the app and no threats were found. I didn't remove the .apk file, but something did. I rebooted the phone and tried a third time and it still won't let me install it so I'm back to square one unless you have an idea.

It's actually simpler than everything you've attempted haha. What GCam is doing to be able to have access to the telephoto camera is to use the same package name as an official Samsung app. If that official app ever gets installed, the GCam version won't be able to. You'll need to uninstall this app to use BSG..
 
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rmc6901

Senior Member
Oct 19, 2015
86
17
It's actually simpler than everything you've attempted haha. What GCam is doing to be able to have access to the telephoto camera is to use the same package name as an official Samsung app. If that official app ever gets installed, the GCam version won't be able to. You'll need to uninstall this app to use BSG..
Ha, Ha. Thank you beserker. I realized while waiting for your reply that I had updated Quick Measure earlier this morning. I just uninstalled it and re-installed my apk and xml and I'm back in business. That one had me stumped.
 

manojl76

Senior Member
Alright guys, this BSG version with my XML attached should work well for the base S21 and S21 Plus. My cousin upgraded to an S20 which has the same camera setup so I messed around with it a little.

Obviously the processing between the S21 and S20 is probably a little different but here's an example of stock vs BSG setup. Stock is brighter and sharper than my GCam settings but much more artificial looking.

View attachment 5375199
View attachment 5375197

Also telephoto on GCam will provide more details. Stock is down sampling things to 12MP, but GCam will actually use 17MP for it.
View attachment 5375201
View attachment 5375205

Hi I use this version apk and xml but it take pictures like this
 

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  • PXL_20210816_154027565.jpg
    PXL_20210816_154027565.jpg
    803.3 KB · Views: 130

cyburke

Senior Member
Nov 7, 2007
631
60
Los Angeles, CA
No there isn't, that's a Samsung limitation with the Snapdragon model. Only Samsung can fix it. Also I've posted updates with the newest Arnova and BSG builds with my S21 Ultra configs here: https://xdaforums.com/t/gcam-for-snapdragon-s21-ultra.4253809/

Like before, they should work with the S21/S21+ snapdragons as well but it will require separate configurations to look good.

Just getting caught up on this thread... Beserker, thank you for all of the great information, links to XML files, etc!

I want to update to the BSG apk for running on my S21.. There are a bunch of options of the APK obviously, including a most recent beta..

Any opinions on which one, currently, is the best most stable for S21 (regular, not the Ultra) based on everything you've seen?

Should I go with the "latest" which is
Cheers!
 

beserker15

Senior Member
Sep 21, 2009
776
685
Just getting caught up on this thread... Beserker, thank you for all of the great information, links to XML files, etc!

I want to update to the BSG apk for running on my S21.. There are a bunch of options of the APK obviously, including a most recent beta..

Any opinions on which one, currently, is the best most stable for S21 (regular, not the Ultra) based on everything you've seen?

Should I go with the "latest" which is
Cheers!

Yeah, you can still use my XML in the posts above for a newer BSG build. The reason I haven't updated the links is because the changelog "fix black screen error on some devices" doesn't really apply to us so I didn't see a point in updating. You'll still want to use the Ruler package of the latest BSG.

 
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cyburke

Senior Member
Nov 7, 2007
631
60
Los Angeles, CA
Yeah, you can still use my XML in the posts above for a newer BSG build. The reason I haven't updated the links is because the changelog "fix black screen error on some devices" doesn't really apply to us so I didn't see a point in updating. You'll still want to use the Ruler package of the latest BSG.


Thanks much for the response! I installed the one you referred to, and setup the XML file, and it works perfectly! Cheers!
 
D

Deleted member 11783261

Guest
I want to share my XML for S21 Snapdragon, which works on BSG 8.1 (com.samsung packages).
I set AWB for Night Sight to remove color cast, and made other minor improvements.
@beserker15's information helps me a lot. Thank you very much!
 

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  • 8
    Is there much benefit to GCam here? Samsung's app looks good from what I've seen.

    On my Oneplus 6 it was useful, as the Oneplus app lacks panorama and Googles image processing is better.

    It depends on whether or not you like Samsung's image processing. I personally still don't though will admit they have improved over time. The biggest issue is still under lower light, where they have aggressive sharpening and noise reduction. Fine details are often a problem indoors, like hair or fur. The main camera's sensor is pretty large so that helps, but the ultra wide and telephoto sensors aren't so it's more noticeable.

    For those curious, I used Wichaya's Samsung Gcam here (3rd one): https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/f/changelog1501/
    5
    Are these settings valid for my s21 snapdragon? Mine is not ultra...

    Tele 2.0 freezes upon selection, other lens just freeze after a few seconds on base S21 Snapdragon.

    These are my settings based on berserker15's suggestion for Ruler Gcam 6.210329.0034 build-8.1.101. Though a bit late, hope it is still useful to anyone who needs it.

    Alright guys, this BSG version with my XML attached should work well for the base S21 and S21 Plus. My cousin upgraded to an S20 which has the same camera setup so I messed around with it a little.

    Obviously the processing between the S21 and S20 is probably a little different but here's an example of stock vs BSG setup. Stock is brighter and sharper than my GCam settings but much more artificial looking.

    20210731_143641.jpg
    PXL_20210731_143635531.jpg

    Also telephoto on GCam will provide more details. Stock is down sampling things to 12MP, but GCam will actually use 17MP for it.
    20210731_143839.jpg
    PXL_20210731_143854604.jpg

    4
    @Ramid15@gmail.com @pilotw @alexands1 @likecookies @LegendaryFire64

    New Arnova GCAM 8.1 is out y'all specifically for Snapdragon models*

    No guarantees on the S20/S21 base XML since I don't have it, but should work lol.
    4
    Hi,
    Fully working means everything works- Front Camera/Back Camera and any and all settings without crashing or freezing, that's what it means to me anyway. I know it's Samsung's fault, but why bother with Gcam ports if they don't work????
    We've gotten to a point where the builds are stable enough that nothing is crashing unless you enable a feature that isn't supported. I have no issues with going to the stock camera just for the front since I rarely ever use the front camera.

    I hope you know that not everything in stock camera "works" either. You can't manually choose the 3x and 10x when there's somewhat low light, or if the camera claims that you are too close to the subject. Oh, and not to mention that the stock camera still looks way worse on the auxiliary lenses.

    This picture is impossible to get via stock because stock will always switch away from the 10x and instead use the 3x cropped in because it's "too close".
    PXL_20210709_160555525.jpg

    This here is the limit to what the camera will still allow the 10x to be used before switching to the 3x:
    20210707_153235.jpg
    which looks horrible still compared to GCam:
    PXL_20210707_223332516.jpg
    but even worse since that's not the minimum focus distance the 10x can achieve, which is this with GCam:
    PXL_20210707_150019494.jpg

    So yeah, in summary just using stock is fine, except I refuse to accept crappier quality and weird software limitations when I know I can get better pictures with something else.
    3
    Is there a way to tweak the Wichiya gcam xml so that portrait mode shows by default instead of camera? Portrait mode autofocus works well, doesn't freeze, and there is far less noise than ZGcam.

    I looked into the XML keys but don't have an understanding of what keys to modify or add.
    Curious regarding the same thing, I wish I knew a little more about the inner tuning of the XML. Great job getting it where it already is. Unfortunately, I still get some studdering with my S21 Ultra in mid-light sceneries. I'm keeping a good eye on the GCam Hub for updates, in hopes something will come around!

    Don't worry guys, Arnova's latest will be released soon. I can confirm that the 4 rear cameras work great on Snapdragon S21 Ultra and is also the first GCam with video working on the telephoto (albeit at 1080p instead of 4K). However the awesome thing about the video is you can set the zoom to be greater than 20x unlike stock. Here's a couple of samples from the 10x and 3x with that unreleased GCam.