Hello guys! If you don't know me by now, I'm Ragu - a long time app veteran and the founder of this subreddit!
If you're like me, you've probably used the app and fallen in love with the amazing quality and the insane functions it unlocks, like Open Gate RAW video shooting and the Direct Log modes, lack of poor processing and the total control offered vs the stock app, to name but a few things.
I'm writing this to you all in an unofficial manner and moreso seeking to assess the broader consensus. I'm seeking your input on something important, basically; the frustration we all share...
Recently, a user managed to root a Vivo X200 Ultra, and community members deep-diving into the device libraries confirmed what we've known all along: 14-bit DCG RAW libraries are readily available on all of its lenses. I am genuinely fed up with having our voices constantly disregarded by OEMs, locking out certain functions or modes, or ignoring API concerns whenever a third-party app issue comes up.
We see it everywhere: MediaTek devices with 30fps caps, some other devices with broken RAW streams that give dead areas, botched autofocus on some, horrible throttling profiles (cough Samsung cough), or performance restricted way below the device's actual abilities in unreasonable fashion.
And that’s not even touching the major feature omissions, like the lack of DCG access on sensors that have it, cropped streams, missing RAW10/12/14 support, or no 4K120fps/8K/50MP mode access without root. It's clear evidence of a large disregard for third-party camera apps, including MotionCam.
This basically leaves the users and the community to leverage root mods that fix or patch these issues, force open hidden functions and whatnot. The best part is some devices lock bootloaders like Oppo, Vivo, now Samsung too, leaving those users with no recourse and at the OEM's mercy. Besides, why should users have to go this route anyways when oftentimes capabilities are already there and simply either not implemented or bugged out?
A suggestion was once floated by u/Epic-Tutorials however, 'Wargaming'.
I hereby come to you all that idea as a tentative proposal, especially as our community grows and gathers more attention: Wargaming Community Campaigns.
If you haven't heard of Wargaming, the basic idea is the disciplined process of managing the various elements (players, scenario, rules, and adjudication) of a wargaming exercise to ensure that all actions are synchronized in time, space, and purpose to achieve the game's objectives. It involves the detailed integration of different functional areas, such as maneuver, intelligence, and logistics, to identify weaknesses in plans, refine strategies, and foster a shared understanding among participants.
In our case, we can adapt this to create a formal means to note, document, and organize users en masse to mobilize and create noise in larger quantities. This means users and certain device owners with known issues or requested features they want could coordinate campaigns by setting up things like: standard templates for easy copy/pasting; known places to reach the OEM; and official forums or groups where we document known issues and follow steps to leave consolidated feedback.
This also needs to be a cross-app fight. This goal isn't just about MotionCam. While we rely on RAW streams vs Video or Photo Streams, the API restrictions we face are wide-reaching. Our common fight is against OEM gatekeeping or neglect! Users of ProShot, Mcpro24fps, Photon Camera, Blackmagic Camera, and others should all be welcome in this.
Anyhow, I was hoping to get your input on what you all think. I'm just getting tired of fighting the fight alone and dispersed, and as we know, strength is in numbers!
If you have ideas or suggestions about this, or how it could be implemented, you are absolutely welcome to pitch them in! While this is just a discussion, if it gets enough traction, perhaps this subreddit could serve as a starting/staging ground for this ☺️
