✨ Feature Request: Manual ISO Control

[aamiryameen]

What feature or enhancement are you suggesting?

Summary

Add support for manual ISO (sensor sensitivity) control in the Camera component.

Motivation

The current exposure prop only provides exposure compensation bias, which automatically adjusts both ISO and shutter speed. Many professional camera applications require direct ISO control for:

• Low-light video recording - Lock ISO to prevent flickering/noise changes
• Consistent exposure - Maintain same ISO across multiple shots
• Professional photography apps - Give users full manual control like DSLR cameras
• Night mode implementation - Increase ISO for darker scenes
• Video production - Match ISO settings across different shots/scenes

Native camera APIs (AVFoundation & Camera2) both support manual ISO, but this isn't exposed in Vision Camera.

Proposed API

Add an iso prop to the Camera component:

<Camera
  device={device}
  isActive={true}
  iso={800}  // number | undefined (undefined = auto)
/>

Device Capabilities

Add ISO capabilities to CameraDevice interface:

interface CameraDevice {
  minISO: number;      // e.g., 50 or 100
  maxISO: number;      // e.g., 3200 or 6400
  supportsManualISO: boolean;
}

Platform Implementation

iOS (AVFoundation):

try device.lockForConfiguration()
device.setExposureModeCustom(
  duration: AVCaptureDevice.currentExposureDuration,
  iso: Float(isoValue),
  completionHandler: nil
)
device.unlockForConfiguration()

Android (Camera2):

captureRequestBuilder.set(
  CaptureRequest.SENSOR_SENSITIVITY,
  isoValue  // Integer
)
captureRequestBuilder.set(
  CaptureRequest.CONTROL_AE_MODE,
  CaptureRequest.CONTROL_AE_MODE_OFF
)

Behavior

• iso={undefined} or prop not set → Auto ISO (default behavior)
• iso={800} → Lock ISO to 800, camera auto-adjusts shutter speed
• Values outside device.minISO to device.maxISO → Clamped to valid range
• Works independently from exposure prop (exposure compensation can still be applied)

Example Usage

function ManualCameraScreen() {
  const device = useCameraDevice('back');
  const [iso, setIso] = useState<number | undefined>(undefined);

  return (
    <>
      <Camera
        device={device}
        isActive={true}
        iso={iso}
      />
      
      <Slider
        minimumValue={device?.minISO ?? 100}
        maximumValue={device?.maxISO ?? 3200}
        value={iso ?? (device?.minISO ?? 100)}
        onValueChange={setIso}
      />
    </>
  );
}

Benefits

• ✅ Gives developers full control over sensor sensitivity
• ✅ Consistent with existing API design (zoom, exposure props)
• ✅ Platform support already available natively
• ✅ Optional prop - doesn't break existing code
• ✅ Simple to implement and use

Use Cases

1. Night Photography - Set high ISO (1600-3200) for dark scenes
2. Bright Daylight - Set low ISO (50-100) for clean images
3. Video Recording - Lock ISO to prevent exposure flickering
4. Astrophotography - Max ISO with long exposure
5. Product Photography - Consistent ISO across all shots

Why This Matters

Vision Camera is positioning itself as a professional-grade camera library. Manual ISO control is a fundamental feature in professional photography and videography. Without it, developers must either:

• Fork the library and add it themselves
• Use inferior camera libraries with less performance
• Build custom native modules (defeating the purpose of cross-platform)

Are you willing to help?

• I can test the implementation
• I can provide feedback on API design
• I can help with implementation (if guidance is provided)

Environment

• Vision Camera Version: [your version]
• React Native Version: [your version]
• Platform: iOS & Android

What Platforms whould this feature/enhancement affect?

Android, iOS

Alternatives/Workarounds

Summary

Add support for manual ISO (sensor sensitivity) control in the Camera component.

Motivation

The current exposure prop only provides exposure compensation bias, which automatically adjusts both ISO and shutter speed. Many professional camera applications require direct ISO control for:

• Low-light video recording - Lock ISO to prevent flickering/noise changes
• Consistent exposure - Maintain same ISO across multiple shots
• Professional photography apps - Give users full manual control like DSLR cameras
• Night mode implementation - Increase ISO for darker scenes
• Video production - Match ISO settings across different shots/scenes

Native camera APIs (AVFoundation & Camera2) both support manual ISO, but this isn't exposed in Vision Camera.

Proposed API

Add an iso prop to the Camera component:

<Camera
  device={device}
  isActive={true}
  iso={800}  // number | undefined (undefined = auto)
/>

Device Capabilities

Add ISO capabilities to CameraDevice interface:

interface CameraDevice {
  minISO: number;      // e.g., 50 or 100
  maxISO: number;      // e.g., 3200 or 6400
  supportsManualISO: boolean;
}

Platform Implementation

iOS (AVFoundation):

try device.lockForConfiguration()
device.setExposureModeCustom(
  duration: AVCaptureDevice.currentExposureDuration,
  iso: Float(isoValue),
  completionHandler: nil
)
device.unlockForConfiguration()

Android (Camera2):

captureRequestBuilder.set(
  CaptureRequest.SENSOR_SENSITIVITY,
  isoValue  // Integer
)
captureRequestBuilder.set(
  CaptureRequest.CONTROL_AE_MODE,
  CaptureRequest.CONTROL_AE_MODE_OFF
)

Behavior

• iso={undefined} or prop not set → Auto ISO (default behavior)
• iso={800} → Lock ISO to 800, camera auto-adjusts shutter speed
• Values outside device.minISO to device.maxISO → Clamped to valid range
• Works independently from exposure prop (exposure compensation can still be applied)

Example Usage

function ManualCameraScreen() {
  const device = useCameraDevice('back');
  const [iso, setIso] = useState<number | undefined>(undefined);

  return (
    <>
      <Camera
        device={device}
        isActive={true}
        iso={iso}
      />
      
      <Slider
        minimumValue={device?.minISO ?? 100}
        maximumValue={device?.maxISO ?? 3200}
        value={iso ?? (device?.minISO ?? 100)}
        onValueChange={setIso}
      />
    </>
  );
}

Benefits

• ✅ Gives developers full control over sensor sensitivity
• ✅ Consistent with existing API design (zoom, exposure props)
• ✅ Platform support already available natively
• ✅ Optional prop - doesn't break existing code
• ✅ Simple to implement and use

Use Cases

1. Night Photography - Set high ISO (1600-3200) for dark scenes
2. Bright Daylight - Set low ISO (50-100) for clean images
3. Video Recording - Lock ISO to prevent exposure flickering
4. Astrophotography - Max ISO with long exposure
5. Product Photography - Consistent ISO across all shots

Why This Matters

Vision Camera is positioning itself as a professional-grade camera library. Manual ISO control is a fundamental feature in professional photography and videography. Without it, developers must either:

• Fork the library and add it themselves
• Use inferior camera libraries with less performance
• Build custom native modules (defeating the purpose of cross-platform)

Are you willing to help?

• I can test the implementation
• I can provide feedback on API design
• I can help with implementation (if guidance is provided)

Environment

• Vision Camera Version: [your version]
• React Native Version: [your version]
• Platform: iOS & Android

Additional information

• I agree to follow this project's Code of Conduct
• I searched for similar feature requests in this repository and found none.

[maintenance-hans]

Guten Tag, Hans here.

Note

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