Google is working on a new camera API with RAW output and native face detection. The new API has been in the works since December 2012, and was supposed to be unveiled with Android 4.4 KitKat but was kept under wraps according to a commit on October 11 as it was unfinished. At present Android uses the "android.hardware.camera" API for calls to the camera hardware, but the new commits suggest that the API will now be called "android.hardware.photography". According to the description the new API will support both RAW as well as compressed JPEG output.
Full-capability devices allow for per-frame control of capture hardware and post-processing parameters at high frame rates. They also provide output data at high resolution in uncompressed formats, in addition to compressed JPEG output.
The new Photography API also supports removable devices, for eg. Sony QX10 which can be added or removed from the device and would allow for full resolution RAW images to be captured and saved on your device, allowing you to process them later. The API should be backwards compatible with older smartphones as it was in development before Android KitKat was in the works. We'll have more on this later.
