Thanks for the forum link! As mentioned there, fswebcam can capture images after config.txt is setup (again and again).
# fswebcam -F 5 --png --save fsw2.png gave a 384x288 png image from the camera, with a date-time tag along the bottom! It's not the highest quality by today's phone standards, but it's OK. A tip on making config.txt changes persistent after upgrades, or getting it to work as non-root user, would be appreciated. # fswebcam -F 5 --png --save fsw2.png --- Opening /dev/video0... Trying source module v4l2... /dev/video0 opened. No input was specified, using the first. --- Capturing 5 frames... Captured 5 frames in 0.71 seconds. (7 fps) --- Processing captured image... Setting output format to PNG, quality 0 Writing PNG image to 'fsw2.png'. # file fsw2.png fsw2.png: PNG image data, 384 x 288, 8-bit/color RGB, non-interlaced January 29, 2021 6:53 PM, "Alan Corey" <alan01...@gmail.com> wrote: > The CSI cameras are not natively anything like v4l, maybe you can run > something now to make them compliant. The Pi should work with a USB > camera and give v4l. > > See the RPI forums at > https://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewforum.php?f=43&sid=a62693ef63165f18071bd85d069e6e90 > Or in Raspbian look at the raspistill and raspicam programs. They're > more like surplus cell phone cameras than anything with a standard > interface. > > On 1/29/21, Gunnar Wolf <gw...@debian.org> wrote: > >> Hi! >> >> oreg...@disroot.org dijo [Wed, Jan 06, 2021 at 09:09:09AM +0000]: >>>> I'm experimenting with a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B and can't seem to get >>>> V4L to expose a /dev/video0 device when using the standard CSI camera >>>> module. Raspbian on the same device seems to expose one correctly. I'm >>>> using the 20200707_raspi_4 image. >>> I was having similar problems with an early Pi 1, Model B+. The following >>> exposed a /dev/video0 device for me. Maybe it works for a Pi4 too. >> >> I was very happy to see this message! Still... >> >>> Installed raspi_0w image. >>> Added start_x=1 in /boot/firmware/config.txt >>> Installed v4l-utils, v4l2ucp, v4l-conf. >>> Installed a bunch of python stuff... >>> No joy. >>> Upgraded system to debian testing (to get the bcm2835_v4l2 module, from >>> the staging directory). >>> Reboot. >>> Changed /boot/firmware/config.txt again, because it was overwritten during >>> upgrade to testing: start_x=1 ; Also added gpu_mem=128 but not sure if >>> this is needed. >>> Reboot >>> Magic! /dev/video0 now exists. >>> Haven't captured a picture yet, but this looks promising: >>> # v4l2-ctl --info >> >> No luck yet :-( I tried this on a RPi4, and while /dev/vide0 exists, >> any attempts to use it ends up with a dead camera grabbing program :-( > > -- > ------------- > Education is contagious.