yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
I've ordered mine and waiting for it to be delivered, I really hope that this camera gets active development from all the great members of xda
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
I just ordered today! from what I'm gathering its mixed on newest software but is the camera working out of box? I got mine off amazon and they all have good reviews!
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
I've ordered mine from amazon too, but it will take some time to be delivered to me

EXACTLY! it's like gambling, you don't know which version you will actually receive, but haven't read a review of a non-working unit, yet

fingers crossed till my camera arrives
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
Mine says delivery today it’s 11am EST and I see no movement SMH hopefully I’m not another victim of “This stuff always happens around the holidays lol” I’m eager to try it. If it’s good imma sell my Sony A6600!
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
hope it will be delivered soon and waiting for you to write your first impressions with your camera

it's a tough call between L16 and a6600, specially if you only shoot photos
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
Yeah I had to down grade I have 3 cameras and I get the iPhone pro every year that is truly closing the gap for what I use them for I only take pictures of kids and trips I have a 6600, Nikon p1000 and had a lumix point and shoot that I recently sold! So if this camera is good for 299 I already have a buyer for my camera so I can use money on other tech.
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
I have Samsung Note 10+ that still rocks and Fujifilm XT3 that gives superb video files and great images, so I'm in L16 for the tech mainly and photography secondly

phones nowadays are really sufficing your daily needs with enhanced algorithms and AI processing of final images, you can't justify having a dedicated camera 😅 unless you do some professional photo/videography
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
Exactly, I hope it’s good and we can make it better here I’m still waiting to get into that Facebook group they have a Even newer build! I’ll report back soon as I get it.
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
waiting for you to share
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
Just got it obviously can’t update mine is new in box and it’s running 1.3.0.5! I'm definitely excited to get the newest software if possible I hit the people up on the Facebook group a member posted I'm curious how better will it be!
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
afaik, there are slight differences from 1.3.0.6 upwards

I'm waiting for my "cookie fortune" to see what firmware version it has
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
Yes, I read that 1.3.0.6 is where you wonna start from if possible! 1.3.0.5 in some situations look really good even better then my IPhone 14 Pro! I’m hopping this thread will get us to where we need to be. I want to at least get the latest firmware on this thing! They had such a good thing with this sad they killed it. For the price I paid it’s close to another decent more pocketable Sony that will shoot better!
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
Never mind on this price was wrong on original article.
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
What firmware version is your running?
[General Questions and Answers] Mike Heck:
The production L16 is on LightOS-1.3.4.1-111 and the camera firmware is 006FD11B, if that's any value.
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
I’m on 1.3.0.5 from the release notes even 1.3.0.6 was a update! So I can only imagine the 1.3.4.0 people! I’m willing to buy software for the person who has most updated and can backup the camera so we can run the back up!

yes, even tho to me for the price I paid mine is decent! but I’m running 1.3.0.5-072 firmware 00481D6A so yes! I would assume yours have a lot of added features that will bring it even better quality from the release notes I have read for that build!
[General Questions and Answers] six_:
Not directly related to everything being talked about, but if you were to sideload OpenCamera would video capture be possible without the latest OS? Interested in buying one of these but no video even to mess with would be a deal breaker
[General Questions and Answers] HowardStark:
Hi!

I recently purchased a cheap brand new L16 as well. It came with version 1.3.0.5. I have also been searching everywhere for a newer firmware. So far the only lead I found is a Bilibili video of a person demonstrating how to offline update the camera. They seem to have a copy of firmware 1.3.5.1 and could simply update the camera by placing the firmware file into the internal storage(which is how HMD/Nokia devices update as well).

I have DM'd the video host to see if he is willing to share or sell the firmware package. Will report back once I get a reply. Here a link to the video in case you are curious: 【Light L16相机 固件升级指南】 https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1J...eb&vd_source=ee675b02079b99672e60053aa4c88611

Please do not harass the video host, last thing we want is to piss off that one guy who might have the firmware files.
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
That's very great!!!

Many thanks for sharing the video link and contacting

That's very great news!

Many thanks for sharing the link and contacting the person who did this video... Eagerly waiting for his reply
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
I think the app won't work at all, not really sure
[General Questions and Answers] :
Can someone help be clarify? So this is an android device right? I'm assuming the function of actually taking the pictures and processing them is done by an app. So when you are saying updated firmware is it just the updated version of that app? Why can't we just share around that apk?

Or are we taking about the android os that gets updated?

I have fallen for the Amazon honey pot as well, but at $150 I couldn't say no. The seller makes a point of saying "updated software" in the description but then in the fine print says it's really the old firmware version. So it might be a $150 paperweight. But the returns are free.
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
yes, android 6 is the version on which it was released, not sure of what version was on the last firmware updates

I don't think that it's just an updated apk, the latest update is about 850mb! and from my understanding after reading the release notes, the update may contain firmware updates for the camera modules too
[General Questions and Answers] matthew___h:
I was able to unlock the bootloader running 1.3.0.5

I dumped boot.img, system.img, persist.img, recovery.img, and aboot.img using the dirtycow temporary root and dd.

edit: This is wrong

Running "fastboot oem MasterClear" caused the camera to no longer boot, but unlocked the bootloader and allowed flashing.

After running "fastboot -w" to factory reset, re-flashing system, boot, persist, and recovery, and running "fastboot boot boot.img", android booted again. I do not know which of these allowed that

I have no idea what exactly MasterClear does as the commands have no documentation that I could find. It might only be necessary to run "fastboot -w" after

I also ran "fastboot oem ForceAOS" (turned the screen green) and "fastboot oem devmode off" (appears to do nothing set to on or off) before MasterClear. I do not know if these affected the bootloader unlock

I do not reccomend trying this as AFAIK it will no longer boot to recovery.

I was able to patch boot.img with magisk and acheve permanent root, and might try to compile TWRP
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
great effort. Looking forward to hearing more updates
[General Questions and Answers] matthew___h:
I'm wondering if someone dumped the firmware from an up to date camera if it could be flashed to an older camera

if someone wants to dump the images here are the commands I used

download and extract VIKIROOT here, adb commands required

enable developer mode and adb debugging in android settings

adb push exploit /data/local/tmp

adb shell

cd /data/local/tmp

chmod +x exploit

./exploit 2222

(you might need to toggle Bluetooth if it is stuck on "waiting for reverse connect shell")

(the prompt will not show back up, you can run whoami to verify it worked)

dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/boot of=/storage/emulated/0/boot.img

dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/persist of=/storage/emulated/0/persist.img

dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/system of=/storage/emulated/0/system.img

dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/recovery of=/storage/emulated/0/recovery.img

exit

The files should show up if connected to a computer in file transfer mode, although I had to reboot the camera before it picked up that they existed.

There shouldn't be any risk of bricking the camera as the partitions it copies are read-only, and there is no personal information stored on them.

they are not compressed so zipping/raring will cut down the size significantly
[General Questions and Answers] matthew___h:
This is unrelated but helpful

on stock firmware running

adb shell settings put secure install_non_market_apps 1

and installing SAI 4.5 from here using

adb install appname.apk

allows installing apk files straight on the camera without needing adb or the latest firmware

tested on 1.3.0.5 but will most likely work on any version
[General Questions and Answers] :
Thanks for clarifying!

So I got my camera today and it is as you all suspected the old 1.3.0.5 firmware, but I did the same thing that Matthew did only using es instead of sai. I was able to install from unknown sources, install fdroid, chrome, I haven't tried any other camera apps yet. There is no Google framework. Could this be a viable platform for microG? It does work with the PC lumen software.

That all being said just shooting around the house without playing with anything it doesn't seem to take all that great pictures...

So do we know how important those camera module updates are? Is this worth making a go of it with the old firmware?
[General Questions and Answers] matthew___h:
According to this stackoverflow post the hardware (camera) drivers are in the kernel (boot.img) and would get updated when the newer version is flashed. The camera modules requiring seperate updates was the only reason I could think of that would cause flashing the newer firmware not to work, and I can't find a reference to anything like that online. Things may work differently because this more of a camera than a phone.

If someone can dump the latest image (or second to latest as there are no picture quality differences), I will flash it to my camera and see if it works. Flashing requires unlocking the bootloader, and I don't know the exact process for that. I am trying to see if I can get TWRP running before finding a definitive bootloader unlock process as it should make it easier to recover from any problems.
[General Questions and Answers] dannydro:
Here you go. Its only 1.3.0.5-072. I just got this puppy today. I did a fresh reset before I pulled it. Compressed for easy download. Keep up the good work!
[General Questions and Answers] matthew___h:
Thanks for the dump, but my camera is already running 1.3.0.5-072. I was hoping for v1.3.3.5 or v1.3.4.1. I just got TWRP working and that makes it easier to dump the partitions/root the camera. I should have a guide on installing that once I verify the unlock process.
[General Questions and Answers] dannydro:
Dang. Well It seems our future now lies in either of these two fine members hands.
[General Questions and Answers] matthew___h:
Alright I confirmed I was completely incorrect in my first post about unlocking the bootloader

this will work to unlock the bootloader/install twrp/magisk root

You might need to reset the camera, so back up your pictures/data

setup adb and fastboot (guide)

download and extract VIKIROOT from here

download magisk apk from here

download material files apk from here

download twrp.img from this post from here

put all the files in the same folder as the adb command

open a terminal/cmd window in the adb folder

adb push exploit /data/local/tmp

adb shell

cd /data/local/tmp

chmod +x exploit

./exploit 2222

you need to toggle Bluetooth if it is stuck on "waiting for reverse connect shell"

if you get "unknown kernel" reboot and try again

It will say ===TERMINAL=== if it worked, whoami should return root.

the prompt will probably be blank

dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/boot of=/storage/emulated/0/boot.img

dd if=/dev/block/bootdevice/by-name/recovery of=/storage/emulated/0/recovery.img (for safety)

exit

exit

If the camera becomes disconnected before you exit the root prompt, temporary root does not appear to work until the camera is factory reset from recovery. This is not necessary if boot.img was dumped successfully as temporary root is not needed again.

adb install Magisk-v25.2.apk

adb install "Material Files_1.5.2_Apkpure.apk"

Open the Magisk app on the camera and press install near the top left. Press next, select and patch a file, open the menu on the left and select material files, scroll down and select boot.img, and then press LET'S GO ->

after it completes check what file name it saved as and change the file name bolded below

(or open material files and check the download folder if you closed Magisk)

adb pull /storage/emulated/0/Download/magisk_patched-XXXXX_YYYYY.img magisk_patched.img

adb reboot bootloader

fastboot oem devlock off

fastboot reboot bootloader

fastboot flash boot magisk_patched.img

fastboot flash recovery twrp.img (not required but nice to have)

fastboot reboot

The camera will reboot to android, and magisk should have the superuser tab available.

Changing to root in adb shell now can be done with su instead of the temporary root (there will be an approval prompt on the camera)

The bootloader will now allow flashing different system versions

please tell me if you have any problems

(to just unlock the bootloader)

adb reboot bootloader

fastboot oem devlock off

fastboot reboot
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
GREAT!!

I'm waiting for my unit, hopefully, it would have more recent firmware than 1.3.0.5

I would love to participate in this project actively; till then, kudos to all the efforts, specially @matthew___h
[General Questions and Answers] dannydro:
Awesome findings! Works great. I now have perm root. Haven't tried twrp. I did have to manually install a generic driver when it booted in to bootloader. Kept getting "waiting for device...". I think that's what happed to @gimliwasokay when he said no bootloader.
[General Questions and Answers] Mr_Zeeb:
I just bought two new Light L16s cause they were at such a great price! I haven't opened them up yet-waiting for Christmas. I am not sure what software or firmware they are on, but I want to ask everyone a few questions.

1) Is the camera still usable even if it is on old software and firmware? It doesn't have to be completely updated to work, does it?

2) I downloaded a copy of Lumen to my Mac. I have not updated to Ventura yet though. Does anyone else have a copy of Lumen on their Mac, and if so do you know if it runs on Ventura?
[General Questions and Answers] dannydro:
Enable apk installs without 3rdparty apps and adb

root\data\system\users\0\settings_secure.xml

Change

<setting id="25" name="install_non_market_apps"
vaule="0" package="android" />

to

<setting id="25" name="install_non_market_apps"
vaule="1" package="com.android.packageinstaller" />

save, reboot
[General Questions and Answers] HowardStark:
1. If you bought them brand new in box, and they come with retail firmware, then yes they will take pictures just fine. You are just missing out on a lot of features(check the changelog).

2. Do you use Intel or Apple Silicon Mac? My M1 mac won't run Lumen at all regardless of system version.
[General Questions and Answers] HowardStark:
Also, another tip, if you Lumen software crash very often, turn off the background processing feature!
[General Questions and Answers] esophoric:
If someone wants to walk me through what I need to do, I can confirm my camera does have the last released firmware. I am down to try and export it or whatever, I just don't really know what I am doing and would hate to screw it up haha
[General Questions and Answers] Mr_Zeeb:
Thanks for your reply!

1) I bought them brand new in box. What is the changelog? Is that the software updates? I was basically purchasing this camera to take good street and landscape photos on my upcoming trip to London. I have a 14 Pro, but the approx 81mp camera shots that I’ve seen people get was very enticing and thought it would be nice, even without future update features. Do you think that this camera will do what I want it to?

2) I have an intel Mac. You might try Parallels. It runs full Windows desktop, and works with M1. I downloaded copy of Lumen on there as well and it seems to work too. I haven’t tried it with a camera yet, but app seems to be fully operational.
[General Questions and Answers] HowardStark:
1. The changelog page for the firmware versions are still up, you can find it on the internet. You can see what each new firmware update add to the camera. However, unless you are in great lighting and have the time to process huge DNG files, your iPhone will probably take better pictures. The L16 might give you a bit more detail in excellent lighting, but more noise, worse color, worse dynamic range, etc. I personally bought it as a "toy", as almost all of the modern smartphones I own beats it in almost every aspect.

2. Thank you for the advise! Parallels on M1 only runs Windows ARM, which Lumen does not support either. However, I do own other x86 devices that are also much more powerful than a M1. So I use Lumen on those instead.
[General Questions and Answers] dannydro:
@matthew___h wrote a great guide. Please let me know if there’s anything that doesn’t make sense or could use more information. I’ll even be down to make a video if need be.
[General Questions and Answers] matthew___h:
The firmware partitions are read only so there is little to no risk of messing up your camera just by dumping them, and they do not contain any user information.

Here is an ADB setup guide, place the file named exploit from VIKIROOT in the platform-tools folder. If you are on windows you might need the ADB driver from here.
[General Questions and Answers] esophoric:
Okay I will try this and what @dannydro commented tomorrow and get back. If it's really as easy as it seems, I see no reason why I can't do this. I promise not to disappear either way!
[General Questions and Answers] :
Speaking to your first question: it is definitely usable if all you are looking for is a cheap digital medium format camera with the caveat being that your subject has to be extremely well lit and you have to be in manual iso/aperture. There is no aperture / ISO priority and the full auto is terrible yet there is no manual focus.

I have been shooting with it a day or so now and I have to say the detail I am able to get is phenomenal. I have never used the camera with this high of a resolution before and the results are breathtaking. That being said it's no Lytro. All you can do is take still pictures, download them to a computer and it spits out the single full resolution. No video, you cannot export each view from the different lenses separately, only the single composite photo, no depth map or any other image information beyond the basics. I side loaded a couple different camera apps to see if I could get video. Some work kinda, but the focus is gone.

So yes it's usable but it sounds like that update would be really appreciated. Like hero status appreciated. And how cool is it that this little group has rallied to work this problem!
[General Questions and Answers] poog:
Hi. I just have a general question. Do all firmware versions perform the same and give the same max resolution for raw file processing when using the proprietary lumen software? If not I wonder why?

Thanks for sharing. Is there focus lock in auto mode, or maybe a tap to focus on your fw. version? Thanks.
[General Questions and Answers] :
The pictures I'm getting are around 10432x7824 px. Not sure how that compares or translates to MP.

There is tap to focus but no lock so it refocuses everytime you push the shutter.
[General Questions and Answers] Phoenix21289:
I guess yes, but you get a different resolution for different zoom levels, at 28mm you get 82MP with zoom in you get lower res, this is what I have understood from all the reviews I saw and read

Just multiply those 2 numbers, and you'll get 81,619,968 pixels, divide by 1,000,000 (for mega), and it would be 81.6 rounded up to 82 Mega Pixels
[General Questions and Answers] :
I thought so, but 82 sounded really high I started to second guess myself. I finally got a chance to go through the change log and one of the many many really clutch updates, that are included in the later version, is a snap to 75mm which where theoretically the camera uses the most lenses and gets the best resolution. 81,619,968 pixels was at 70mm. Also included in an update is the apparent ability to see such information on the camera instead of after you've processed the image on the computer... fingerscrossed!
[General Questions and Answers] HowardStark:
Hi! Have you attempted this yet? If not, do you need assistance dumping the files? If you are located in the NYC area, I am more than happy to help in-person! Can't wait to get the latest firmware running on my unit. Thank you!
[General Questions and Answers] esophoric:
I d

Hey man! I haven’t tried because I suck haha but I planned on trying tonight or tomorrow. If I run into issues maybe I can take you up on some help via a phone call or discord chat or something. I’ll let you know. But I for sure have the camera with the final firmware, so if it’s as easy as stated then there’s no reason I shouldn’t be able to share it.
[General Questions and Answers] HowardStark:
Thank you so much! Please let us know how it goes, thanks!
[General Questions and Answers] corelle:
What a holiday gift it would be to get the latest firmware 😄 I need to learn myself but I would pay for a app that could process images on board lol
[General Questions and Answers] Ottoleox:
{Mod edit: Quoted post has been deleted. Oswald Boelcke}

If you guarantee that I send the money and receive the link, sign me up
[General Questions and Answers] ayanami00:
{Mod edit: Quoted post has been deleted. Oswald Boelcke}

You mind sharing whom you purchased this from or where?
[General Questions and Answers] helloavo:
{Mod edit: Quoted post has been deleted. Oswald Boelcke}

Personally I am a little skeptical about this, I would have a lot more trust if I understood where you got the firmware?

We are all here becuase we have searched everywhere else, so when a new member appears claiming to have the firmware its understandably a little suspect :)