# Unable to read from CSI camera on Raspberry Pi 4

**URL:** <https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466>\
**Category:** Product support\
**Created:** [June 18, 2020, 12:01pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466 "2020-06-18T12:01:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hnnsgstfssn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hnnsgstfssn](https://forums.balena.io/u/hnnsgstfssn)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 12:01pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/1 "2020-06-18T12:01:42Z")

</div>

I’ve got an Innomaker CSI camera attached to the camera connector on the Pi 4 but am unable to read frames from it.

On the face of it everything looks normal but trying to read frames blocks indefinitely. The following shows a minimal succession of commands to illustrate the issue along with some debugging information output.

I’ve double and triple checked that the cable is connected and attached properly and in the right slot. The camera is detected as can be seen in the output of `vcgencmd` and `v4l2-ctl`.

I’ve experimented with different `gpu_mem` settings to no avail. `start_x` is set.

The proper kernel modules are loaded. My container is running in privileged mode. The BalenaOS is `balenaOS 2.51.1+rev1`.

Please advice.

> **Summary**
>
> ```
> % balena ssh 9e0d3b7f80216b3c1e1b9b852e037131
> =============================================================
> Welcome to balenaOS
> =============================================================
> root@9e0d3b7:~# uname -a
> Linux 9e0d3b7 4.19.75 #1 SMP PREEMPT Thu Jun 4 14:57:09 UTC 2020 aarch64 aarch64 aarch64 GNU/Linux
> root@9e0d3b7:~# vcgencmd get_camera
> supported=1 detected=1
> root@9e0d3b7:~# cat /mnt/boot/config.txt
> gpu_mem=192
> start_x=1
> arm_64bit=1
> avoid_warnings=1
> dtoverlay=vc4-fkms-v3d
> dtparam=i2c_arm=on
> dtparam=spi=on
> dtparam=audio=on
> gpu_mem_1024=256
> gpu_mem_256=192
> gpu_mem_512=192
> root@9e0d3b7:~# lsmod
> Module Size Used by
> ip6t_REJECT 16384 1
> nf_reject_ipv6 16384 1 ip6t_REJECT
> ipt_REJECT 16384 1
> nf_reject_ipv4 16384 1 ipt_REJECT
> xt_state 16384 0
> ip6table_filter 16384 1
> ip6_tables 28672 1 ip6table_filter
> ipt_MASQUERADE 16384 3
> nf_conntrack_netlink 49152 0
> nfnetlink 16384 2 nf_conntrack_netlink
> bnep 20480 2
> br_netfilter 24576 0
> hci_uart 45056 1
> btbcm 16384 1 hci_uart
> serdev 20480 1 hci_uart
> bluetooth 438272 24 hci_uart,btbcm,bnep
> ecdh_generic 28672 1 bluetooth
> xt_owner 16384 0
> i2c_dev 20480 0
> brcmfmac 319488 0
> spidev 20480 0
> brcmutil 20480 1 brcmfmac
> sha256_generic 20480 0
> bcm2835_codec 40960 0
> bcm2835_v4l2 49152 1
> v4l2_mem2mem 28672 1 bcm2835_codec
> v4l2_common 16384 1 bcm2835_v4l2
> bcm2835_mmal_vchiq 32768 2 bcm2835_codec,bcm2835_v4l2
> cfg80211 729088 1 brcmfmac
> videobuf2_vmalloc 16384 1 bcm2835_v4l2
> videobuf2_dma_contig 20480 1 bcm2835_codec
> videobuf2_memops 16384 2 videobuf2_vmalloc,videobuf2_dma_contig
> videobuf2_v4l2 28672 3 bcm2835_codec,bcm2835_v4l2,v4l2_mem2mem
> vc4 200704 0
> videobuf2_common 49152 4 bcm2835_codec,videobuf2_v4l2,bcm2835_v4l2,v4l2_mem2mem
> rfkill 32768 5 bluetooth,cfg80211
> v3d 73728 0
> videodev 249856 7 bcm2835_codec,v4l2_common,videobuf2_v4l2,bcm2835_v4l2,videobuf2_common,v4l2_mem2mem
> raspberrypi_hwmon 16384 0
> snd_soc_core 217088 1 vc4
> hwmon 20480 1 raspberrypi_hwmon
> media 40960 3 videodev,bcm2835_codec,v4l2_mem2mem
> gpu_sched 28672 1 v3d
> snd_bcm2835 28672 0
> snd_compress 20480 1 snd_soc_core
> snd_pcm_dmaengine 16384 1 snd_soc_core
> snd_pcm 126976 4 vc4,snd_bcm2835,snd_soc_core,snd_pcm_dmaengine
> snd_timer 40960 1 snd_pcm
> snd 86016 5 snd_bcm2835,snd_timer,snd_compress,snd_soc_core,snd_pcm
> vc_sm_cma 36864 1 bcm2835_mmal_vchiq
> spi_bcm2835 20480 0
> rpivid_mem 16384 0
> uio_pdrv_genirq 16384 0
> uio 20480 1 uio_pdrv_genirq
> fixed 16384 0
> sch_fq_codel 20480 8
> root@9e0d3b7:~# balena run --rm -it --privileged alpine
> / # apk add -U v4l-utils
> fetch http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.11/main/aarch64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
> fetch http://dl-cdn.alpinelinux.org/alpine/v3.11/community/aarch64/APKINDEX.tar.gz
> (1/69) Installing libffi (3.2.1-r6)
> (2/69) Installing libgcc (9.2.0-r4)
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> (4/69) Installing xz-libs (5.2.4-r0)
> (5/69) Installing libxml2 (2.9.10-r3)
> (6/69) Installing llvm9-libs (9.0.0-r1)
> (7/69) Installing libdrm (2.4.100-r0)
> (8/69) Installing elfutils-libelf (0.168-r2)
> (9/69) Installing expat (2.2.9-r1)
> (10/69) Installing mesa-glapi (19.2.7-r0)
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> (69/69) Installing v4l-utils (1.18.0-r0)
> Executing busybox-1.31.1-r9.trigger
> OK: 158 MiB in 83 packages
> / # v4l2-ctl --all
> Driver Info:
> Driver name : bm2835 mmal
> Card type : mmal service 16.1
> Bus info : platform:bcm2835-v4l2
> Driver version : 4.19.75
> Capabilities : 0x85200005
> Video Capture
> Video Overlay
> Read/Write
> Streaming
> Extended Pix Format
> Device Capabilities
> Device Caps : 0x05200005
> Video Capture
> Video Overlay
> Read/Write
> Streaming
> Extended Pix Format
> Priority: 2
> Video input : 0 (Camera 0: ok)
> Format Video Capture:
> Width/Height : 640/480
> Pixel Format : 'H264' (H.264)
> Field : None
> Bytes per Line : 0   
> Size Image : 307200
> Colorspace : SMPTE 170M
> Transfer Function : Default (maps to Rec. 709)
> YCbCr/HSV Encoding: Default (maps to ITU-R 601)
> Quantization : Default (maps to Full Range)
> Flags :
> Format Video Overlay:
> Left/Top : 150/50
> Width/Height: 1024/768
> Field : None
> Chroma Key : 0x00000000
> Global Alpha: 0xff
> Clip Count : 0
> Clip Bitmap : No
> Framebuffer Format:
> Capability : Extern Overlay
> Global Alpha
> Flags : Overlay Matches Capture/Output Size
> Width : 640
> Height : 480
> Pixel Format : 'YU12'
> Streaming Parameters Video Capture:
> Capabilities : timeperframe
> Frames per second: 10.000 (10/1)
> Read buffers : 1
> User Controls
> brightness 0x00980900 (int) : min=0 max=100 step=1 default=50 value=50 flags=slider
> contrast 0x00980901 (int) : min=-100 max=100 step=1 default=0 value=0 flags=slider
> saturation 0x00980902 (int) : min=-100 max=100 step=1 default=0 value=0 flags=slider
> red_balance 0x0098090e (int) : min=1 max=7999 step=1 default=1000 value=1000 flags=slider
> blue_balance 0x0098090f (int) : min=1 max=7999 step=1 default=1000 value=1000 flags=slider
> horizontal_flip 0x00980914 (bool) : default=0 value=0
> vertical_flip 0x00980915 (bool) : default=0 value=0
> power_line_frequency 0x00980918 (menu) : min=0 max=3 default=1 value=1
> 0: Disabled
> 1: 50 Hz
> 2: 60 Hz
> 3: Auto
> sharpness 0x0098091b (int) : min=-100 max=100 step=1 default=0 value=0 flags=slider
> color_effects 0x0098091f (menu) : min=0 max=15 default=0 value=0
> 0: None
> 1: Black & White
> 2: Sepia
> 3: Negative
> 4: Emboss
> 5: Sketch
> 6: Sky Blue
> 7: Grass Green
> 8: Skin Whiten
> 9: Vivid
> 10: Aqua
> 11: Art Freeze
> 12: Silhouette
> 13: Solarization
> 14: Antique
> 15: Set Cb/Cr
> rotate 0x00980922 (int) : min=0 max=360 step=90 default=0 value=0 flags=modify-layout
> color_effects_cbcr 0x0098092a (int) : min=0 max=65535 step=1 default=32896 value=32896
> Codec Controls
> video_bitrate_mode 0x009909ce (menu) : min=0 max=1 default=0 value=0 flags=update
> 0: Variable Bitrate
> 1: Constant Bitrate
> video_bitrate 0x009909cf (int) : min=25000 max=25000000 step=25000 default=10000000 value=10000000
> repeat_sequence_header 0x009909e2 (bool) : default=0 value=0
> h264_i_frame_period 0x00990a66 (int) : min=0 max=2147483647 step=1 default=60 value=60
> h264_level 0x00990a67 (menu) : min=0 max=11 default=11 value=11
> 0: 1
> 1: 1b
> 2: 1.1
> 3: 1.2
> 4: 1.3
> 5: 2
> 6: 2.1
> 7: 2.2
> 8: 3
> 9: 3.1
> 10: 3.2
> 11: 4
> h264_profile 0x00990a6b (menu) : min=0 max=4 default=4 value=4
> 0: Baseline
> 1: Constrained Baseline
> 2: Main
> 4: High
> Camera Controls
> auto_exposure 0x009a0901 (menu) : min=0 max=3 default=0 value=0
> 0: Auto Mode
> 1: Manual Mode
> exposure_time_absolute 0x009a0902 (int) : min=1 max=10000 step=1 default=1000 value=1000
> exposure_dynamic_framerate 0x009a0903 (bool) : default=0 value=0
> auto_exposure_bias 0x009a0913 (intmenu): min=0 max=24 default=12 value=12
> 0: -4000 (0xfffffffffffff060)
> 1: -3667 (0xfffffffffffff1ad)
> 2: -3333 (0xfffffffffffff2fb)
> 3: -3000 (0xfffffffffffff448)
> 4: -2667 (0xfffffffffffff595)
> 5: -2333 (0xfffffffffffff6e3)
> 6: -2000 (0xfffffffffffff830)
> 7: -1667 (0xfffffffffffff97d)
> 8: -1333 (0xfffffffffffffacb)
> 9: -1000 (0xfffffffffffffc18)
> 10: -667 (0xfffffffffffffd65)
> 11: -333 (0xfffffffffffffeb3)
> 12: 0 (0x0)
> 13: 333 (0x14d)
> 14: 667 (0x29b)
> 15: 1000 (0x3e8)
> 16: 1333 (0x535)
> 17: 1667 (0x683)
> 18: 2000 (0x7d0)
> 19: 2333 (0x91d)
> 20: 2667 (0xa6b)
> 21: 3000 (0xbb8)
> 22: 3333 (0xd05)
> 23: 3667 (0xe53)
> 24: 4000 (0xfa0)
> white_balance_auto_preset 0x009a0914 (menu) : min=0 max=10 default=1 value=1
> 0: Manual
> 1: Auto
> 2: Incandescent
> 3: Fluorescent
> 4: Fluorescent H
> 5: Horizon
> 6: Daylight
> 7: Flash
> 8: Cloudy
> 9: Shade
> 10: Greyworld
> image_stabilization 0x009a0916 (bool) : default=0 value=0
> iso_sensitivity 0x009a0917 (intmenu): min=0 max=4 default=0 value=0
> 0: 0 (0x0)
> 1: 100000 (0x186a0)
> 2: 200000 (0x30d40)
> 3: 400000 (0x61a80)
> 4: 800000 (0xc3500)
> iso_sensitivity_auto 0x009a0918 (menu) : min=0 max=1 default=1 value=1
> 0: Manual
> 1: Auto
> exposure_metering_mode 0x009a0919 (menu) : min=0 max=2 default=0 value=0
> 0: Average
> 1: Center Weighted
> 2: Spot
> scene_mode 0x009a091a (menu) : min=0 max=13 default=0 value=0
> 0: None
> 8: Night
> 11: Sports
> JPEG Compression Controls
> compression_quality 0x009d0903 (int) : min=1 max=100 step=1 default=30 value=30
> / # v4l2-ctl --list-formats-ext
> ioctl: VIDIOC_ENUM_FMT
> Type: Video Capture
> [0]: 'YU12' (Planar YUV 4:2:0)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [1]: 'YUYV' (YUYV 4:2:2)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [2]: 'RGB3' (24-bit RGB 8-8-8)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [3]: 'JPEG' (JFIF JPEG, compressed)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [4]: 'H264' (H.264, compressed)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [5]: 'MJPG' (Motion-JPEG, compressed)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [6]: 'YVYU' (YVYU 4:2:2)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [7]: 'VYUY' (VYUY 4:2:2)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [8]: 'UYVY' (UYVY 4:2:2)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [9]: 'NV12' (Y/CbCr 4:2:0)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [10]: 'BGR3' (24-bit BGR 8-8-8)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [11]: 'YV12' (Planar YVU 4:2:0)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [12]: 'NV21' (Y/CrCb 4:2:0)
> Size: Stepwise 32x32 - 2592x1944 with step 2/2
> [13]: 'BGR4' (32-bit BGRA/X 8-8-8-8)
> / # v4l2-ctl -v width=640,height=480,pixelformat=H264
> / # v4l2-ctl --stream-mmap=3 --stream-count=2 --stream-to=/dev/null # reading 2 frames (reads one then blocks)
> <
> 
> ```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![odyslam](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/odyslam/32/1684_2.png) [@odyslam](https://forums.balena.io/u/odyslam)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 3:27pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/4 "2020-06-18T15:27:42Z")

</div>

Hey,  
Thank you for contacting us! Have you tried to stream to another location other than `/dev/null`? This seems more related to that specific library than balena.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hnnsgstfssn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hnnsgstfssn](https://forums.balena.io/u/hnnsgstfssn)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/6 "2020-06-18T15:51:46Z")

</div>

Hi @odyslam,

I’ve tried that, yes. It does not work. The other supported formats does not work either. Any other ideas? I’m happy to grant support access if that would help.

It’s not necessarily Balena specific but I don’t know how to peel off any more moving parts or layers. `v4l2-ctl` is making direct `ioctl` syscalls to the kernel driver through the V4L Linux subsystem. I would’ve thought this is what the `picamera` library does under the hood too but I might be wrong on that. I’m pretty sure it uses the same driver at least.

The Balena hello world of reading video seems to have [open issues](https://github.com/balena-io-playground/balena-rpi-python-picamera/issues/16) that might be related but I’m unsure on that too.

Can you provide example code that you would expect to work? Installing `ffmpeg` to read video it has the same behavior, blocking indefinitely, but then again it is using V4L under the hood.

Since Balena does provides the kernel and drivers I’m thinking that might be where the issue is.

It could also be the hardware. Unfortunately I only have access to one camera and the global supply chain is unable to provide more cameras at the moment because of COVID19.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![saintaardvark](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/saintaardvark/32/3390_2.png) [@saintaardvark](https://forums.balena.io/u/saintaardvark)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 4:23pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/7 "2020-06-18T16:23:19Z")

</div>

Hi @hnnsgstfssn – thanks for the additional details. I’m curious about a couple of things:

- Are you able to share your Dockerfile/docker-compose.yml? It would be good to see which capabilities it has.
- Are you able to try this on a Raspberry Pi 3 with balenaOS? That might help figure out whether [the issue you linked](https://github.com/balena-io-playground/balena-rpi-python-picamera/issues/16) is related (though we’ll need to keep in mind differences in hardware).
- Are you able to try this with plain Raspbian? That might help determine whether it’s a problem with your camera, or with balenaOS.

Thanks again, and let us know how you get on.

Hugh

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![hnnsgstfssn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hnnsgstfssn](https://forums.balena.io/u/hnnsgstfssn)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/9 "2020-06-18T16:58:10Z")

</div>

Hi @saintaardvark,

> [@saintaardvark](#):
>
> Are you able to share your Dockerfile/docker-compose.yml? It would be good to see which capabilities it has.

I could put a few steps into a compose and Dockerfile and push that to an application. However the steps I’ve included previously are run directly on the device after having logged in with `balena ssh`. They run a container based on the `alpine` image and then manually run the steps that would be put in a potential Dockerfile. In my mind that should be equivalent to what you’re asking for. I’ve run the container with `--privileged`, does that not mean it has all the capabilities?

> Are you able to try this on a Raspberry Pi 3 with balenaOS? That might help figure out whether [the issue you linked](https://github.com/balena-io-playground/balena-rpi-python-picamera/issues/16) is related (though we’ll need to keep in mind differences in hardware).

Unfortunately I only have two Raspberry Pi 4 boards but no 3 ones at the moment. There is a lot of (conflicting, confusing, and unclear) information out there that indicates the Pi 4 still has unresolved issues and where using the Pi 3 would be a temporary fix. I would struggle to compile an exhaustive list of this though, and frankly, I want the increased power of the Pi 4.

> Are you able to try this with plain Raspbian? That might help determine whether it’s a problem with your camera, or with balenaOS.

I could try that, but what is it that is different between BalenaOS and Raspbian here? I’ll give it a quick go as I have a spare Pi 4. This could potentially give information about the working state of the camera hardware. However, would it help if I said I am able to read a single frame (H264 using the same command as above but with `--stream-count=1`) successfully. It hangs when reading 2 frames or more.

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**Author:** ![saintaardvark](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/saintaardvark/32/3390_2.png) [@saintaardvark](https://forums.balena.io/u/saintaardvark)\
**Post date:** [June 18, 2020, 5:18pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/10 "2020-06-18T17:18:30Z")

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Hi @hnnsgstfssn – thanks for confirming how you’re running this. Running it with `--privileged` should give it all the capabilities, yes. For debugging and repeatability, I often find it easier to create a `docker-compose.yml` file, even if it is throwaway, and use it with `balena push`. Looking at [balena-cam docker-compose.yml file](https://github.com/balenalabs/balena-cam/blob/master/docker-compose.yml) may give you some ideas.

balenaOS and Raspbian are two different Linux distributions. There are some differences in kernel versions, firmware, and so on. It might help to see if it works on Raspbian, and at least see whether those differences are associated with a difference in behaviour.

Thanks for the additional detail about `--stream-count=1` working, whereas reading 2 or more frames doesn’t. That makes me wonder if it’s a problem with the driver (or `v4l2-ctl`/`ffmpeg`) not doing the right thing between multiple frame reads, but I’m speculating. You may want to try seeing if the syscalls are different between a single frame read and multiple frame reads.

Let us know what you find out!

All the best,  
Hugh

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**Author:** ![hnnsgstfssn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hnnsgstfssn](https://forums.balena.io/u/hnnsgstfssn)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 3:47pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/12 "2020-06-22T15:47:49Z")

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I’ve now tried this on a stock Raspberry Pi OS (32-bit) Lite. It has the same problem.

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**Author:** ![jtonello](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/jtonello/32/3246_2.png) [@jtonello](https://forums.balena.io/u/jtonello)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/13 "2020-06-22T16:05:36Z")

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Hi @hnnsgstfssn,

Getting the same problem on the Raspbian suggests a driver issue. [This device spec](http://www.inno-maker.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Step1-MIPI-CAM-290-Features_v1.0.pdf) from Innomaker may not be for your exact camera, but it doesn’t explicitly confirm support for the RPi4. What camera model are you using?

John

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**Author:** ![hnnsgstfssn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a587f6/32.png) [@hnnsgstfssn](https://forums.balena.io/u/hnnsgstfssn)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/15 "2020-06-22T19:07:09Z")

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Hi @jtonello,

I’ve ordered off [this Amazon link](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inno-Maker-Camera-Module-OV5647-Raspberry/dp/B07G9VLPZH). I would guess it is [OV5647 Camera Module  
 ](https://www.inno-maker.com/product/cam-ov5647/) but I can honestly not tell with any certainty.

I have managed to get my hands on another camera meeting my requirements that works with zero changes so I’ve decided to give up on this completely, chalking it up to faulty hardware.

Given the dodgy Pi 4 support I’m experiencing overall I’ll probably be looking into other options for the device hardware as well, but that’s another rabbit hole for another day.

Anway, thanks for your input!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jtonello](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/balena/user_avatar/forums.balena.io/jtonello/32/3246_2.png) [@jtonello](https://forums.balena.io/u/jtonello)\
**Post date:** [June 22, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/16 "2020-06-22T19:12:11Z")

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Thanks for letting us know!

John

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**Author:** ![embedded](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/43a26b/32.png) [@embedded](https://forums.balena.io/u/embedded)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2024, 8:51pm UTC](https://forums.balena.io/t/unable-to-read-from-csi-camera-on-raspberry-pi-4/135466/19 "2024-08-20T20:51:34Z")

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I’ve been recording videos from two MIPI-CSI OV5647 cameras using the libcamera library on a Raspberry Pi CM4. Some configurations I’ve done:

**1) In /mnt/boot/config.txt, set the start\_x variable.**  
The start\_x variant is the full version of the firmware that includes hardware video decoding support and enables hardware-accelerated video decoding (H.264), which is essential for multimedia applications. You can achieve this by adding the following configuration to your fleet:

```auto
BALENA_HOST_CONFIG_start_x 1

```

**2) In /mnt/boot/config.txt, add your MIPI-CSI camera device tree.**  
In my case, I have specified one device tree per MIPI-CSI channel. You can configure this in your fleet using Balena Cloud in the “Define DT overlays” configuration. In my case:

```auto
"ov5647,cam0","ov5647,cam1"

```

**3) In the Docker Compose file, ensure the I2C devices are mounted inside your service container.**

```auto
services:
  <your-service-name>:
    build: ./
    devices:
      - "/dev/i2c-0:/dev/i2c-0"
      - "/dev/i2c-1:/dev/i2c-1"
      - "/dev/i2c-10:/dev/i2c-10"
      - "/dev/i2c-22:/dev/i2c-22"
    privileged: true

```

**4) Check if your cameras are detected. If you have `libcamera` installed, you can use the following command:**

```auto
$ libcamera-hello --lists 
Available cameras:
-------------------
Available cameras
-----------------
0 : ov5647 [4608x2592] (/base/soc/i2c0mux/i2c@1/ov5647@36)
    Modes: 'SGBRG10_CSI2P' : 640x480 [120.00 fps - (0, 0)/640x480 crop]
                             1280x720 [60.00 fps - (0, 0)/1280x720 crop]
                             1920x1080 [30.00 fps - (0, 0)/1920x1080 crop]
                             2592x1944 [15.00 fps - (0, 0)/2592x1944 crop]
                             4608x2592 [10.00 fps - (0, 0)/4608x2592 crop]
1 : ov5647 [4608x2592] (/base/soc/i2c0mux/i2c@0/ov5647@36)
    Modes: 'SGBRG10_CSI2P' : 640x480 [120.00 fps - (0, 0)/640x480 crop]
                             1280x720 [60.00 fps - (0, 0)/1280x720 crop]
                             1920x1080 [30.00 fps - (0, 0)/1920x1080 crop]
                             2592x1944 [15.00 fps - (0, 0)/2592x1944 crop]
                             4608x2592 [10.00 fps - (0, 0)/4608x2592 crop]

```