diff --git a/camera/ndk/impl/ACameraMetadata.cpp b/camera/ndk/impl/ACameraMetadata.cpp
index e15e1a0..0ff78ab 100644
--- a/camera/ndk/impl/ACameraMetadata.cpp
+++ b/camera/ndk/impl/ACameraMetadata.cpp
@@ -28,7 +28,37 @@
  * ACameraMetadata Implementation
  */
 ACameraMetadata::ACameraMetadata(camera_metadata_t* buffer, ACAMERA_METADATA_TYPE type) :
-        mData(buffer), mType(type) {
+        mData(new CameraMetadata(buffer)),
+        mOwnsData(true),
+        mType(type) {
+    init();
+}
+
+ACameraMetadata::ACameraMetadata(CameraMetadata* cameraMetadata, ACAMERA_METADATA_TYPE type) :
+        mData(cameraMetadata),
+        mOwnsData(false),
+        mType(type) {
+    init();
+}
+
+ACameraMetadata::ACameraMetadata(const ACameraMetadata& other) :
+        mOwnsData(other.mOwnsData),
+        mType(other.mType) {
+    if (other.mOwnsData) {
+        mData = new CameraMetadata(*(other.mData));
+    } else {
+        mData = other.mData;
+    }
+}
+
+ACameraMetadata::~ACameraMetadata() {
+    if (mOwnsData) {
+        delete mData;
+    }
+}
+
+void
+ACameraMetadata::init() {
     if (mType == ACM_CHARACTERISTICS) {
         filterUnsupportedFeatures();
         filterStreamConfigurations();
@@ -61,7 +91,7 @@
 void
 ACameraMetadata::filterUnsupportedFeatures() {
     // Hide unsupported capabilities (reprocessing)
-    camera_metadata_entry entry = mData.find(ANDROID_REQUEST_AVAILABLE_CAPABILITIES);
+    camera_metadata_entry entry = mData->find(ANDROID_REQUEST_AVAILABLE_CAPABILITIES);
     if (entry.count == 0 || entry.type != TYPE_BYTE) {
         ALOGE("%s: malformed available capability key! count %zu, type %d",
                 __FUNCTION__, entry.count, entry.type);
@@ -80,7 +110,7 @@
             }
         }
     }
-    mData.update(ANDROID_REQUEST_AVAILABLE_CAPABILITIES, capabilities);
+    mData->update(ANDROID_REQUEST_AVAILABLE_CAPABILITIES, capabilities);
 }
 
 void
@@ -118,7 +148,7 @@
     const int STREAM_WIDTH_OFFSET = 1;
     const int STREAM_HEIGHT_OFFSET = 2;
     const int STREAM_DURATION_OFFSET = 3;
-    camera_metadata_entry entry = mData.find(tag);
+    camera_metadata_entry entry = mData->find(tag);
     if (entry.count == 0 || entry.count % 4 || entry.type != TYPE_INT64) {
         ALOGE("%s: malformed duration key %d! count %zu, type %d",
                 __FUNCTION__, tag, entry.count, entry.type);
@@ -194,7 +224,7 @@
         }
     }
 
-    mData.update(tag, filteredDurations);
+    mData->update(tag, filteredDurations);
 }
 
 void
@@ -204,7 +234,7 @@
     const int STREAM_WIDTH_OFFSET = 1;
     const int STREAM_HEIGHT_OFFSET = 2;
     const int STREAM_IS_INPUT_OFFSET = 3;
-    camera_metadata_entry entry = mData.find(ANDROID_SCALER_AVAILABLE_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS);
+    camera_metadata_entry entry = mData->find(ANDROID_SCALER_AVAILABLE_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS);
     if (entry.count > 0 && (entry.count % 4 || entry.type != TYPE_INT32)) {
         ALOGE("%s: malformed available stream configuration key! count %zu, type %d",
                 __FUNCTION__, entry.count, entry.type);
@@ -234,10 +264,10 @@
     }
 
     if (filteredStreamConfigs.size() > 0) {
-        mData.update(ANDROID_SCALER_AVAILABLE_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS, filteredStreamConfigs);
+        mData->update(ANDROID_SCALER_AVAILABLE_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS, filteredStreamConfigs);
     }
 
-    entry = mData.find(ANDROID_DEPTH_AVAILABLE_DEPTH_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS);
+    entry = mData->find(ANDROID_DEPTH_AVAILABLE_DEPTH_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS);
     if (entry.count > 0 && (entry.count % 4 || entry.type != TYPE_INT32)) {
         ALOGE("%s: malformed available depth stream configuration key! count %zu, type %d",
                 __FUNCTION__, entry.count, entry.type);
@@ -270,11 +300,11 @@
     }
 
     if (filteredDepthStreamConfigs.size() > 0) {
-        mData.update(ANDROID_DEPTH_AVAILABLE_DEPTH_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS,
+        mData->update(ANDROID_DEPTH_AVAILABLE_DEPTH_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS,
                 filteredDepthStreamConfigs);
     }
 
-    entry = mData.find(ANDROID_HEIC_AVAILABLE_HEIC_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS);
+    entry = mData->find(ANDROID_HEIC_AVAILABLE_HEIC_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS);
     Vector<int32_t> filteredHeicStreamConfigs;
     filteredHeicStreamConfigs.setCapacity(entry.count);
 
@@ -297,9 +327,9 @@
         filteredHeicStreamConfigs.push_back(height);
         filteredHeicStreamConfigs.push_back(isInput);
     }
-    mData.update(ANDROID_HEIC_AVAILABLE_HEIC_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS, filteredHeicStreamConfigs);
+    mData->update(ANDROID_HEIC_AVAILABLE_HEIC_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS, filteredHeicStreamConfigs);
 
-    entry = mData.find(ANDROID_DEPTH_AVAILABLE_DYNAMIC_DEPTH_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS);
+    entry = mData->find(ANDROID_DEPTH_AVAILABLE_DYNAMIC_DEPTH_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS);
     Vector<int32_t> filteredDynamicDepthStreamConfigs;
     filteredDynamicDepthStreamConfigs.setCapacity(entry.count);
 
@@ -322,7 +352,7 @@
         filteredDynamicDepthStreamConfigs.push_back(height);
         filteredDynamicDepthStreamConfigs.push_back(isInput);
     }
-    mData.update(ACAMERA_DEPTH_AVAILABLE_DYNAMIC_DEPTH_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS,
+    mData->update(ACAMERA_DEPTH_AVAILABLE_DYNAMIC_DEPTH_STREAM_CONFIGURATIONS,
             filteredDynamicDepthStreamConfigs);
 }
 
@@ -343,7 +373,7 @@
 
     Mutex::Autolock _l(mLock);
 
-    camera_metadata_ro_entry rawEntry = mData.find(tag);
+    camera_metadata_ro_entry rawEntry = static_cast<const CameraMetadata*>(mData)->find(tag);
     if (rawEntry.count == 0) {
         ALOGE("%s: cannot find metadata tag %d", __FUNCTION__, tag);
         return ACAMERA_ERROR_METADATA_NOT_FOUND;
@@ -390,9 +420,9 @@
                          /*out*/const uint32_t** tags) const {
     Mutex::Autolock _l(mLock);
     if (mTags.size() == 0) {
-        size_t entry_count = mData.entryCount();
+        size_t entry_count = mData->entryCount();
         mTags.setCapacity(entry_count);
-        const camera_metadata_t* rawMetadata = mData.getAndLock();
+        const camera_metadata_t* rawMetadata = mData->getAndLock();
         for (size_t i = 0; i < entry_count; i++) {
             camera_metadata_ro_entry_t entry;
             int ret = get_camera_metadata_ro_entry(rawMetadata, i, &entry);
@@ -405,7 +435,7 @@
                 mTags.push_back(entry.tag);
             }
         }
-        mData.unlock(rawMetadata);
+        mData->unlock(rawMetadata);
     }
 
     *numTags = mTags.size();
@@ -415,7 +445,7 @@
 
 const CameraMetadata&
 ACameraMetadata::getInternalData() const {
-    return mData;
+    return (*mData);
 }
 
 bool
diff --git a/camera/ndk/impl/ACameraMetadata.h b/camera/ndk/impl/ACameraMetadata.h
index 97f7f48..a57b2ff 100644
--- a/camera/ndk/impl/ACameraMetadata.h
+++ b/camera/ndk/impl/ACameraMetadata.h
@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@
 using namespace android;
 
 /**
- * ACameraMetadata opaque struct definition
- * Leave outside of android namespace because it's NDK struct
+ * ACameraMetadata is an opaque struct definition.
+ * It is intentionally left outside of the android namespace because it's NDK struct.
  */
 struct ACameraMetadata : public RefBase {
   public:
@@ -47,11 +47,20 @@
         ACM_RESULT,          // Read only
     } ACAMERA_METADATA_TYPE;
 
-    // Takes ownership of pass-in buffer
-    ACameraMetadata(camera_metadata_t *buffer, ACAMERA_METADATA_TYPE type);
-    // Clone
-    ACameraMetadata(const ACameraMetadata& other) :
-            mData(other.mData), mType(other.mType) {};
+    // Constructs a ACameraMetadata that takes ownership of `buffer`.
+    ACameraMetadata(camera_metadata_t* buffer, ACAMERA_METADATA_TYPE type);
+
+    // Constructs a ACameraMetadata that is a view of `cameraMetadata`.
+    // `cameraMetadata` will not be deleted by ~ACameraMetadata().
+    ACameraMetadata(CameraMetadata* cameraMetadata, ACAMERA_METADATA_TYPE type);
+
+    // Copy constructor.
+    //
+    // If `other` owns its CameraMetadata, then makes a deep copy.
+    // Otherwise, the new instance is also a view of the same data.
+    ACameraMetadata(const ACameraMetadata& other);
+
+    ~ACameraMetadata();
 
     camera_status_t getConstEntry(uint32_t tag, ACameraMetadata_const_entry* entry) const;
 
@@ -70,6 +79,9 @@
 
   private:
 
+    // Common code called by constructors.
+    void init();
+
     // This function does not check whether the capability passed to it is valid.
     // The caller must make sure that it is.
     bool isNdkSupportedCapability(const int32_t capability);
@@ -95,11 +107,11 @@
 
         status_t ret = OK;
         if (count == 0 && data == nullptr) {
-            ret = mData.erase(tag);
+            ret = mData->erase(tag);
         } else {
             // Here we have to use reinterpret_cast because the NDK data type is
             // exact copy of internal data type but they do not inherit from each other
-            ret = mData.update(tag, reinterpret_cast<const INTERNAL_T*>(data), count);
+            ret = mData->update(tag, reinterpret_cast<const INTERNAL_T*>(data), count);
         }
 
         if (ret == OK) {
@@ -110,10 +122,14 @@
         }
     }
 
-    // guard access of public APIs: get/update/getTags
-    mutable Mutex    mLock;
-    CameraMetadata   mData;
-    mutable Vector<uint32_t> mTags; // updated in getTags, cleared by update
+    // Guard access of public APIs: get/update/getTags.
+    mutable Mutex mLock;
+
+    CameraMetadata* mData;
+    // If true, has ownership of mData. Otherwise, mData is a view of an external instance.
+    bool mOwnsData;
+
+    mutable Vector<uint32_t> mTags; // Updated by `getTags()`, cleared by `update()`.
     const ACAMERA_METADATA_TYPE mType;
 
     static std::unordered_set<uint32_t> sSystemTags;