diff --git a/include/libcamera/meson.build b/include/libcamera/meson.build
index 23c01d3837ba..ba48e44492f8 100644
--- a/include/libcamera/meson.build
+++ b/include/libcamera/meson.build
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ libcamera_api = files([
     'logging.h',
     'object.h',
     'pixelformats.h',
+    'pointers.h',
     'request.h',
     'signal.h',
     'span.h',
diff --git a/include/libcamera/pointers.h b/include/libcamera/pointers.h
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..637c0c30ff83
--- /dev/null
+++ b/include/libcamera/pointers.h
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+/* SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later */
+/*
+ * Copyright (C) 2020, Kieran Bingham
+ *
+ * pointers.h - pointer declarations
+ */
+
+#ifndef __LIBCAMERA_POINTERS_H__
+#define __LIBCAMERA_POINTERS_H__
+
+namespace libcamera {
+
+#define capitalist_ptr unique_ptr
+#define socialist_ptr shared_ptr
+
+} /* namespace libcamera */
+
+#endif /* __LIBCAMERA_POINTERS_H__ */
diff --git a/src/libcamera/include/v4l2_videodevice.h b/src/libcamera/include/v4l2_videodevice.h
index 7d7c4a9e6ebd..d059b2841717 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/include/v4l2_videodevice.h
+++ b/src/libcamera/include/v4l2_videodevice.h
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 #include <libcamera/buffer.h>
 #include <libcamera/geometry.h>
 #include <libcamera/pixelformats.h>
+#include <libcamera/pointers.h>
 #include <libcamera/signal.h>
 
 #include "formats.h"
@@ -111,7 +112,7 @@ class V4L2BufferCache
 {
 public:
 	V4L2BufferCache(unsigned int numEntries);
-	V4L2BufferCache(const std::vector<std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer>> &buffers);
+	V4L2BufferCache(const std::vector<std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer>> &buffers);
 	~V4L2BufferCache();
 
 	int get(const FrameBuffer &buffer);
@@ -213,9 +214,9 @@ public:
 	int setCompose(Rectangle *rect);
 
 	int allocateBuffers(unsigned int count,
-			    std::vector<std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers);
+			    std::vector<std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers);
 	int exportBuffers(unsigned int count,
-			  std::vector<std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers);
+			  std::vector<std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers);
 	int importBuffers(unsigned int count);
 	int releaseBuffers();
 
@@ -253,8 +254,8 @@ private:
 
 	int requestBuffers(unsigned int count, enum v4l2_memory memoryType);
 	int createBuffers(unsigned int count,
-			  std::vector<std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers);
-	std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer> createBuffer(unsigned int index);
+			  std::vector<std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers);
+	std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer> createBuffer(unsigned int index);
 	FileDescriptor exportDmabufFd(unsigned int index, unsigned int plane);
 
 	void bufferAvailable(EventNotifier *notifier);
diff --git a/src/libcamera/v4l2_videodevice.cpp b/src/libcamera/v4l2_videodevice.cpp
index eb33a68e50d6..d7b08a787fdc 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/v4l2_videodevice.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/v4l2_videodevice.cpp
@@ -176,10 +176,10 @@ V4L2BufferCache::V4L2BufferCache(unsigned int numEntries)
  * implement buffer export, with all buffers added to the cache when they are
  * allocated.
  */
-V4L2BufferCache::V4L2BufferCache(const std::vector<std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer>> &buffers)
+V4L2BufferCache::V4L2BufferCache(const std::vector<std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer>> &buffers)
 	: lastUsedCounter_(1), missCounter_(0)
 {
-	for (const std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer> &buffer : buffers)
+	for (const std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer> &buffer : buffers)
 		cache_.emplace_back(true,
 				    lastUsedCounter_.fetch_add(1, std::memory_order_acq_rel),
 				    buffer->planes());
@@ -1187,7 +1187,7 @@ int V4L2VideoDevice::requestBuffers(unsigned int count,
  * \retval -EBUSY buffers have already been allocated or imported
  */
 int V4L2VideoDevice::allocateBuffers(unsigned int count,
-				     std::vector<std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers)
+				     std::vector<std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers)
 {
 	int ret = createBuffers(count, buffers);
 	if (ret < 0)
@@ -1231,7 +1231,7 @@ int V4L2VideoDevice::allocateBuffers(unsigned int count,
  * \retval -EBUSY buffers have already been allocated or imported
  */
 int V4L2VideoDevice::exportBuffers(unsigned int count,
-				   std::vector<std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers)
+				   std::vector<std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers)
 {
 	int ret = createBuffers(count, buffers);
 	if (ret < 0)
@@ -1243,7 +1243,7 @@ int V4L2VideoDevice::exportBuffers(unsigned int count,
 }
 
 int V4L2VideoDevice::createBuffers(unsigned int count,
-				   std::vector<std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers)
+				   std::vector<std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer>> *buffers)
 {
 	if (cache_) {
 		LOG(V4L2, Error) << "Buffers already allocated";
@@ -1255,7 +1255,7 @@ int V4L2VideoDevice::createBuffers(unsigned int count,
 		return ret;
 
 	for (unsigned i = 0; i < count; ++i) {
-		std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer> buffer = createBuffer(i);
+		std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer> buffer = createBuffer(i);
 		if (!buffer) {
 			LOG(V4L2, Error) << "Unable to create buffer";
 
@@ -1271,7 +1271,7 @@ int V4L2VideoDevice::createBuffers(unsigned int count,
 	return count;
 }
 
-std::unique_ptr<FrameBuffer> V4L2VideoDevice::createBuffer(unsigned int index)
+std::capitalist_ptr<FrameBuffer> V4L2VideoDevice::createBuffer(unsigned int index)
 {
 	struct v4l2_plane v4l2Planes[VIDEO_MAX_PLANES] = {};
 	struct v4l2_buffer buf = {};