diff --git a/spa/plugins/v4l2/v4l2-source.c b/spa/plugins/v4l2/v4l2-source.c
index 036558189..87acb6f2d 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/v4l2/v4l2-source.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/v4l2/v4l2-source.c
@@ -89,7 +89,8 @@ struct control {
 struct port {
 	struct impl *impl;
 
-	bool export_buf;
+	bool alloc_buffers;
+	bool have_expbuf;
 
 	bool next_fmtdesc;
 	struct v4l2_fmtdesc fmtdesc;
@@ -963,7 +964,8 @@ impl_init(const struct spa_handle_factory *factory,
 	port->info.params = port->params;
 	port->info.n_params = 6;
 
-	port->export_buf = true;
+	port->alloc_buffers = true;
+	port->have_expbuf = true;
 	port->have_query_ext_ctrl = true;
 	port->dev.log = this->log;
 	port->dev.fd = -1;
diff --git a/spa/plugins/v4l2/v4l2-utils.c b/spa/plugins/v4l2/v4l2-utils.c
index 5ec96896b..ed34c3ac5 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/v4l2/v4l2-utils.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/v4l2/v4l2-utils.c
@@ -957,7 +957,7 @@ static int spa_v4l2_set_format(struct impl *this, struct spa_video_info *format,
 
 	port->fmt = fmt;
 	port->info.change_mask |= SPA_PORT_CHANGE_MASK_FLAGS | SPA_PORT_CHANGE_MASK_RATE;
-	port->info.flags = (port->export_buf ? SPA_PORT_FLAG_CAN_ALLOC_BUFFERS : 0) |
+	port->info.flags = (port->alloc_buffers ? SPA_PORT_FLAG_CAN_ALLOC_BUFFERS : 0) |
 		SPA_PORT_FLAG_LIVE |
 		SPA_PORT_FLAG_PHYSICAL |
 		SPA_PORT_FLAG_TERMINAL;
@@ -1412,8 +1412,6 @@ mmap_init(struct impl *this,
 				this->props.device, reqbuf.count);
 		return -ENOMEM;
 	}
-	if (port->export_buf)
-		spa_log_debug(this->log, "v4l2: using EXPBUF");
 
 	for (i = 0; i < reqbuf.count; i++) {
 		struct buffer *b;
@@ -1448,7 +1446,7 @@ mmap_init(struct impl *this,
 		d[0].chunk->stride = port->fmt.fmt.pix.bytesperline;
 		d[0].chunk->flags = 0;
 
-		if (port->export_buf) {
+		if (port->have_expbuf) {
 			struct v4l2_exportbuffer expbuf;
 
 			spa_zero(expbuf);
@@ -1459,7 +1457,7 @@ mmap_init(struct impl *this,
 				if (errno == ENOTTY || errno == EINVAL) {
 					spa_log_debug(this->log, "v4l2: '%s' VIDIOC_EXPBUF not supported: %m",
 							this->props.device);
-					port->export_buf = false;
+					port->have_expbuf = false;
 					goto fallback;
 				}
 				spa_log_error(this->log, "v4l2: '%s' VIDIOC_EXPBUF: %m", this->props.device);
@@ -1473,24 +1471,17 @@ mmap_init(struct impl *this,
 			spa_log_debug(this->log, "v4l2: EXPBUF fd:%d", expbuf.fd);
 		} else {
 fallback:
-			d[0].type = SPA_DATA_MemPtr;
+			d[0].type = SPA_DATA_MemFd;
 			d[0].flags = SPA_DATA_FLAG_READABLE;
-			d[0].fd = -1;
-			d[0].data = mmap(NULL,
-					 b->v4l2_buffer.length,
-					 PROT_READ, MAP_SHARED,
-					 dev->fd,
-					 b->v4l2_buffer.m.offset);
-			if (d[0].data == MAP_FAILED) {
-				spa_log_error(this->log, "v4l2: '%s' mmap: %m", this->props.device);
-				return -errno;
-			}
-			b->ptr = d[0].data;
-			SPA_FLAG_SET(b->flags, BUFFER_FLAG_MAPPED);
-			spa_log_debug(this->log, "v4l2: mmap ptr:%p", d[0].data);
+			d[0].fd = dev->fd;
+			d[0].mapoffset = b->v4l2_buffer.m.offset;
+			spa_log_debug(this->log, "v4l2: mmap offset:%u", d[0].mapoffset);
 		}
 		spa_v4l2_buffer_recycle(this, i);
 	}
+	spa_log_info(this->log, "v4l2: have %u buffers using %s", reqbuf.count,
+			port->have_expbuf ? "EXPBUF" : "MMAP");
+
 	port->n_buffers = reqbuf.count;
 
 	return 0;