iPhone SE (2020) - Camera app portrait mode and third party camera apps are not optically stabilised

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Level 1

8 points

iPhone SE (2020) - Camera app portrait mode and third party camera apps are not optically stabilised

My iPhones camera app portrait mode is not optically stabilised (the viewfinder is much shakier than the regular Photo and Video modes - resulting in blurry photos). The optical image stabilisation does work in Photo and Video modes so this isn’t a hardware issue. Also in any third party camera app I installed (I tried DSLR camera and Adobe lightroom), the viewfinder is also as shaky as the portrait mode (no optical image stabilisation). I thought this could’ve been an iOS update quirk but I’ve fully restored my iPhone to the latest iOS version and set it up as a new device, but the issue is still there. Honestly I don’t know what to do, I’m even questioning if the optical image stabilisation was there in the portrait mode in the first place (I guess only iPhone SE (2020) owners will be able to answer this, and I hope they will), but judging by how no third party camera app has optical image stabilisation (despite it being enabled in app), I think this is an iOS bug. I’ve reported this issue on the Apple bug reporting with all the logs required, so I hope someone will look into this. There’s literally no information about this online so I’m trying to reach out for help here.

Thank you for your replies

iPhone SE, iOS 14

Posted on Feb 24, 2021 2:23 PM

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Answer 1

ItsTomi Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 14, 2021 6:43 AM in response to ItsTomi

For anyone who’s wondering if this is right here’s the answer since this community is not helpful enough and neither are any iPhone related forums;

The portrait mode just works like this on the iPhone SE 2020, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 and iPhone XR. It’s not an issue.

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Answer 2

Eric--F

Community Specialist

Feb 26, 2021 2:06 PM in response to ItsTomi

Hello ItsTomi,

It sounds like you're experiencing an issue with the camera shaking when using Portrait mode, and we want to help.

Are you using these steps when taking photos in Portrait mode using the Apple Camera app? Use Portrait mode on your iPhone

This link has some some information and steps that can help with camera issues: If the camera or flash on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch isn't working

Thanks!

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Answer 3

KMB_12

Community Specialist

Feb 27, 2021 12:50 PM in response to ItsTomi

ItsTomi,

Thanks for letting us know.

It sounds like you already completed the steps outlined in the "If the camera isn't working" part of the second article we provided in our initial reply, and there was no change in the issue, correct?

Does the issue happen when using the front camera, the rear camera, or both? Take and edit photos with your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Just to confirm, is your iPhone currently running iOS 14.4? That information can help us determine the best way to move forward. Find the software version on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod

Thank you!

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Answer 4

SnickZ.

Community Specialist

Mar 1, 2021 7:51 AM in response to ItsTomi

ItsTomi,

Thank you for keeping your device updated.

From here, we'd like to get you in touch with Apple Support, so they can look into this further. You can reach Apple Support here:

Get Support

Take care!

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Answer 5

ItsTomi Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 28, 2021 6:48 AM in response to KMB_12

Yeah I’m on iOS 14.4 which i installed a few days ago via iTunes (restored and set up as new device). It is affecting the rear camera which is supposed to be optically stabilised (and it is stabilised in photo and video mode on the apple camera app - nowhere else). On portrait mode the camera acts like it has no optical image stabilisation and it’s a pity because my hands are quite shaky and without optical image stabilisation I’m getting blurry results sometimes...

i see no one reporting this, which is concerning but it either means that the camera portrait mode is supposed to work this way or my phone is broken in some way no one else ever encountered (or it’s an iOS bug)

Thank you for your replies. I just wish someone with an iPhone SE (2020) would reply and tell me whether their phone works the same way as mine or not.

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