iPhone 17 Pro Max Video Stabilization and Picture Quality at Low Illumination

I only use my iPhone 17 Pro for photos, but had similar struggles: Especially in low light, photos were out of focus and blurred (1x lens, ProRaw, 48MP). There was a huge difference to my iPhone 14 Pro: In the same scene, 4 out of 5 photos were sharp using the 14 Pro, but only 1 out of 5 photos was sharp on the 17 Pro.

Unfortunately, this wasn't fixed with 26.1.

In the end, using a 3rd party camera app fixed the problem for me: I tried Halide, ProCamera, Lumina (free) and they all produced a rate of keepers which was comparable to the 14 Pro.

Not sure what causes the problem in the native app, but I noticed one thing: When I slowly pan the camera in a low light condition, the turn looks noticeably smoother in the 3rd party apps than it does when panning the camera with the native app. So this might point into the direction of a problem with the image stabilisation when using the native camera app.

This is the best I can do without actual images to review and compare. iPhone 17 Pro models sensor shift OIS supports high resolution 48MP images and 4K/120fps video capture with very smooth and fluid stabilization.

For video, it combines hardware stabilization with software enhancements to compensate for motion, delivering cinematic quality footage even when walking or running.

The phone also features a dedicated Sports mode that applies more aggressive stabilization by cropping into frames to reduce motion blur further, although with some resolution trade-off.

The iPhone 12 models do not have a Sports Mode and that might be the reason for slightly sharper images. Try turning Sports Mode off at night and then compare images.

Overall, the sensor-shift stabilization on the iPhone 17 Pro is an evolution from previous iPhones, optimized for the higher megapixel sensors and Pro Fusion camera technology across all lenses.

In summary, the iPhone 17 Pro uses state of the art second generation sensor shift optical image stabilization technology combined with advanced software algorithms to deliver best in class stabilization for both photos and videos in various conditions, including low light and action scenarios.

This is an advancement over the stabilization in the iPhone 12 Pro, which also used sensor shift OIS but on lower resolution sensors and without some of the newer software improvements and dedicated modes found in the 17 Pro models.

Low light levels generally require higher ISO and this produces artifacts we call noise. Poor low light capability is well documented in all cellphones. iPhones are not immune.

I saw a comparison of iPhone 17 PM, Samsung S25 Ultra and latest Google Pixel 10XL on YouTube. Matti Haapoja is his name and iPhone looked the best in low light.

I had a 12 Pro Max and I have no desire to go back. But if you believe it’s better, go for it and return your 17. You’d have to do side by side comparisons but no one else is claiming what you are.

What issue with video stabilizations are you experiencing?

014p wrote:

comparing same pictures taken under exactly the same light conditions with both phones.

Let’s see the example of two exactly same photos in same light and the base iPhone 12 is better.

You mentioned tweaks to turn on video stabilization. Are you having issues with your stabilization or what exactly. Stabilization is on all the time. As you zoom and increase the magnification image stabilization will become less effective.