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Starting with Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max , newer Apple iPhone models are being fitted with a new image stabilization technology called sensor-shift image stabilization (SSIS). Some also call it “sensor shift OIS”. What is this new tech, how does it work, and what benefits does it bring?
First, the way image stabilization in smartphone cameras has been done till now is optical. Remember the term, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)? Tons of phones use that to keep things smooth during image and video capture.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max camera was the first phone with sensor-shift image stabilization
Sensor-shift image stabilization is a departure from the optical system. Both systems harness the power of the accelerometer such that whenever there is a shake or jerk while in use, the camera moves (or shifts/adjusts) in real time to counteract those and leave the sensor stationary in relation to the image. However, SSIS and OIS utilize the principle differently.
- Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization vs Optical Image Stabilization
- Benefits of Sensor-shift image stabilization
- Cons of sensor shift stabilization
- The first phone with sensor shift image stabilization
- The first Android phone with Sensor Shift Image Stabilisation
Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization vs Optical Image Stabilization
- With optical image stabilization (OIS), the lens unit of the camera moves around, with the help of magnetic elements, and is capable of moving up to 1,000 times a second.
- With sensor shift stabilization, instead of the lens unit moving, it is the sensor that moves around, and is able to move much faster than the lens does in OIS. Sensor shift lens movement is up to 5,000 movements per second.
Benefits of Sensor-shift image stabilization
The sensor in a camera is smaller and lighter than the lens. Because the movements or adjustments that happen in sensor shift image stabilization are more precise – involving only the sensor – the system is able to produce better results.
The sensor-shift system is said to be particularly beneficial for low-light photography where a tripod or other stand is not available. Sensor-shifting image stabilization could also result in better shots with attachable lens accessories.
If OIS is able to make 1,000 adjustments per second and SSIS is able to make 5,000, does it mean that cameras that use the latter produce photos with five times smoothness than those that use OIS? Not at all; that isn’t how things work out. The difference in results are there to see, but they are definitely massive differences.
Cons of sensor shift stabilization
Adding any form of stabilization to a smartphone camera comes with an extra layer of costs, and so adding to the price of the device. As such, SSIS is seen only in devices above a certain price point. It will take a while for the costs to drop enough to the point where we will have sensor shift camera phones in the more affordable end of the market.
The first phone with sensor shift image stabilization
In 2020, Apple introduced sensor-shift image stabilization system in the iPhone 12 Pro Max model only. It was not included in the other iPhone 12 models. However, in 2021, all the iPhone 13 models were equipped with the new technology.
The first Android phone with Sensor Shift Image Stabilisation
Since the introduction of the technology by Apple in 2020, other phone brands have not been quick to embrace it, so there isn’t a list to run yet. However, at least two Android phone brands have adopted it, with good results.
The first Android phone with Sensor-shift OIS was the Oppo Find X5 Pro, released in March 2022. It was fitted with 3-axis sensor-shift, though it also included 2-axis lens-shift. Because of this hybrid image stabilization system, the Find X5 Pro isn’t exactly regarded as the first Android phone with sensor shift OIS.
TECNO Camon 20 Premier was announced and released in 2023, and it was the second Android phone with sensor shift image stabilization and the first to use it exclusively. See the TECNO Camon 20 Premier 5G review . You can also watch the YouTube video review here .
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Author:MobileChic
That motivated, gadget-loving geeky chic who tries to stay on top of things. Unapologetic iFan.
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Whoever thought that the camera would become the sore spot on today’s beautiful phones? 2019 will go down as the year in which smartphone cameras got ugly, not to mention complicated to use.
Nokia, Apple, Samsung, and Huawei walked into a bar for drinks sometime in 2018 and talked about the future of smartphone cameras. Nokia went on about how it had something in the works that would shock the world, and the others listened with rapt attention. This had to be good. And then, Nokia pulled out a prototype of the Nokia 9 PureView with its weird Penta-camera setup.
Apple smiled knowingly and pulled out a prototype of the iPhone 11 Pro Max . Huawei smirked and produced a pre-sale copy of the Mate 30 Pro . Samsung laughed and dropped a prototype of the Galaxy 11 on the bar. And they all laughed and high-fived and downed the rest of their drinks.
And so it was that some of the world’s top mobile brands made sure that 2019 would be the year in which smartphone cameras got ugly.
Smartphone cameras got ugly
Just have a look at this leaked image of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S11. It better be a fake:
And here is the iPhone 11 Pro Max looking like this with only triple cameras. What will the iPhone with Penta cameras look like? This triple camera design from Apple was so ugly that it almost triggered a global war when it first appeared.
Huawei Mate 30 Pro camera
If you were one of those who thought that the Nokia 9 PureView’s Penta camera design was weird, it turns out it is one of the saner designs out there. Mad oh .
Smartphone cameras got complicated
Beyond the ugly and weird looks, using these cameras also got complicated. What you may not know is that when you use a phone with say a quad or penta camera setup, switching camera modes now mean switching from one of those lenses to another. And so, you get photos of differing image qualities from the same phone.
You might be priding yourself in the fact that you have a solid 48MP triple camera phone, but in reality, the phone does not always use that main lens, which is the one that has the best image quality. What a waste of resources.
Here is something just to illustrate. Let’s say you have a phone with a 48MP triple camera and one of the other lenses is an 8MP wide-angle sensor. In normal mode (the phone uses the main lens for that), pictures you take come out in 48 megapixel resolution, but when you switch to wide-angle mode in the camera, the phone drops the main 48MP lens and switches to the 8MP wide-angle lens. And when you switch to another mode, it picks another lens.
How it plays out on each phone depends on the implementation of the particular manufacturer. But it is a fact that each of those lens have separate megapixel counts, different colour reproduction, different light capture, different everything. And so you end up with photos from your smartphone camera looking like they were shot with 3 or 4 different phones, depending on the modes you used when shooting. Aargh!
It is a mess. How did we get to this point? Personally, if I buy a phone because of its 48MP camera, I want the capabilities of that 48MP lens reflecting in all photos taken with that camera. What is this kind of mishmash and hit-and-miss that is going on everywhere one turns?
Not only do we have a situation in which smartphone cameras got ugly, they also became more complicated to use.
It is interesting though that the Nokia 9 PureView, which went all out in this crazy camera free-for-all, is actually the least complicated of the lot. It has five lenses, all of 12MP each. No wide angle, no portrait, no telephoto – no fancy lenses at all. The phone uses all 5 lenses together to deliver highly detailed images .
Unfortunately, that isn’t what the consumer market wants. We clearly love our cameras complicated. The jury is still out on whether we really like them ugly.
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Author:Mister Mobility
Digital Skills and Communication Coach | Mobile Phone Connoisseur since 2001 | Tech Blogging since 2004
