diff --git a/App.tsx b/App.tsx
index ec1f6a3..b94484a 100644
--- a/App.tsx
+++ b/App.tsx
@@ -1555,12 +1555,14 @@ export default function App() {
             // shutter instant as the EXIF capture date.
             exported: false,
             capturedAt,
-            // 300dpi header + full-res screen sharpen. No evFromCamera: the camera
-            // AE bias is never written, so the export applies the same software EV
-            // gain the preview shows.
+            // 300dpi header. No evFromCamera: the camera AE bias is never written,
+            // so the export applies the same software EV gain the preview shows.
+            // No forced output sharpen either: the 0.5 unsharp mask multiplied
+            // sensor noise ~3.2x (5x at Nyquist), so dim/high-ISO captures came
+            // back far noisier than the preview. The SHARPENING knob still
+            // sharpens when the user dials it above 0.
             // aspect: crop to the on-screen composition ratio (full = keep 4:3 native).
             dpi: 300,
-            sharpen: true,
             aspect: aspectRatio === 'full' ? undefined : aspectRatio,
             watermark: wmForExport(),
             liteMark,
diff --git a/src/utils/exportEngine.ts b/src/utils/exportEngine.ts
index 617c3c4..273e189 100644
--- a/src/utils/exportEngine.ts
+++ b/src/utils/exportEngine.ts
@@ -28,9 +28,6 @@ export interface ExportResult {
 export interface ExportOptions {
   // DPI to stamp into the JPEG header (metadata only — pixel size never changes).
   dpi?: number;
-  // Apply a subtle Lightroom-style "Screen" output sharpen (unsharp mask) to the
-  // final pixels before encoding. Pixels already export at full resolution.
-  sharpen?: boolean;
   // True for photos captured through the live camera: exposure compensation was
   // already applied as a hardware AE bias at capture, so no 2^EV matrix gain
   // should be added on top. Library stills omit this and get the matrix gain.
@@ -149,7 +146,7 @@ function release(owned: SkDisposable[], item: SkDisposable | null): void {
   disposeAll([item]);
 }
 
-function screenSharpenImage(image: SkImage, amount = 0.5): SkImage {
+function screenSharpenImage(image: SkImage, amount: number): SkImage {
   const w = image.width();
   const h = image.height();
   const center = 1 + 4 * amount;
@@ -894,12 +891,11 @@ export async function processAndExportPhoto(
 
     // 9. Snapshot & Encode to JPEG (base64 string, no SkData round-trip)
     let resultImage = own(outputSurface.makeImageSnapshot());
-    // Sharpening knob (0..10) overrides the legacy boolean sharpen flag:
-    // legacy camera captures keep sharpen:true → 0.5 fallback when knob is 0.
-    // A negative knob means "no sharpening at all" (its blur already ran at
-    // step 4, under the grain), so the legacy 0.5 fallback must not fire.
-    const sharpenAmount =
-      sharpKnob > 0 ? (sharpKnob / 10) * 0.8 : sharpKnob < 0 ? 0 : options?.sharpen ? 0.5 : 0;
+    // Sharpening knob (0..10) is the only source: the old 0.5 fallback that
+    // fired on every camera capture multiplied sensor noise ~3.2x (5x at
+    // Nyquist) and made dim/high-ISO shots unusable. A negative or zero knob
+    // sharpens not at all (a negative one blurs at step 4, under the grain).
+    const sharpenAmount = sharpKnob > 0 ? (sharpKnob / 10) * 0.8 : 0;
     if (sharpenAmount > 0) {
       const sharpened = screenSharpenImage(resultImage, sharpenAmount);
       // The helper returns its own input when it cannot allocate a surface.
diff --git a/src/utils/nativeExport.ts b/src/utils/nativeExport.ts
index 62d8507..7c52e79 100644
--- a/src/utils/nativeExport.ts
+++ b/src/utils/nativeExport.ts
@@ -24,9 +24,6 @@ export interface NativeExportResult {
 export interface NativeExportOptions {
   // DPI to stamp into the JPEG header (metadata only — pixel size never changes).
   dpi?: number;
-  // Apply the subtle "Screen" output sharpen (exportEngine #9) to the final
-  // pixels before encoding (legacy camera captures pass sharpen: true → 0.5).
-  sharpen?: boolean;
   // True for photos captured through the live camera: the AE bias already
   // applied exposure compensation at capture, so no 2^EV matrix gain is added.
   evFromCamera?: boolean;
@@ -73,11 +70,11 @@ export async function processAndExportPhotoNative(
     // (EXPO_PUBLIC_NATIVE_EXPORT is not inlined into a release HBC bundle).
     const tone = getToneUniforms(adjustments, recipe.baseFilter);
     const cinema = getCinemaUniforms(recipe.cinema);
-    // Final screen sharpen (engine #9): the sharpening knob (-10..10) overrides
-    // the legacy boolean sharpen flag (camera captures keep it true → 0.5).
+    // Final screen sharpen (engine #9): the sharpening knob (-10..10) is the
+    // only source — the old 0.5 fallback on every camera capture multiplied
+    // sensor noise ~3.2x and made dim/high-ISO shots unusable.
     const sharpKnob = adjustments.sharpening ?? 0;
-    const sharpenAmount =
-      sharpKnob > 0 ? (sharpKnob / 10) * 0.8 : sharpKnob < 0 ? 0 : options?.sharpen ? 0.5 : 0;
+    const sharpenAmount = sharpKnob > 0 ? (sharpKnob / 10) * 0.8 : 0;
     const aspect: '4:3' | '3:2' | undefined =
       options?.aspect && options.aspect !== 'full' && frameId !== 'wallframe'
         ? options.aspect