Review: New iPad as a camera? Unwieldy, but good
VENICE BEACH, Calif. — The new iPads are out, and along with a thinner design and faster processor there's a greatly improved camera.
Naturally, as we did when the iPhone 6 was released, we took the new iPad Air 2 out for a spin to get photos and videos of beachgoers, skateboarders and strollers.
On the plus side: The new iPad camera is almost identical to the 8 megapixel model on the iPhone, up from 5 megapixels on the previous tablet. The pixels are larger to boot, and there's image stabilization to steady your shots.
But be warned: Shooting with the 10-inch iPad Air 2 tablet is a challenge. Sure, it's great for watching videos and viewing photos. But holding what seems like the world's largest camera for a steady shot — even with image stabilization, well — is tough.
You can get a steady shot — but it will take some effort. The same shots on the iPhone 6 are going to look steadier and smoother, because the device is so much lighter.
THE SPECS
Beyond image stabilization, the new iPads add:
• Time-lapse. Shoot speeded-up looks at the world.
• Slow-motion. The iPhone 6 has slow motion in two flavors, 120 frames a second and super super slo-mo at 240 frames per second. The iPad only offers 120 frames per second.
• Burst mode selfies. Take dozens and dozens of photos by keeping your finger on the shutter.
• What's missing. The iPhone 6 has focus pixels, dual pixels that make auto focus faster and more accurate, and on the iPhone 6 Plus, optical image stabilization, to further steady your shot in low light.
In its favor, the 9.7-inch screen of the iPad gives you the largest LCD viewfinder you'll find on any camera, some three times that of the competition. So you'll have a lot more room to be able to better compose your shot.
But getting a good grip on the iPad for photography is a bear. Even for a device thought to be light, when held as a camera, it's heavy, and not a natural fit in the hands. You need both hands to keep it steady, and make sure your finger isn't covering the lens.
For our shots in the accompanying video, we handheld the iPad and shot them without a tripod, and the results are great. The image stabilization works.
But we also did back-to-back walking shots down the street with the iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2. The iPhone footage is super steady, while with the iPad you could see the bumps clearly in the scene as our feet clomped up and down.
Clearly you won't use the iPad for these types of shots.
For standard interviews and the like, where the iPad doesn't have to move with the subject, it makes more sense. Can you learn to hold it steady? Sure. Put it on a ledge, your knee, something to give you some support.
As with the iPhone 6, photos shot in great light look terrific.
Bottom line: improved camera, yes, and you'll get better results than on previous iPads. But the iPad is just not a natural photo device. If your interest is true mobile photography, stick with the iPhone 6, which even with its similarities, is hands down the best camera you can buy on a smartphone.
The cameras are similar, but the ergonomics make a lot more sense with the smaller model.
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