iPad 2 camera is horrible!
I have written before about the issues with having a rear facing camera on a tablet. It is completely moronic to think anyone will actually use it to take pictures. Anyone who uses it to record video will try it once, and not ever again. The form factor is completely wrong. Cameras work on a phone due to the small size, and the fact they are always with you. On the iPad 2, you have to hold the tablet with one hand, and use your other to press the shutter button located in the middle of the screen on the bottom edge. It just doesn’t work. Throw in the worst portable camera I have seen since my first Motorola flip phone that didn’t even have a color screen, and you have a laughable “camera.”
I have taken several pictures with the camera in the day and a half that I’ve had the iPad. Some images in darker environments, and some in perfect environments where the sun was coming up, and the light was gentle. None of the images pulled out a decent picture. The iPad does a lot of things right, but the camera is definitely not one of them. This is strange considering the generally pleasing photo quality from the iPhone lineup. Images are soft, or downright blurry and pixelated. Images easily get washed out. The focal range is terrible. I hope you like standing about 15 ft from you subject to get it all in. Also, tap to focus is horribly implemented. Unless the tablet is held perfectly still, you lose the area you tapped to focus on. No sense explaining it all. Here are a couple pictures from the camera.
The 3 comparison shots were taken one after another in the same lighting and location.
That was generally expected.
Is the front facing camera even worse? The only good thing a camera would be good for on a tablet is video calling (albeit limited on iPad). Does it shape up to be half decent?
I’m also interested in hearing about the front facing camera. Good picture for video-chatting?
I’m not sure what I’d use the back camera for, if at all.
The front camera is even worse. It makes the pixelated indoor image, or the DVP image look like Italian art. I can’t fathom why the cameras are so bad, with how good the phone cameras are. Doesn’t make sense.
Hm. That is strange indeed. Could it be a software thing, by any (really unlikely) chance? Something that could improve with an update?
Also, regarding the back camera, can one still use it, like Andreas, to photo-copy documents? Or is it too bad for that? (I’ve thought about it and that’s probably the only use I’d have for it)
POtentially it could be software. I have heard of different updates helping camera image quality before. But it might not be the case. I wouldn’t bank on that until an update was released that did help the camera.
If the lighting was excellent, this could still scan docs. It won’t be as simple as it would be from your phone at all. The words won’t come out very crisp either. But with excellent lighting, it should give decent enough results.
Hm, that’s a bit of a shame (assuming that ideal lighting conditions aren’t all that abundant). Interesting to see how it plays out, if at all, with a future software update. I have to say, it’s very un-Apple of them, they always seem to add extra polish to things like this. Especially since, as you yourself have pointed out, they have better cameras in their other products.
Anyway, thanks for the info.
So disappointed in camera I didn’t bother to change over from my original iPad just regifted it and it’s joke of a camera
There are other reasons to upgrade aside from the camera though
With such poor quality cameras on the IPad 2, you’d be better off looking at Motorola’s Xoom or Samsung’s Galaxy for higher resolution cameras.
As I said before, the only camera I have ever experienced that was worse than the camera in the back….is the camera in the from that you are supposed to use with video calls. Bought the first iPad and loved it. This was is not as good. I certainly am not seeing a speed improvement, but I use mine mainly for email, note taking (using Evernote) and some limited web surfing. This should should really be called Newton2.
-Chip-
Have the same problem,maybe it’s even worse. Blury/ sandy picture. Both front and back. After having discussion with my colleuge who was happy with it decided to check the ipad demo in store. There is no comparison. I think it’s a device fault and will try to get a replacement. Maybe you’ve could try as well. Regards
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