The new iPad Camera

The new iPad Camera
The new iPad 3 brings many of the camera enhancements that have already appeared on the iPhone 4S. Of course the iPhone 4S has already proved to be the fastest selling smartphone ever, and has quickly risen to be the most common camera phone for uploading directly to Flickr. The new hardware developments together with the enhancements in the new iOS 5.1 system truly bring the new iPad’s rear camera into a new era of tablet cameras. Previous tablet cameras [...]

The new iPad 3 brings many of the camera enhancements that have already appeared on the iPhone 4S. Of course the iPhone 4S has already proved to be the fastest selling smartphone ever, and has quickly risen to be the most common camera phone for uploading directly to Flickr.

The new hardware developments together with the enhancements in the new iOS 5.1 system truly bring the new iPad’s rear camera into a new era of tablet cameras. Previous tablet cameras have been perfectly capable of snapshots, but by no means a replacement for a digital camera. The new iPad’s camera packs a whopping 5MP and is capable of recording video in HD at 1080P. Whereas users had previously pulled out their digital cameras or phones to capture the moment, for new iPad 3 users it will be second nature to reach for the tablet.

Apple have also elected to replace the previous lower-res front-facing camera with the new iSight camera that is already used in iMacs and Macbook Pros. This will make use of video calling apps such as FaceTime and Skype a very much more high-def experience.

So with the back camera packing in 5 megapixels, it needs to be said that it’s not just about the number of pixels. When taking photos in poorly-lit conditions, more megapixels can actually make an image look worse. The iSight camera incorporates a much better illumination technology in the form of a larger sensor with allows much more light information to pass into the lens and be calculated for optimum photo resolution. The technology of the illumination is able to keep wires and so on out of the path of the light using brand new technology.

The lens on the new iPad 3 camera Apple is a swift f/2.4 aperture and they’ve added a fifth lens for extra clarity and sharpness of image quality. It’s also helpful in low light conditions as it helps the camera filter in a wider light range and apply smoothing to light points.

In order to utilise all this revolutionary new camera hardware, the in-house Apple processor has been developed and upgraded. The new A5X CPA contains an onboard image signal processor in addition to extra memory.

Having that boost in processing power, users are now able to record video in 1080P HD resolution. They can also edit videos in real time on the device. With the onboard image processing, the new iPad 3 can now handle image stabilization, face detection and IR filtration.

The image stabilization feature helps reduce camera shake while you’re recording video footage and it’s particularly useful when making pan shots. CMOS sensors can have a tendency to incorrectly interpret infrared information and cause problems with color in images – the IR filtration will take care of that problem.  

Face detection is a familiar feature on camera phones, and now it comes to the new iPad 3 with several extra options. It can detect whether you’re taking a single portrait or a group picture, and adjust for white balance accordingly. This means the photographer can concentrate on the composition of the photo rather than messing about with the settings to try to find the optimum balance.

The new iPad 3 camera is definitely a huge step forward for tablet cameras and seems sure to prove a big hit with many users.

Bar Refaeli
Malin Akerman
Mila Kunis