Never having owned an iPad the idea of creating movies on a tablet was something of an anathema to me. They seemed too clumsy a device to be easy to use for capturing video and I had concerns about the size of the camera lens.
"...the iPad 4 (4th generation) supports “H.264 video up to 1080p, 30 frames per second..." Ipadwiki.com
Still, my casual experiences with shooting movies using my iPhone (5s) has taught me not to make assumptions. I have been pleasantly surprised with some of the shots I have managed to get with my smartphone and so I tried to have an open mind about the iPad.
First tests - exterior, subdued daylight
I knew I would have to do mt tests in two or maybe even three parts in order to appraise the iPad's abilities. Filming would have to include a variety of lighting situations, distances and static and moving subjects. So, for my first test, I did some filming at my local part, in the early morning, which would provide me with some subdued daylight with some patches of shaded areas...
In this test movement was kept to a minimum with no fast or abrupt camera movements. I also did not make use of the iPad's digital zoom. I quickly decided that this facility was not a viable option as the depreciation in picture quality is not
I did make some limited use of my new Koolertron 24"/60cm Ball Bearing Pro DSLR Camera Slider Dolly Track, but I kept the movement very slow.
Conclusion
Well, I was pleasantly surprised with my first attempts using the Gen 4 iPad. Obviously, as long as one is aware of the limitations of the technology then one can deliberately avoid highlighting it's limitations. And, in this case, the subject matter and lighting (and lack of movement) played to the devices 'strengths'.
I can see how, from my point of view, the output from the iPad might represent a current 'minimum spec' for movie-making. But, still, it is watchable - within the limitations of how one might expect to deploy this sort of movie for general viewing (500 pixels wide within a web browser). I've yet to view this movie on a large TV screen, but I can imagine how the crispness one get's in this 'squeezed' 500px format will dissipate, soften and ultimately start to pixelate quite noticeable.
It (the iPad) is, after all, what it is.
One thing I should add, I was really impressed with how easy the iPad was to handle in hand-held situations. The size and shape were ideal for a two-handed grip, which made filming by hand quite steady and intuitive.
It was also very nice, as a camera user who has had to put up with little 4 inch LED screens on my other cameras, to have a luxuriously large preview screen! I can now see why so many DSLR and video camera users like to use large 'field monitors' - the extra screen really helps you to frame, check focus, identify small objects that you would have missed on small screens and give you a sharper window on your 'world'.
Useful link: iPad Generation 4 technical spec at Wikipedia
Next: I'll try the iPad out indoors in an interview situation, with particular attention to the quality of sound recording.
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