Something’s changed since I was last a tourist. We’re in Paris this week, and the defining feature for me is that loads of sightseers are looking at everything through an iPad. Is it because their cameras and video functions are spectacular, or is it some sophisticated way of keeping them out of the reach of the famous pickpockets? Or is it because at least they get to see a larger version of the thing they could be looking at for real if only they put the bloody thing down?

I’m a fan of the iPad generally, but I can’t imagine that Apple ever envisaged them obscuring the wonders of the world when they thought them up.

I don’t get it either. I like my iPad but it makes for a terrible camera.

I’d imagine (not being a tablet user) that if you are taking a ipad on a trip anyway, and it takes pictures, why carry a camera too. So I doubt people are using them because they think its a better way to take a picture.

Half the point of taking pictures is looking at them afterwards. Since people stopped using film, they don’t get stuff printed. 100’s of people will now say they print albums etc, but I haven’t had anything printed in years. Computers aren’t very portable so if I wanted to show you the sites I’d seen that day, over dinner, bringing my desktop/laptop would be a PITA. As for quality, it only has to be as good as the resolution of the display.
Simple.

Agreed. I only ever take my Brownie with me when visiting the Colonies.

This amused me greatly when we were on holiday in Malaysia/Thailand. Most of the beaches we went to had a bunch of folk taking pictures with various tablets. Didn’t quite seem right..

I love my iPad – but I’d never use it to take photos. You look like a knob, and you get a pretty crap photo – so why bother?

Is the camera not the same/better than an iPhones (which I think is pretty decent, considering)?

I’d imagine (not being a tablet user) that if you are taking a ipad on a trip anyway, and it takes pictures, why carry a camera too

That’s like saying I’m going on a culinary cruise, yet have a custard creme in my pocket, so I’ll only eat that…it’s food after all…
(OK, it’s not too dissimilar…)

Screens on iPads are nice to look at photos with, but I’d say it’s absolutely NO replacement for a proper camera when it comes to capturing the image.

DrP

because if you take pictures with your camera, to get a decent veiw of them on your tablet it’s a lot more of a faf than just taking the same pic with your tablet in the 1st instance, you can then display it to your hipster friends on a nice big screen with ease….

plus they fit nicely into a had bag/back pack, as said above, so you’re likely to have it with you anyway

Yep, saw the same thing in Rome earlier this year. I really don’t get why you’d want to carry an iPad with you all day. I leave my laptop in the hotel and just take a camera with me during the day.

It’s to show people you’ve got one. Which means little now everybody has.

They’re also pretty poor cameras for anything indoors eg inside the Vatican – a £100 compact will far out perform it..

Is the camera not the same/better than an iPhones (which I think is pretty decent, considering)?

It’s the same as the iPhone 4s, IIRC, so not too shabby.
I can sort of see why some people like to use pads, it’s a bit like a more portable plate camera, in that you can frame a photo much better with the bigger screen, especially if you use the grid lines.
With a better camera in, a pad could make a good landscape camera, using something like CameraPro or 654Pro.

so you’re likely to have it with you anyway

Why would you carry a tablet around with you when sightseeing? Is this to admit that your iPhone is rubbish?

Probably more to do with having a larger screen for reviewing the shots you just took, either immediately post capture or time shifted when back to the villa over a glass of vino…

aka chimping i kid you not…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimping

I dont think the ipad camera is as good as the iphones cam.

I may be wrong but i’m sure ipad 3 & 4 have 5mp cameras whereas the iphone 4s and 5 have an 8mp camera

Ipad 2 cam was only .92mp iirc

Besides i agree with earlier post – you look a nob taking pics with an ipad – but if that doesnt bother you…

I don’t get the implied derision over ‘chimping’, being able to instantly check the histograms etc to verify exposure / focus is one great advantage of DSLRs….

So other than being insecure about what it looks like, what are the disadvantages?

Well, as someone who isn’t holding one aloft, they’re a bit of an obstruction.

So other than being insecure about what it looks like, what are the disadvantages?

They aren’t as good as a poor camera?

DrP

what are the disadvantages?

The iPhone / iPad cameras are pretty poor in low light, having such tiny sensors.

So other than being insecure about what it looks like, what are the disadvantages?

Also presumably marks you out as a potential target for any thief.

Wouldn’t it make sense to have a small satellite camera, which can take good pictures, permanently bluetoothed to your tablet? You could walk around zooming and taking shots in all kind of lighting conditions and they would simultaneously upload to your tablet in your man-bag where you could view and delete them once you reached the cafe.

The last time i went to Hamsterly i saw a guy on the DH trails taking pictures of him mate with an iPad, he was struggling to not get mud all over it as he kept dipping the lid of its case into the dirt. Muppet.

So other than being insecure about what it looks like, what are the disadvantages?

The camera isn’t very good, and the ergonomics of actually holding it to use as a camera are awful.

My iPhone 4S camera is actually pretty good.

if you take pictures with your camera, to get a decent veiw of them on your tablet it’s a lot more of a faf than just taking the same pic with your tablet in the 1st instance

Really?

1. Remove SD card from camera
2. Place SD card in iPad camera dock and select “Import All”
3. Profit?!?

It’s not exactly a hugely faffy process and you get considerably better pictures. Plus you don’t have to wave around a very stealable device that is too big for your pocket.

So better to take your photos on an awesum resolution camera and hide them away to be viewed when you crank up your desktop, or put them online and share them via social networks etc where people are going to view them on tablets and other portable devices.
90% will only be viewed on a tablet, so may as well take them on a tablet….

My iPhone 4S camera is actually pretty good.

Unless it’s dark or it uses the flash, in which case it’s pretty lame IMHO (as a 4s owner).

fourbanger – out of the pictures I take, there’ll be a few good ones that I’ll want to print out. In which case I appreciate the quality. And in any case there’s more to a decent camera than resolution.

Unless it’s dark or it uses the flash, in which case it’s pretty lame IMHO (as a 4s owner).

Agreed. It’s no substitute for a camera with a decent sized sensor, but in decent light it’s not bad.

The panorama function is quite nifty too.

90% will only be viewed on a tablet, so may as well take them on a tablet….

Apart from the fact that a tablet is horrible to use as a camera.

90% will only be viewed on a tablet, so may as well take them on a tablet….

Or take them on a Half decent camera that’s probably already in your pocket (iPhone 4s / iPhone 5) and they will appear on the iPad anyway via iCloud.

Or take them on a good camera, and import them very easily as mentioned above.

The camera on the iPad is really quite poor, and add to that the fact that its not that easy to carry around all day, or to take pictures with, I really can’t see why anyone would do it (other than opportunism every now and then)

I have an iPad and an iPhone 5 and the first option works perfectly for me.
I take work related pictures every day using that method.

fourbanger: did you read my post? It takes a matter of minutes to transfer an SD card full of photos from a proper camera onto an iPad (or other tablet)

90% will only be viewed on a tablet, so may as well take them on a tablet….

My father-in-law always shows us his photos on the TV, but I would imagine it takes pretty crap pictures. 😀

And I doubt molgrips printer is much good at taking pictures either.

I’d presume many of these tourists will consider the quality ‘good enough’, the budding David Bailey will be a minority. My Mum has abandoned her compact for her dire mobile phone camera, and she won’t be told otherwise.

Is it not so they can immediately publish their photos to some social media site in order to inform all their friends of what a marvellous time they are having?

Is it not so they can immediately publish their photos to some social media site in order to inform all their friends of what a marvellous time they are having?

Possibly, but would a phone camera not be a better tool for that? Especially as most of the iPads presumably won’t be 3G models, so won’t actually be able to post stuff without hooking up to a phone or finding some wifi.

What a bunch of grumpy old Luddites we are today. I don’t take photos on a tablet cos I don’t own one. OP asked why everyone seemed to and I’ve told you. Then everyone comes on telling me they’re shit as cameras etc etc. Well that’s as maybe, I don’t really give a rats vagina about that. People are using them as cameras as you can all see and what I mentioned above is why.

Not everyone (in the real world) is a techy geek who can be arsed to transfer photos between devices. Some people just like to take photos whilst wandering around a city they’ve never been to before in a country who’s language they don’t speak. They probably use they’re tablet to navigate, look up points of interest, translate the odd word, send a quick email home, update their Facebook and, as the thing is already in hand, take some average pictures of what they’re looking at. They can then have a coffee with their tourist friends and say “here, Maureen! have a look at my photos of these sad techy geeks transferring photos from their cameras at a cyber cafe. I remember wasting time doing that instead of seeing the sites and showing you my photos on this handy device”
Doesn’t take a giant leap if imagination to figure why more people are doing it, but it does require some imagination. Much like taking a good photo.

66% of the people using an iPad as a Camera have an iPhone in their pocket they have chosen not to use.

They are idiots.

The other 34% haven’t, and they can get away with using it as a Camera – but only just 🙂

fourbanger: Speaking as a “techy geek Luddite” I find your logic very confusing, but if you feel so strongly about your right to take photos on a tablet you don’t have, then by all means carry on. 😀