photography

The iPad 2 is equipped with two cameras, a front-facing VGA camera and a rear facing 720p HD camera. Check out the video above for example footage with both cameras.

Recording video on the iPad 2 is a little awkward given it's large size, but it gets the job done. Another thing that takes some getting used to is that when using the front-facing camera to record yourself in landscape mode, the camera is positioned to the far left (or right). It feels strange looking so far from the center of the screen because I have grown accustomed to looking at the top of a device or just the screen while recording video. It's clear that you are not looking at the camera if you stare at the screen while recording.

The quality of video taken with the VGA and HD cameras are as expected. In well-lit situations, the HD camera produces excellent results and the VGA camera gives acceptable quality. Both cameras do an ok job in bad lighting situations, but admittedly do better than I was expecting. In fact, while taking footage in my daughter's poorly lit bedroom, the video looked pretty bad; but after uploading it to YouTube and watching on a computer, it didn't look too shabby.

Taking still photographs with the iPad 2 is not nearly as rewarding as video. The photographs come out mediocre even in excellent light conditions. With that said, I was actually rather impressed with the close-up photograph I took of a bush. Digital zoom with the rear-facing camera, however, is awful. It's not even worth your time to test it out.

Considering the fact that the iPad 2 is not, and should not be, regarded as a primary camera, I am content with the quality of the video and photographs obtained with the iPad 2. Of course, I would love to see better cameras, but they do a good enough job for my needs.

To check out the photos taken with the iPad 2, follow along after the break!

Side note: the video above was edited with iMovie on the iPad 2.

blueSLR is a bluetooth accessory that will allow you to use your iPhone as a remote control for your DSLR. In addition, blueSLR will embed GPS information from your iPhone into your photos. Since the device makes a bluetooth connection with your iPhone, line-of-site is not necessary to trigger your camera.

With the blueSLR companion app, you can use your iPhone to adjust focus, shutter speed, timer, and tell the camera to take a certain number of pictures within a given timeframe. You can also edit the GPS update frequency. GPS information will be embedded into the RAW or JPEG files and is compatible with iPhoto, Flickr, and Picasa.

blueSLR is currently only available for Nikon cameras, but XEquals promises to bring Canon support soon. There are three different models, Nikon Essential, Advanced, and Professional. From these 3 products, you will find support for the following Nikon cameras: D3100, D5000, D90, D7000, D3(S), D200, D300(S), and D700.

The blueSLR can be yours for $149 with free shipping if pre-ordered today. The companion app is available for free in the App Store.

Check out the photos after the break! Anyone planning to pick one up?

[BlueSLR - via Electronista]

You can say goodbye devilish red eyes and blemishes with Perfect Photo 2.0 for iPhone. The popular photo editing application has just released a significant update that, in addition to red eye removal and spot healing, also includes:

• Retina display support
• New user interface design
• Sharing to Flickr
• Sharing files via Documents folder
• Hi-quality image processing

Perfect photo has recently become my favorite photo editing application and I welcome this update with open arms. The new interface is substantially better than the previous one.

Now for the give-away! The good folks over at MacPhun LLC have generously given us a few promo codes to give away to you, our awesome readers. Just let us know why Perfect Photo will be the perfect addition to your photography app collection and we'll randomly choose a few of you and send you a promo code. The contest begins now and ends Friday, December 3 at 8p EST. (Must have US iTunes account to win. Apple's rule, not ours!)

Check out the video after the break!

[$0.99 - iTunes link]

Clearcam for iPhone is an app that compliments the already existing camera app. Instead of tapping camera, you take your pictures through Clearcam. I found myself using this app when I wanted clearer pictures or when I was in an area that pictures came out either blurry or dark. The concept is quite simple, it'll take several shots of the same thing and either overlays the shots or chooses the best one (depending on what setting you choose).  The app claims to up quality of the camera from 5MP images to around 11MP images.