As an active photographer who travels routinely, I am always looking for tools to assist me in the field.
There is nothing like good feedback at the end of a day’s shoot. I want to look at the photographs I have captured to see if I need to approach the shoot differently the following day. As well, I need tools to store my photographs and get them home for editing and publication. So, I have anxiously awaited the Apple iPad as a possible tool that I might use routinely.
So, after its announcement yesterday, I am asking myself whether the iPad is a photographer’s tool.
There are some criteria that I have for a computer in the field:
1. It should be light and easy to pack.
2. It must enable me to view my RAW and JPEG files.
3. It must have enough storage to handle my shots for at least a two-week period. Meaning at least 50GB of storage space.
4. The display must enable me to look at details at the pixel level.
5. It should have good battery life, since I can’t always recharge batteries.
6. It should enable me to make backup copies of my photographs to a portable hard drive.
In other words, while in the field what I am looking for is storage and the ability to view my photographs as I shoot.
There are some other considerations as well. For example, I would like a device that enables me to show potential clients my work. Having such a device may indeed get me a new client. And, I want to WOW the customer. So, a slideshow presentation that I can carry easily is something desirable.
The Apple iPad meets five of my six criteria and scores very highly as a tool to show others my work.
Even though I can upload photos from my cameras using an accessory and a USB cable or from SD cards, from what I have read, I cannot go the other way, that is, offload files to a backup hard drive. Grumble.
iPad USB Accessory
And, when I get home, it appears that I will have to use something like iTunes to get to my photographs. Which itself is problematic. Grumble. Grumble.
So, while the iPad has some characteristics I like, I have to ask myself whether a laptop isn’t really better suited to my needs.
On the other hand, the iPad does offer me some other neat things. Access to the Internet, access to email, access to books and publications, and should I want, the opportunity to view a video or listen to some music.
The ebook reader capability itself is a strong selling point for me, I read, I read a great deal, and I have been sorely disappointed with ebook readers in the past. And, interestingly, the iPad sells for less than some of the more advanced ebook readers out there. Hum.
So, I want to know more. I especially want to see how the iPad handles photographs once uploaded, then connected to my desk top machine. I don’t want hassles finding files and then storing them on my home system.
So, we shall see. But, frankly, right now my conclusion is that I should not buy an iPad with the idea that it will suit my needs as a photographer in the field. My laptop offers a great deal more capability to me in this regard.
On the other hand, the multi-purpose iPad has me excited as a tool I might use for purposes other than photography in the field. It certainly does offer up a way to show my stuff and show it well.
Frankly, I am going to wait and see what evolves. I must admit that I am disappointed in Apple’s choice of operating system, its apparent inability to store files on external drives, and its reliance upon syncing as an answer to moving stuff from here to there. Something I have detested with iPods and the iPhone!!! Grumble. Grumble. Grumble.
If the USB accessory is a way to use external drives, I have my credit card ready now! That one capability would have droves of photographers like me standing in line to buy the iPad.
But, frankly, for now, my old Vosonic multi-media viewer storage device suits my needs very well. And my Mac Pro laptop blows away the iPad across the board!
In sum, the iPad offers lots and lots of remarkable attributes, it is unique, and yes it is game-changing. No doubt Apple will sell millions of them. What disappoints me is that it could have been so much better.
Likely I will buy one down the road, but it won’t be because it satisfies my needs as a photographer. I will buy it to read books and surf the net and do email. And yeah, show Grandma some photographs of Ireland. 
Actually, I travel ALOT, and this MAY be the tool I need instead of having to lug my laptop around with me on location.
I have an apple .me email account, which comes with tons of online storage space. Perhaps after loading my images onto the ipad, I can then upload them to my apple dot me account since the ipad’s storage is kinda limited.
I know the ipad doesn’t use the normal Mac OS, and that you can’t use it for editing, but if I can upload my photos via the ipad to my dot mac account, and then from there access the photos for use in my webpages and to show people, then it’s a done deal, I will get one.
I don’t need the raw editing power of a laptop on the road, but I do need some flexibility as mentioned above when uploading, accessing and storing pics and vids from my canon dslr. If I can do this, I’m sold.
Hi Regan,
I will likely buy an iPad and use it as a book reader, to show others my photographs, to surf the web.
But, as a tool in the field, it just has too many shortcomings. I shoot RAW and I cannot imagine how I might upload files by FTP to my server, simply because in a two-week shoot I will accumulate around 80 Gigabytes of photographs. It is simply too much to upload successfully, the Internet is too slow. And, I want backups, I can’t offload shots to an external hard drive. So, I am stuck with the onboard memory which is not large enough to store what I might shoot.
So, I will still carry my Mac Powerbook. But, while flying from Florida to South Africa, I might enjoy reading a book or two on the iPad.
Thanks for your comment!
Best regards,
Bill
Pingback: Bill Lockhart’s Blog is the Apple Ipad a Photographer’s Tool?
Pat, John, Glyn, and Doug,
Thanks for you comments.
Unfortunately for us, this new device was not designed as a tool for photographers in the field, but rather a universal device meant from those who want to show their photographs to others. This is not necessarily a bad thing, many professional photographers will no doubt use the iPad as a splendid way to show future clients their work.
I fully intend to buy one, but most likely I will use it to read e-books, surf the net, read e-mail, and perhaps for posting new blog entries. I will certainly use many of the iPhone applications that I have found useful on the device.
But, on my next trip to Scotland, what I will likely take with me is my Mac laptop, meaning I will again be lugging around something larger than I want. But, at least I will be able to view my works, store extra copies of them on an external drive, and prepare each evening for the following day’s shoot.
No doubt the iPad will evolve. I hope Apple will consider such a device running Mac OS. I bet that will happen down the road.
Again, thanks for your comments.
Best regards,
Bill
Hi Bill, thanks, once again you have given us another detailed equipment review keeping the photographer in mind. I myself own an Ipod touch and would love to get my hands on the Ipad lone because of the simplicity of its handling. It is probably lighter and more robust than a laptop but being typically Apple almost a closed system making it difficult to integrate with anything else other than other Apple soft/hardware. I agree with Glyn that because of this internal company politics that Apple have shot themselves yet again in their own foot.
looks like I will with a lot of other photographers still be carrying the laptop everywhere for awhile yet.
http://lensflare.smugmug.com/
“Frankly, I am going to wait and see what evolves. I must admit that I am disappointed in Apple’s choice of operating system, its apparent inability to store files on external drives, and its reliance upon syncing as an answer to moving stuff from here to there. Something I have detested with iPods and the iPhone!!! Grumble. That one capability would have droves of photographers like me standing in line to buy the iPad.”
Agreed entirely Bill, seems like a very stupid missed opportunity and I agree about the iPhone, I love it, wouldn’t want anything else BUT hate the need to use iPhoto to sync things instead of drag drop to folders of my choice. I will not be buying the iPad (sort of sanitary hardware I guess) until it becomes a storage device as well as portfolio.
Best, Glyn
A nice summary of what it looks like the iPad would not be for a photographer. I don’t see it as a tool for the field or road… I see it appealing to the 80% of the market who needs a computer to do… what the iPad appears to do very well. Movies, jpeg pics, music, email, reading books and web surfing… It looks like it could change the way folks do those everyday tasks…
I’ll bet the cumbersome means of photo transfers will be partly solved by software apps tailored for photographers. Also, this gadget probably will evolve quickly, as the iPhone and iPhone Touch have. In fact, I think the iPad soon will be loaded with apps aimed at photographers. Can’t wait to see how this gadget develops.