The iPad is a great device for viewing pictures and with most people now owning a digital camera, whether it be a SLR, a compact or just one built into a mobile phone, photos have moved on with the ages and there’s more now than ever before. From the first form of photographs which of course were paintings all the way the the digital photos of today, photographs are loved all around the world. In this digital age there are so many ways to view photographs too from tradition 6×4 prints, to checking out your mates on FaceBook or viewing them on a digital picture frame, the human race loves photos! A newer device has recently popped up and this Application running, music playing, video rendering marvel we all know as the Apple iPad is a great photo viewer too! With it’s ability to let you scroll through your photos, zoom in and out with a pinch and even becoming a (expensive) but fantastic digital photoframe why not add to these abilities by using the Apple Camera Connector…

The Connector which retails around £25 (attow) gives you the ability to transfer images straight from your digital camera (via USB) or via an SD Card, onto the iPad skipping the hassle of syncing with a computer! If your a photography enthusiast or a wanna-be enthusiast (like me) and you got an iPad why not marry the two together by getting this piece of kit?

Why not just save £25 and sync it? I don’t get the point?

Right ok no problem let me give you some suggestions and see what you think. Firstly lets say your out and about and you taken your 3 favourite gadgets, usually your phone, your iPad and your camera! Your busy, snapping away taking some fantastic pictures, be it of your kids, of friends an exhibition you have always wanted to see or just one of them once in a lifetime moments. Oh no! you have only gone and completely filled up your SD card. Now you have a couple of options get another SD card out, quickly scroll through on that mini screen on the back of your camera and try and delete some pics, or connect the camera to the iPad back up your photos straight onto it and hey presto your ready to start taking photos again! During my test I transferred 8GB of Raw and JPEG files mixed onto the iPad within 20-25min.

Ok so that was scenario one! What about if your on a longer trip, like my recent trip to London. I took about 32GB worth of SD cards so was covered there but when I got back to the hotel I decided to have a look at my pics and had to use the back of the camera as I hadn’t brought this kit then. I had a look as best I could and they looked ok, some a bit dodgy but some ok. I got home transferred the pics to the PC and noticed some really nice images were ruined as I had whacked the ISO too high which made them all grainy. If I had been able to see the photos earlier i.e. on my iPad I would of noticed this Newbie mistake on day 1 and adjusted what I was doing!

Finally have you ever been out taken some pictures and would love to be able to show, family and friends when you took them home but they haven’t got a TV that can read a memory card, or a PC to view them on? Well the iPad is great for this! you can pass it round showing each other the pics or even get the TV connector and link it straight with there red and yellow av plugs!

Arh yeh never really thought of them, so how does it work?

Glad you asked check out this unboxing/review video I did, should give you a good idea!

Yeh, well I hope you get the idea at least now why this is a good accessory to get. Would you get it if you weren’t much of a photographer you just take pics on your phone or now and again? No, don’t bother but if you like taking a lot of pics and want to make life a little easier then why not? After all, you have spent at least, what, £420 on the pad what’s another £25 eh?

Overall I’m pretty impressed with it, is it worth £25, no not for what you get really but it’s Apple so nothing is cheap but your paying really for what it does!
Pros:

• Can use iPad as Storage for images on the go.
• Quick and simple to use, just plug and play.
• Supports RAW and JPEG formats.
• Small convenient.
• Faster transfers than the old iPod Camera Connector

Cons:

• Limited to SD or USB from camera which uses cameras power.
• Can’t preview images at full size without importing the photo first (pain if you need to be quick)
• Old iPod version not compatible.
• Connectors don’t work with anything other than the iPad (very silly Apple come on!)