Ever since I got my new iPad last Friday, I have been playing with the great new camera. I’m not one of those luddites that think nobody will ever use a tablet as a camera (note: many of these people probably called the iPad a consumption-only device, or said that you can’t use it to do real work). But I do find the iPad awkward to hold when trying to tap the screen for exposure, focus and the shutter release.
The Padcaster, a forthcoming camera rig for the iPad, might just take care of that.
Although nothing more than a teaser video right now, the Padcaster already looks exciting. As you see in the video, the rig seems to be using extra lenses to give a shallow depth-of-field and throw the backgrounds out of focus. And while we don’t ever see the Padcaster itself, it sure must have a body that not only holds an iPad and lenses, but also has some handles for easier wrangling.
Dumb? No way. There are already tons of video rigs for the iPhone 4/S, but these all suffer from the same thing: they swamp the relatively tiny camera screen in a giant housing. Yes, you might look dorky holding your iPad up to snap photos or video, but if you’re already committed to a big rig, then the extra screen size of the new iPad can only be a good thing. Also, show me even a pro Hollywood camera with a retina display of this size.
I can’t wait to see what the Padcaster folks have come up with. Sadly, we’ll have to wait until April 16th to find out just what it is, and how much we’ll be expected to pay for it.
[Via TUAW]
