Upgraded iPad camera makes images pop

— -- Remember those early digital cameras with the little 1- to 2-inch LCD preview screens?

It was a big advancement when camera manufacturers upped the ante and let us start composing on the now standard 3-inch LCDs.

So now, with the gorgeous 9.7 inches of high-definition real estate that is the new iPad, photographers are going to be in pixel heaven.

The iPad 2 was fun to use for photos and videos, but the camera just wasn't that great.

The new iPad has the upgraded 5-megapixel iSight camera Apple introduced last fall with the iPhone 4S, the same imaging device many shutterbugs have since turned to as their camera of choice because it's that good. It won't rival a traditional camera, but in many instances — travels, parties, family occasions — it will do just fine.

The iSight camera looks terrific on the iPhone. But when I started composing images on the new iPad, which has the same Retina display, just more than twice the size, my eyes nearly bugged out.

You see sharpness and clarity you're just not used to seeing when looking through the shutter or back of an LCD of any other device. According to Apple, the new iPad has more pixels than most available HD TVs.

Granted, the iPad is still an odd thing to tote around as a camera. It's awkward to hold in your hands.

But once you see the results, you get used to it.

The best use of the iPad camera, for me, is for video, which has been upgraded to 1080p HD resolution — from 720p last time around. The images look terrific, and the camera has built-in image stabilization to handle the shakes that naturally happen when people try to hold the device steady.

A few tips for steadiness:

•When shooting video, grip the camera with both hands and try leaning it on your forehead. You won't see the action as well, but you'll get a steadier shot.

•Buy a stand. Many musicians now use the iPad instead of lugging sheet music to gigs. They have all their music available to them in PDF form, and they turn the pages with a simple swipe. Music stands for the iPad are available that let musicians connect the iPad to a mike stand for instance. The iKlip from IK Multimedia, for example, is $39.99. This can act as a tripod.

With the stand, you can mount the iPad to document school plays, band performances, wedding ceremonies and the like, and stream the action to loved ones via Skype. The person on the other side won't probably see the same clarity as you do — it's the screen, baby — but you'll have a great time monitoring the action.

A quick tip: If everything looks a little cropped when you're shooting video — as if the camera zoom has been zoomed in about halfway — don't fret, you're not seeing things. Videos are captured in a different aspect ratio. The videos are shot in 1080p resolution, which has a 16x9 aspect ratio, like on HD TVs. Apple says this same aspect ratio difference is on the iPhone as well, but because the screen is so much smaller, it's not very noticeable.

I doubt that the new iPad will become the go-to camera for many shutterbugs, as the iPhone 4S did. But for folks who take photography seriously and who enjoy working with state of the art, and for anyone who wants to show off their work on an amazing canvas — artists, photographers, architects and the like — get ready for some fun.