2010 and 2011 will probably go down in the history books for the years that Apple practically dominated the technology world, with the release of the iPhone 4 and iPad 2 they stole most of the headlines, and deservedly so. But many users, including photographers have questioned whether the two devices are competitive or complimentary? Despite running the same operating systems, the two are similar enough to work as a complimentary pair but distinctively different enough to both be useful in their own right. So we wanted to put this out to all casual and pro photographers out there: iPhone vs iPad, or both?   

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<div><a title="Day 190/365, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tylersilva/4779673639/" target="_blank">[imageeffect type="frame" align="aligncenter" width="640" height="426" alt="" url="http://thebeginnerslens.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ipadiphone.jpg"]</a></div>
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<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Day 190/365</em>
Photo by Tyler</p>
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Looking at the two in terms of photography, it’s easy to see how users could fall into one of two camps. The iPhone is far more portable, with better photo quality (as far as the iPad 2 is concerned), and it is more affordable as the apps are much cheaper.

On the other hand, the iPad makes photo viewing and editing much easier with its larger screen. But essentially there is no way to separate the two; they are so closely linked that it would be foolish to say they did not work well together.  

<strong>In terms of quality the iPhone is far better suited to taking photos than the iPad 2.</strong> Not only is the pixel resolution and glass quality superior to that of the iPad, but the shooting experience is better as the size is comparable to that of a point & shoot. Sure, you can shoot photos with the iPad, but most photographers report that the camera is bulky, hard to maneuver, and poor quality with a measly .7 megapixel camera. Frankly, the photos from the iPad don’t hold a candle to the iPhone 2, let alone the 3Gs or the iPhone 4.

Ultimately, it’s no surprise that most users have given up on the iPad as a camera and now stick to using it strictly as a viewing and editing device – among its many other uses, of course. 

<strong>That said, the iPad does have a few things going for it in terms of viewing and editing.</strong> The larger screen allows for greater control when working with images, it also means the software can afford to be more complex. Although more complex software does also mean more expensive software, on the whole editing is much easier and more convenient on the iPad when compared to the iPhone. Further to that, viewing photos on the iPad is easier with the larger screen, and more fun to pass around while sharing with friends. Not to mention the portable size of the iPad (compared to laptops) is great for taking to meetings to showing prospective clients photos and other visual presentations. 

In the end, yes the iPhone and the iPad are different enough to be useful on their own, but together they work as a mobile power combo for photographers (and everyone else too).

<strong>Shoot with the iPhone, edit and share with the iPad!</strong> And what’s better, the iPad can serve as a very useful back-up tool for those of you who might otherwise forget to back-up your iPhone photos! 
