iPad Pro 12.9 M1 For Photography 6 month later… still worth it?

Great video...I have SUCH a love/hate relationship with Apple...I am typing this on a Windows laptop and editing on the IPAD while listening...and VERY poor. I HATE icloud and not having Bridge on Apple...honestly...really?

Returning and reflecting on this video, I recall watching it when you first published it, but it appearing on my feed this morning.

I started using the iPadPro around the same time, as a travel item, prior to which my I used my MacBookPro full on for all my photo editing. I’d say our use case was very similar, the difference being I opted for the 11 inch, as it fitted in the sleeve pocket of my backpack.

Move forward two years, and the iPadPro has become my primary editing device, with around 75% of my work being edited and produced on it. I think the key for me is that I am was not looking to replace the MacBookPro, but bring, efficiency and further mobility to how I work.

That advantage is only really gained by the reduced dimensions of the 11 inch over my MacBookPro, which for me, tips the balance in favour of the iPadPro

Do not fear the m2 ipad , and os 17 of your future is actually a great improvement! 😊

Found this fairly poor summing up and fairly useless

the video from this ipad is horrible always looks grainy apple needs to set up

I got a love/hate relationship w/ my iPad 12.9 pro 3rd gen. It’s a true workhorse, everyday for everything whether its work or downtime. I watch alot of sports and I can hear som much better than the tv (hard of hearing/nearly deaf) but I do a lot of personal photo archiving since I have 5 kids. It’s incredibly slow to load the pics. Im debating wether I should get iMac 24 & lose my personal downtime stuff but the business end would drastically improve UNLESS the 6th gen iPad Pro 12.9 should make up for the faster picture loading times from the external ssd? What should I do?

I like your review. I initially thought you were praising the Ipad but in the end you're being really honest which very valuable as most reviews focus on specs to make a choice. But there's obviously more to it and you pointed it out very well with UX and costs (that's a big one).

Now, you chose the 12.9 which is huge and close to your laptop. I guess the 11" might actually more appropriate for portability and so on if completed by a decent's size laptop.

But the cost of accessories... 😬

Thanks a lot for the review!!

I was looking into this but then read the m1 performs basically the same as the non m1 chip, the A12z. Apparently it’s bc the apps aren’t even optimized for the m1 so the a12z is apparently just as good, kinda surprised me .

Do you have experience with the other iPads chips, like the a12Z? Or newer versions of non m chip iPads ?

It would be ideal if we’d be able to run Windows or MacOS on it in virtual machine just in case you need some of those apps on the go. The M1 iPad is so powerful but it’s not using the hardware at all.

Do you use Photoshop on the iPad?

Hi Roman, Thanks for the great video. I just bought a new G5 IPad Air. I have a question for you. Are you familiar with Paperlike screen protectors? They provide a slightly textured surface to make writing and drawing easier. Any opinion on if this product would make photo editing more difficult? Thanks, Fred B.

Thank you so much for this honest review. I am a hoppy creative (photography and graphic design + a bit of writing) and I am trying to find the best option for on the go. This was very insightful.

This is the best, most comprehensive, most perfectly calibrated review of the iPad as a photo editing device that I have yet to see. It perfectly mirrors my own experience. The real deal killer for me when it comes to the iPad as a laptop replacement for photography is the fact that Lightroom can’t work off of external drives. I suspect that this is Adobe’s attempt to extort its users into paying for cloud storage but if you’re traveling and don’t have a good Internet connection — or any internet connection then it’s just not feasible.

What will you recment a macbook m1 or ipad11 inch for medical student day to day use which can do some photography editing and entertainment.

I have a question, I recently purchased ipad 5th gen , and I have lightroom installed. I import all raw photos on lightroom and start editing the photos. Once exported back to my iphone , the colors look different from ipad , desaturated and less contrasty. The iphone is contrasted and saturated and the colors are awesome unlike my ipad. Any suggestions

So you bought the 1tb iPad but from what I can see in this video, had no money left over for a desk, or a chair! ;)

what do you mean "its been emotional"?

I was waiting for you to mention how crippled the photo editing apps are. Photoshop isn’t useful, filters aren’t there, can’t edit saved groups, no actions, can’t clone stamp. Lightroom is great for light photo editing but that’s it. It’s crippled too. Can’t color correct the iPad, no display is perfect, and the iPads are certainly not with greys being blue and whites having obvious tints, but colorimeters are a must and they’re not supported. This isn’t worth the price if you’re buying as a photo editor. Much better off with a full suite, powerful laptop…Dell XPS are like half the price with bigger, higher resolution screens…also iPad isn’t even the biggest tablet anymore S8 Ultra much more impressive. iPad is great if you use it for other things first, photography second…oh and you can’t share its screen with a PC…other tablets (not Apple) can.

Thanks for the honesty of this one. Been wanting to figure out a great workflow. Think I’ll pick up a iPhone 13 Pro for the camera and transfer photos to my cheap iPad for quick edits

Love it

As a hobbyist, I decided to get the M1 iPad Air for my “travel computer” versus my 4 year old Intel 16 MacBook Pro which is serving as a desktop computer right now. As a slightly older fellow, I am looking at reducing the weight I’m going to carry on our forthcoming monthly trip to Italy and a cruise. While I do take a lot of pictures, I have 512 MB on the iPad, 2TB of iCloud storage and a 2TB SanDisk SSD for the trip. My thoughts are I can use those resources to keep and edit my travel photos in Lightroom and link them to my desktop Lightroom so that on my return, I can have my files already to use. Regardless, I’ll always have the SD cards and SanDisk backup of every file plus the iCloud storage.

Man I like your content. Very genuine.

I wish the iPad was the answer. Ergonomically its awesome - the pencil makes the experience fantastic… BUT… Running an iPad Air M1, the display continuously dims to reduce heat which is a pain when you’re editing a photo. So as fantastic as the IPad is, it just doesn’t work as a photo editing solution. Buy a laptop.

Really good review, just small correction, Ipad Pro 11" 2018, and 2020 version are coming with USB 3.1 Gen 2 which is UHS-II card speed. It is not Thunderbolt, but UHS-II is still only 20 mins download for 256GB sd card.

Cool video. Do you experience some sudden screen dimming due to overheating, when editing photos? I do experience it a lot on iPad Pro 2020 12.9. Maybe it is solved on the M1 device?

hello thanks for your amazing shares. i know its a silly question could i sharing photos from ipad to instagram ? pc format is not avaible for this. thanks again

Ty 4 tour honest oppinion, subbed

Could you please let me know how long it actually takes to import the photos onto Lightroom with the faster port? I’ve yet to find a video which times it on the M1. Thanks so much.

You did get it to the point 📌

A refreshing honesty ! Thanks you helped me save a lot of money.

This wasn’t really a negative way to end the video just a realistic logical thought threw. For me personally the iPad Pro is my only device, except my iPhone, so this method of editing works great for me….Excellent video👍🏻

After close to a year of trying to create a proper workflow, I can say with a resounding NO to the iPad for ingest/backup/digital darkroom. iOS is crippled - a walled off garden within a walled off garden. I've been shooting FT since 1987 and have always used a laptop/ultrabook on the Windows side of things. A year ago I drank the koolaid that the iPad Pro was the essential device for any type of out in the field/traveling photographer work. I could not get it to work as smoothly/efficiently as using a compact laptop. A colleague of mine who happens to be a 2 time pulitzer winning photojournalist and documentary photographer came to the same conclusion. As of today I am selling my 11" 1TB storage/16GB RAM iPad Pro for keyboard and stylus. I took delivery of a fully spec'd MacBook Air today and within minutes everything I had known for digital asset management/editing in the field, etc was exactly as it was suppose to be. And since there is no Photo Mechanic for iOS (and their developers have flatly said they won't either) the convoluted workarounds and pathetic file management within iOS finery became the straw that broke the camels back. Anyone who is serious about their device managing their daily shoots while traveling should bypass the iPad Pro and go straight to the MacBook Air since it's the same parts but in a proper laptop with dual thunderbolt ports. Now I can ingest more than one card through Photo Mechanic 6 and then choose Lightroom or Capture One (the latter is my preferred software) for proper cataloging, keywords, etc. Using a stylus is over rated IMO and I have given it a full year to get comfortable with it. Give me a trackpad and/or mouse.

Agreed. I have a iPad 2020 1TB 12.9 and I start using my mini m1 much more... iPadOS15 is annoying... Don't waste your money on iPad, buy a MacBook M1

One of the most realistic and honest review I've seen so far about the iPad Pro used in photography. Thanks a lot for this!

For the iPad how long does it take for it to get really hot what’s the usage like compared to the ipadpro 13’ ?

useful tips to choose between the two. honestly I thought they had the same apps and worked the same, with the same processor

Can you calibrate the screen with a calorimeter?

It looked like your tablet had a matte screen protector on it? If so, which one are you using and do you like it?

Switch to Microsoft Surface Pro

Hi Roman, I have question. I have a 10 years old iMac but I don't want purchase a new desktop or laptop. Im planning to get an ipad Pro. Can I add presets into lightroom cc from the ipad without having a desktop or laptop? Like if I purchase one of your presets can I instal itl straight away or I'll need to own a computer.
Thank you

Really interesting how your view on it has changed. I was really considering getting the latest iPad Air. I already have a very good desktop pc

1 caveat. Buy more memory than your storage device. I use 64 gig cards and at times can load 1000s…other times no because of file sizes. Time wise,it’s aggravating to be time pressed and having to load x amount at a time. The screen is adequate as well as apps like Snapseed etc.

Nice Video about Lightroom on Ipad Pro. I like my iPad Pro, but i will still editing my photos on my desktop mac. My workflow is not compatible with iPadOS or say it better: i have still real problems wo work productive with the ipad IOs or perhaps i am too old.

IMO, Apple should have took OSX and made it bolder/touch friendly for the iPad Pro. Job done, I hate the crippled iOS that's why why my 1st Gen iPad Pro 12.9 is mainly a consuming device with a little concept sketching on top. You just can't get away from that Phone feeling, which is not a pro experience. I am happy with my 14" M1 Pro MacBook Pro but I like the pencil drawing features of the iPad. Maybe I should just get a 16" pen display to plug in to the 14" MBP and stop moaning!

What app is using for iPad photography

I have a problem every time I want to copy the photo or video from an ssd card, only 4 or 5gb would freeze my ipad and it is very annoying

I love using my iPad Pro for photography, but it's just has too many big loopholes to allow me to use it 100%.

1. USB -C connectivity to devices is hit or miss. Sometimes my camera is detected, sometimes not. Hard drives rarely show up. I dont know what gives, but it is extremely unreliable....

2. You cannot add any importing workflow (renaming files, adding copyright, etc.). This is a HUGE negative that is more on Lightroom Mobile, than on the iPad but it forces me to stick with Lightroom Classic.

3. Importing takes forever......

English accent ;) peace

iPad Pro is a very nice, expensive toy to have. There is literally nothing you can do on it better than you could on a laptop. All thanks to apple limiting it due to greed. Every year they make the hardware more advanced and sexy without improving the software. A lot of us were expecting for apple to finally make this a legit pro device thanks to M1 but nope, business as usual.

Hey mate thanks for the video . What about tether shooting ?
And tether shooting speed