So I never intended to use my iPad as my primary recording device but I figured it is a nice option to have 1080p handy. Well just now my kids were doing something cute and I had my iPad in my lap so I put it on video and began shooting. Immediately I noticed how grainy the video was. I thought maybe it was a fluke and actual playback would be clearer. But when I played the video back it was just as grainy - lots of noise. Anyone else experience this? I'm kind of shocked since this doesn't seem like the high quality output I would expect from a 1080p recorder. I wonder if there are some setting adjustments that can maximize the camera?

Did you take the plastic shrink wrap off your iPad before filming?

Ok, sorry for the poor taste but on to the serious side! I'm not sure what the problem could be as the several short videos that I've shot have looked really good. I would try wiping the lense with a cloth, just in case, and trying again in a well lit area or even out doors just to see if it does any better. And please post back your results.

As you had figured, the iPad will not be your primary video recording device. The new iPad has an amazing 5 MP iSight camera on the back. As a previous iPad 2 owner I can say and vouch for many others that the camera was horrific. I had done a project for my English class with my new iPad using the camera and iMovie. There was little noise but not much at all. What I have noticed is that the camera does much much better when it is outdoors (just like my Fuji Finepix S4000) which is quite weird if i may say... But for pictures I recommend downloading the Adobe Photoshop Express app and buying the Camera Pack for $4.99. There is a reduce noise feature that is included and works pretty well. Concluding that your video will come out slightly grainy but will still look pretty good.

As with any HD video camera, shooting in low light will result in grainy video. Try shooting with more light or outdoors, your video quality will look a lot better.

There is a lot more to video quality than just 1080p resolution.

I have concluded that it is just a camera issue. The conditions were midday with bright sunlight streaming thru the windows - not low light by any stretch. He iPad is really too awkward to be used as a camera/camcorder imo and I never considered using it as such. I will just have my Nikon D5100 or iPhone handy for those moments!

I had the same issue. But I tried it outside and the quality was perfect. Even when I was inside with sun shinning in and lot of light it was still grainy, I took it out side and the picture was perfect.

Hmm good to know about outdoor shooting. I guess when I hear 1080p I think excellent video quality but I need to remember the constraints. It *is* a tablet after all and the lens can only do so much. I am loving my first iPad though. Beats the heck out of my Motorola Xoom!

Lighting plays a huge role. I remember when I first purchased an HD camcorder and shot my first video with it. I shot it inside with not the best lighting and it was very grainy. I couldn't figure out what the issue was. Then I saw the quality after shooting video outside with plenty of sunshine and I was wowed. Also keep in mind that TV and movie studios are using extremely high end and highly expensive equipment, so you shouldn't expect your video quality to match a TV show or movie. A lot more goes into video quality than just the resolution, that just basically tells you how many pixels you are recording, but not the quality of those pixels. Same goes with the amount of megapixels a camera shoots. Expecting the same quality of photo from a Digital SLR and a point-and-shoot camera that both have the same MP is not a reasonable expectation.