If you are wondering which image sensor Apple uses in the main camera of the iPad 3 tablet, then I will tell you now that it is the one used in the iPhone 4 terminal. Those from iFixIt would have discovered that the sensor used by the Apple company would be identical to the one already used in the iPhone 4 terminals and from here comes the ability of the tablet to shoot video content in 1080p format and to record pictures that have a much better quality than those taken using the iPad 2. The implementation of an old image sensor in such a product is logical because the 8 megapixel camera in the iPhone 4S would not have been really useful on a tablet and the image sensor in the iPhone 4 is cheaper and offers decent quality for anyone.
That unit was the Omnivision OV5650. The OV5650 is the second generation back illumination (BI) technology from OmniVision. This 5 Mp camera features 1.75 µm pixels, and is designed to deliver DSC quality in a mobile phone application. The sensor supports HD (1080p) video at 60 fps. Apple specifications for the new iPad also tout the same specification. So the analysis we have just completed... drum roll please... says that the 5 Mp back illuminated CMOS Image Sensor in the new iPad is the same, it is the Omnivision OV5650 (die mark OV290BF).
The image sensor from the iPhone 4 is not the only component reused by Apple in the iPad because the front camera is identical to the one used in the iPad 2 and iPod Nano tablets. Basically, Apple uses old components in its new products, and this is probably with the idea of reducing production costs, but I think many would have been happy if Apple had implemented a front-facing HD camera for FaceTime calls. Here you can see a comparison between the quality of video recordings made on iPad 3 and iPad 2.
