How can I copy about 2000 photos off the Ipad 4?

Question

A friend has a 16gb Ipad 4 which now shows 800mb free space, due to the fact that it's filled with photos, sitting in Iphoto.  He cannot update anything now due to being out of space, so he has asked me to help him move the photos off to another machine and then delete them from the Ipad.  He apparently has no other copies of these shots.
After reading dozens of posts about this, it appears to me that there really isn't any coherent method of simply marking and copying photos once they're in Iphoto on the Ipad 4.  After connecting it to the Mac via the USB cable, there's not much that is revealed.  And viewed from Windows, the DCIM folder which is where we generally expect to find these things shows only 13 photos.  Where are the rest of them?
All I have found is that I'll have to use an "external application" to do this; however, installing several of these has led me to being able to only copy the "new pictures" that apparently are on his camera roll.  There are only about 13 of these.  Another app led me to being able to copy albums, but he only has about 177 of the photos identified as being in an album.
So that leaves the thousands of shots that sit in Iphoto, apparently marooned.  Is it really possible that the only way to get these photos is to go though some sort of sync process with itunes or icloud?
Seems fairly clunky to me.  I would expect to be able to simply mark a folder, and drag it "somewhere else" rather than going through all the hoops it appears to require to do this.
Anyone?
Bueller?
Thanks,

Answer 1

How to Transfer Photos from an iPad to a Computer
http://www.wikihow.com/Transfer-Photos-from-an-iPad-to-a-Computer
Importing Personal Photos and videos from your iOS device to your computer.
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4083
iTunes: Frequently asked questions about viewing and syncing videos
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2729
Also check out the Photo Manager Pro app.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/photo-manager-pro/id393858562
Check out the Feem WiFi File Transfer app
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/feem-wifi-file-transfer-free/id596378699?mt=8
This may help to free up more space.
iPhone, iPad, and iPod: Understanding capacity
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1867
How much space is used by your Other? You may be able to reduce.
How Do I Get Rid Of The “Other” Data Stored On My iPad Or iPhone?
http://tinyurl.com/85w6xwn
How to Remove “Other” Data from iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch
http://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-remove-other-data-from-iphone/
With an iOS device, the “Other” space in iTunes is used to store things like documents, settings, caches, and a few other important items. If you sync lots of documents to apps like GoodReader, DropCopy, or anything else that reads external files, your storage use can skyrocket. With iOS 5/6/7, you can see exactly which applications are taking up the most space. Just head to Settings > General > Usage, and tap the button labeled Show All Apps. The storage section will show you the app and how much storage space it is taking up. Tap on the app name to get a description of the additional storage space being used by the app’s documents and data. You can remove the storage-hogging application and all of its data directly from this screen, or manually remove the data by opening the app. Some applications, especially those designed by Apple, will allow you to remove stored data by swiping from left to right on the item to reveal a Delete button.
What is “Other” and What Can I Do About It?
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-5142
iPhone or iPad Ran Out of Storage Space? Here’s How to Make Space Available Quickly
http://osxdaily.com/2012/06/02/iphone-ipad-ran-out-of-available-storage-space-ho w-to-fix-quick/
6 Tips to Free Up Tons of Storage Space on iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch
http://osxdaily.com/2012/04/24/6-tips-free-up-storage-space-ipad-iphone-ipod-tou ch/
Also,
How to Clear Message/iMessage Cache on iPhone & iPad And Reclaim Lots of Free Space
http://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-clear-message-imessage-cache-on-iphone-ipad/
What is Stored in iCloud and What is Not
https://sites.google.com/site/appleclubfhs/support/advice-and-articles/what-is-s tored-in-icloud
 Cheers, Tom