Canon PowerShot S3 IS, 6.0 Megapixel, 12x Optical/4x Digital Zoom, Digital Camera

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

I brought this camera after an in-depth research and I can happily say I have no regrets with my purchase. This camera is very versatile and the zoom lens on it is great. So much in fact that you feel handicapped when using cameras without this kind of zoom. Its a great size, fits into my hand comfortably. I'm sure people would love a bigger screen but Id trade it any day for the swivel screen it comes with. You can take overhead shots, shots of yourself and so on with ease. The only negative thing I can say about this camera is the megapixels. Canon is a great company and shouldn't have their cameras come with less megapixels than competing companies. In all, This is a great buy. As soon as they make one with at least 10 megapixels I'm buying another one and giving this one to my son.

Expertise: Amateur

Problems Encountered: I've had no problems with this camera. very easy to use. Love the pop up flash.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Olympus

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

A great shot can be obtained in ANY condition! It can befrustrating the first few days to learn your way around it(I've owned several point & shoots before, this one has moreflexibility with modes).. but after you do, it's AMAZING!I bought it a little over a month ago, and have alreadytaken 1000's of photos. Stunning. The color highlight scenemode works beautifully, and the manual mode allows you to becreative! The flash is great (and adjustable!) The batteryseems to last forever. The LCD screen flips out which isvery useful. The photos are great- as expected of Canon. Andit's only $280!!All the flexibility and quality of a DSLR ..but a WAY lowerprice! I can't say enough good things about this camera!

Expertise: I've been using digital cameras for years, and I've had 5 before this one.

Problems Encountered: Absolutely NONE!

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Panasonic TZ1

Items I Recommend: A 2700mAh NiMH charger (4 cell) - I got an Energizer compact charger for $25 at Walmart

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

I got my S3 IS about a year ago as a gift, and I encountered some big problems early on: two weeks after I got the camera, the lens would go a couple millimeters in and out of its housing and make awful clicking noises, and after a while of this, it just stopped working. I sent the camera back to Canon for repair, and they replaced the lens; two months later, the same thing happened, and Canon replaced the lens again. three weeks ago, while I was on vacation, the camera completely died...as you can guess, I wasn't too happy with Canon. we sent it to them demanding a new camera, and this time they listened. I got my new S3 last week, and it feels totally different from the old one. it handles better, it focuses faster, and it is just overall a great camera.it has razor-sharp pictures and prints, the zoom is incredible (even better than I expected when researching), and the manual controls are great! I love being able to zoom and take pictures during movies, and the image stabilization helps to, well, stabilize the image. get this camera if you're looking for a massive zoom, great controls, and/or a less expensive camera that's a step or two down from an SLR.

Expertise: Advanced amateur

Problems Encountered: All the stuff about the lens above.get a good set of rechargeable batteries because alkalines just won't cut it. they last for about a week or less, and the camera gets a bit slower as the batteries lose their power. If you don't want rechargeables and have a little extra money to spend, I also recommend energizer's e^2 lithium (NOT titanium) batteries. they are lighter than most alkalines and lasted me for almost a month of shooting, but cost more than any other kinds I could find.I wanted to use a polarizing filter, and I found it pretty annoying that I had to pay $30 for an adapter/hood set just to mount it (why couldn canon have just put a thread on the lens or included the adapter?). it's a good adapter, though, and I've found it very useful for getting a better grip on the lens (it gives it the SLR feel that I love).

Items I Recommend: Canon LAH-DC20 Lens Adapter/Hood Set, rechargeable batteries, a polarizing filter

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

I just purchased an S3 for a companion to my Nikon D40x 18-200 VR setup. That setup was awesome but I needed something with more reach and good quality that wasn't nearly as bulky. The S3 is it. The zoom is nice, great reach, the 6 MP images are clean and detailed and it handles like a dream. Lots of user setting to fit anyone's type of shooting. It has a great rapid shot and the focus is usually spot on. The LCD flips out which is something else I wanted. Battery life also comes close to my Nikon if not better. Got mine from B&H and it was the best money I have spent all year and is definitely one if not the best cams I have owned in my 10 years of shooting digital.

Expertise: Semi-pro

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Kodak DC120, Nikon CP 900, Canon Pro 90IS, Penny FZ10/15, Nikon D50, D40x

Items I Recommend: rapid charger, extra set of batteries, 2 GB SD card

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

If you can live without the capabilities of a full DigitalSLR, this Canon is for you. I have had an S3 for about 8 months now. We just returnedfrom a Mediteranean cruise with over 2000 photos taken onthe S3. A couple of points that I really liked first of all,battery life was excellent; I could take over 600 shots without flash before needing to change them. Another point,the 12X zoom was constantly in use and functioned flawlessly, very fast and quiet. The camera was small and light enoughso that I did not hesitate to carry it everywhere and use itoften. Many DSLR owners on the cruise would leave theircameras on board the ship because they did not like the bulkthey had to carry. The camera starts up quickly and responds quickly to theshutter button; we also had a thin Olympus point and shoot 7MP camera with us ( we borrowed it from a friend). It hadan annoying lag between the time you pressed the shutter andthe time the image was captured - many images were blurredbecause of this. The Canon was far superior. The quality of the photos we took was outstanding. Wemostly just set it on Auto and let it rip. Low light photosalso came out very good if you found a solid object tosteady the camera with. A couple of features that I cannot live without on thiscamera :1. Long battery life ( did I mention this already?)2. The flexible LCD viewscreen - great for candid shots andunusual shooting angles.3. The self timer that rings like a cellphone just beforethe shutter operates - we used this feature all the time totake photos of ourselves. These are just nit-picks. You will not be disappointedwith this camera if you buy it.

Problems Encountered: - Flash tends to overexpose the picture. I have neverseen a point and shoot camera that does flash very well,this unit is no better or worse than the rest.- difficult to figure out how to control the flash when youwant to use it outdoors to fill-in shots where shadows area problem.- flimsy lens cap that gets knocked off easily

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Canon A80 4 MP point and shoot

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

This is a fine camera and definitely what I had hoped for. I bought it to replace my Nikon 990 which I have had forseven years, and still works fine. I wanted the bettermovie mode, the long zoom lens, and image stabilization. I did not want to give up the advantages of the swivel lens onthe 990. The articulated viewfinder on the Canon S3 servesthe same function. I have no real complaints but I thinkthere are three things that experienced amateurphotographers should be aware of. I realize that mostexperienced photographers probably have digital SLR bynow, but maybe there are a few holdouts like me who like theextra features you get on something like the Canon S3 forless money.The S3 lacks three features that the Nikon 990, and everyother camera I have ever owned, had.1.The first thing I do when I buy a new camera screw on aUV filter to protect the lens. You can't do that with theS3. You have to mount an adapter that sticks out beyond themaximum lens extension, and screw the UV filter into that.2.When I have to use flash I use an external flash unit. This camera has no connection for an external flash. Youhave to buy an optical slave trigger for the externalflash.3.For long exposures with a camera mounted on a tripod Ilike to use a cable release. There is no remote releaseavailable for this camera. I am going to buy a contraptionthat allows use of a cable release.These are minor annoyances and there are acceptableworkarounds for each of them. Obviously Canon did itsmarket research and found that few consumers care aboutthese features. If you are one of the few, I think youshould know about them.

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

Its lightweight and powerfull.All the function I need are there: point-and-shoot and fullmanual.Decided to buy it because of the Canon brand, thefunctionality and the optical zoom (12x).Great deal!

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Pentax PZ20, with Tamron 28~200mm lenses

Items I Recommend: Lens Adapter/Lens Hood Set LAH-DC20

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

This is a great camera. I just wanted to add my two centsand say that 6 Megapixels is great for a camera this size. The sensor on these point and shoot digital cameras is verysmall and if you were to up it to ten megapixels like aprevious reviewer desired you would have huge noise problems(those dreaded purple and green dots) that would require alot of noise reduction. Even if the camera is good at noisereduction, you would end up losing a lot of detail that yougained from going to 10 megapixels in the first place. Beyond 3-4 Megapixels, greater amounts of megapixels aregood only because they allow you to crop the image and stillmaintain a good amount of detail. This camera has a 12Xoptically stabilized zoom lens. You shouldn't need to cropyour images that much because you can just zoom the camerain when you take the shot to begin with. Having owned a tenMP point and shoot, I can tell you I would take fewermegapixels and a cleaner, sharper image anyday!

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: sony h-9 R1; Canon S1 IS

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

I purchased this camera approximately six months ago and I absolutely loved it. The photographs I did were amazing. I took pictures at a wedding reception with little to no lighting and the flash produced wonderful pictures. Cannon has cornered the market on the rotating LCD screen, I absolutely love it. This camera can be used by the point and shoot user or the amateur

Problems Encountered: This is a sleek and professional looking camera and it is worth the money, but you would think Cannon would do something better with the lens cap. It doesnt stay on and it is attached by a string which is really goofy and dangerous because you can scratch your lens. Love the fact that they provided the rechargeable Batteries

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Cannon Powershot A85

Items I Recommend: 1GB memory card

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

I have had this camera since mid february 07, have shot over3000 pictures in most all available conditions. I useprimarily the all-manual setting. The supermacro capabilityis amazing flowers and insects and extreme close ups. The 12xzoom (and sometimes with the digital zoom added = 48x) isastounding. I have now taken to using the zoom with IS toshoot macro shots and they are strikingly detailed. Color isbeautiful.Except for supermacro shots, I use the adaptor with UVfilter, and regular lens cap. I use the live histogram as a very helpful guide, as wellas the exposure compensation and focus compensation. I'vehad fun with the interval shooting feature as well as theselective color capabilities. It sits well in the hand,and is smooth and fast in its action.I plan to get the telephoto adaptor and wide angle lens as well.I strongly recommend this camera.

Problems Encountered: BAD: The lens cap with the camera is remarkably horrible.The flash is often too strong or too weak, and interferesgreatly in near distance and macro photography and nohot-shoe capability (tho can use slave external light). There are homemade remedies as well, check flickr and othersites for group discussions.

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: A60, A85. Minolta film SLR. Pentax 35-105 zoom film point and shoot.

Items I Recommend: lensmate.com adaptor (it's metal not plastic); SanDisk Ultra II cards (very speedy); Canon 58mm lens cap and UV filter.

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

i bought this camera on the recommendation of a friend who had it. i took it on a recent shoot to Argentina and used it as backup for my two Nikon D200's and assorted prime and zoom lens for work in Perito Moreno and El Chalten.. in many cases I shot the Nikons side by side with the little Canon. I have to say that other than file size, the S3 performed as well as my Nikons or better in some cases. The image stabilization is fantastic, zoom is fine, sensor is very good .. little noise under harsh/low light. I was honestly amazed at how well it metered.. especially overcast snowy conditions. Really a great camera for the money and the long range zoom is exceptional. I highly recommend this camera.. and as another reviewer said, if they make it in 10 mpxl, it will be the best in class or of many classes.

Problems Encountered: No problems at all... ditch the batteries and buy rechargeable before you take it out. lens cap keeps falling off, so beware of that. get a hip case for it.

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Fuji S3, Nikon D200, Nikon D2Xs, Canon 20D, Sony R1, Pentax Optio, Hasselblad, Rollei 6x6cm.

Items I Recommend: case and rechargeable batteries with charger

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

We have used the Canon S3 as our family P&S sinceChristmas and everyone loves it. It's easy to get greatresults right out of the box, and it has a great collectionof features for more advanced photography. The IS isrock-solid, even at very long zooms, and the images makebeautiful prints, even above 11x14. On the Epson R2400, welet the printer manage the color, with excellent results. Its only drawback is that it will not produce raw imagefiles, but we have other specialized cameras, so for ourhome use, this is not a serious issue.All the automation on the camera comes together well in Pmode. Yesterday at the baseball game we got shots as wideas the field and as tele as a pitcher's motion and brokenbat in mid-swing.I rate the camera high in every category, and would give itmore than five stars for value.

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: A variety of SLR, MF and view cameras

Items I Recommend: Sanyo ENELOOP rechargable batteries, a big memory card, and a tidy little bag.

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

The three things I like the most about digital photographyare the ability to 1) take lots of pics without worryingabout the cost of development; 2) create slideshows (withmusic); 3) display and transmit pics online. Before I boughtthe S3 IS, I read lots of reviews about it and other similarcameras and I was very happy to find that the reviews werecorrect. It is so easy to use (but it helps that I owned aprevious Canon camera). It is so fast and quiet, I lovetaking pics with this camera! I was able to take some picsin Church, of a Christmas celebration, with low lights andwithout a flash that came out beautifully. In fact, I thinkthe indoor setting is better than a flash in many respects. I am not experienced enough to know how much more 10MP mightadd to the camera's performance, but 6MP are pretty darngood. What a camera!

Problems Encountered: I have not encountered any serious problems to date. Youwill need to carry the manual around for a while, if you areinterested in using the many special features of this camera.

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Canon Powershot A95

Items I Recommend: 4 Ni MH batteries (8 would be better), battery charger, larger SD card

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

My name is Davin Garcia and i have just purchased my new Canon S3 IS a week ago. I do not call myself a professional..but its nice to feel like one when shooting with this camera. First off, this camera has exceeded my expectations by far. The simplicity of its use and its sleek, sturdy design makes it probably the best of its class. After I have compared it to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7K, I found that the Lumix is just to complex and its features seem to rank lower than that of my new canon. Although it is classified as a Point-and-Shoot with long zoom, it has greatly exceeded my expectations for it and I believe it is probably the most complex, detailed, and advanced Point and shoot I have ever seen. The screen modes include Manual(M), Custom(C) Aperture Priority(AV), Shutter Priority(TV), Program(P), Auto, Portrait, landscape, Night Scene, Sports, Night Snapshot(SCN), Stich assist, and Movie mode. Personally, I prefer manual mode because you can manually change the Aperture value and the shutter speed with the press of the button, and also use manual focus, However depending on your location, and source of light, the modes with a specifically set title are helpful as well.The 6 megapixel image sensor is the best feature of this camera because when printing large images, there's not much clearer you can get than 6 megs. Also, when shooting in large/Superfine quality, the image quality on your computer will be amazing. This feature captures a moment like no other and memories last forever with this amazing quality.Overall, the Canon Powershot S3 IS is the most optimal camera whether your a photography enthusiast, professional, or even a soccer mom looking to capture the perfect moment, this camera will do it all with the quality you've been searching for!

Problems Encountered: When attaching the lens hood to my conversion lens adaptor, i found that when using the flash while it is attached creates an ugly, infitrating dark half oval at the bottom half of the picture. I expected this to happen, however it would be nice to have a hot shoe so I could attach a more powerful flash that would probably eliminate that unwanted dark spot.

Items I Recommend: Canon LAH-DC20 Lens Adapter/Hood Set

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

I took over 3000 photos with this camera on a recent trip to Sicily. The camera functioned flawlessly. It is like an extension of your mind, as well as your body, as it fits perfectly in your hand, (which is where it stayed almost the entire trip). Although I also took along a Nikon F3, and I did not take a single photo with it.This camera has more features than any other camera in this category. This gives it more flexibility and capabilities. The swivel LCD is very helpful for low or high angle or candid shots. (2.5 in would have been nicer, but this works well.) I used the viewfinder for all other shots, which helps save battery life. Shutter Lag is reduced by using an SD Extreme III card and half depressing the shutter button to lock the AF and exposure before taking the shot. This camera is totally unobtursive and not clumbersum. (This was perhaps its best characteristic combined with its advanced capabilities. It was like the perfect SLR in miniture, that was also fully automatic, with manual capabilities.) Friends eating at a table, for example, did not realize they where photographed. It is so easy to use, your are inspired and encouraged to use it. The optical zoom range is excellent. This provides a tremendous creative range. Although the digital zoom just spreads the pixels out, I found it useful for certain distance shots, and was glad it was there. The zoom itself is faster than most, if not all, other digital camera in this class. The image stabilization is perfect, even at full zoom, out of a car window at 100 kph. The AF is also very fast and more accurate in low light than other similar cameras I tested. Using 2400 mah rechargeables I was able to shoot about 350 to 400 pictures per charge. The max ISO could be faster, (like 3200), but this was rarely a problem, and low light shots were uniformly good.The bottom line is that this camera does the simple things very well, just like you would hope or expect it to. Like focus, image stabilization, and exposure. Even the self timer is great. It lets you know, by flashing the timer light faster, the second or two before the shutter goes off. Everything was well thought out and considered in its design.Again the physical design of camera is about as good as it could be, making it very easy to hold, and use.The camera itself is very compact, tight and solildy built. The camera itself, and the controls do not look or feel cheap or flimsy. The camera feels very solid.I even accidentally dropped the camera about 18 inches from a chair to an uncarpeted floor, (on a ship) and there was no damage, thankfully! (I did hold my breath on that one, and I am not sure many of the other cameras in this category would have survived that fall as well.) The controls are just were they should be, feel solid, and are intuitive. I only had to look up the M in the manual, which is also very well written.For the person who is even remotely interested in photography, to the person who is serious or professional, this is an excellent choice, and perhaps the best single package and value Canon offers. I also feel that because of its features, it will be more and more appreciated for years, as all of its functionality is discovered through use over time. I don't think any other camera in this category can match this one, feature for feature, in build quality, and excellence of photos.

Problems Encountered: On one or two occasions I would like to have had the Wide Angle lens with me. This is an add on option.Again, if Canon make this exact camera with 10 Megapixels it would be the best one out there.

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: 3 other digital camera HP and Sony

Items I Recommend: WIDE ANGLE LENS and adapter, RECHARGABLE 2650 or 2700 mah AA batteries, Carrying case big enough for change of batteries, extra 1 or 2GB Extreme III SD cards, AR Kleen Lens cleaning solution (non alcohol based)

Comments about Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera:

I got it a week ago, and I love it!! It's got all the best features and modes you'd want in a digital camera. The manual controls are great, and the picture quality is great, even in tough lighting conditions (and in hard conditions, primarily bright sunlight, the electronic viewfinder really comes in handy). it has one of the best zooms I've seen in a mid-range digicam, and even at full telephoto the images are clear and sharp, especially with the image stabalization (a very useful feature)! the movie-snap feature is great, as well as the sports and My-Colors modes.Until I got the S3, I'd been using my dad's powershot G3, and I'd call this camera a relief from it!! I highly recommend this camera if you are looking for a good, all-in-one digicam!!!

Problems Encountered: I burned through the provided batteries in my first full day of shooting, but when I got new batteries (energizer non-rechargable alkalines), they lasted for more than a week.this isn't a serious problem, but just a head's up: the manual focus barely has an effect on the picture compared to the auto focus, and it's really a useless feature.

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Canon Powershot G3

Items I Recommend: large memory cards, especially if you'll be using the movie feature a lot, and a camera bag to keep the camera safe.