Canon PowerShot S3 IS
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"Excellent camera with MANY useful features and great software" on by Peter Sanders
Pros: 12x zoom, excellent features, TWAIN driver for pc control
Cons: manual activation of flash, smallish LCD display
Summary: Let's be realistic here. The opinions and reviews comparing this Canon S3 IS to the Sony H5, are too much of a "mine's better than yours" foray.
As a previous owner of the Sony H1, I was about to gravitate, somewhat automatically to its successor the H2. Seeing that the H2's LCD display dropped from 2.5" to 2", that put me off. I handled the H2 as a preview to purchase but found the whole camera as well as the LCD display to be too small. I noticed and rread the review of the H5. This I thought would be the camera for me! The LCD display was 3", the sensor at 7.2mp were both a boost over the H1. I was "sold", or so I thought.
I clicked on a link to a Canon S3 IS review. I read the review, hmmm? sounds impressive this S3. I investigated the S3 a little more.
Now for most people that usually have 6x4 prints, anything with 3mp or more is adequate. So the H5's 7.2mp or the H2's and the S3's 6mp is more than sufficient.
All three of these cameras are magnificent in their capabilities. Each will produce excellent images. Sure there may be a minor advantage of one over the other for high ISO noise levesl, but hey, we should know that in this price bracket and camera level there will always be a compromise.
I must prefix much of the following review with the fact that I am and have been a Sony fanatic for as long as I can remember. It is with some disappointment then that I have to say that I chose the Canon S3 above the other two Sony models. The images I took with the 5mp Sony H1 are excellent. I expect any of these three cameras to do just as good or maybe slightly better (the 7.2mp would be nice).
I, like other reviewers here, looked at other cameras before deciding on the S3. The choice is not the easiest. I contemplated the following (amongst a few others), Sony H2, H5, Sony R1, Canon 350DS, Panasonic FZ7 and the Canon S3 IS.
As I said before each have their own pros and cons. The Sony R1 is a GREAT camera however as a fixed lens camera, for me a 5x zoom was not enough if I'm going to carry its 2 plus pounds weight. The 10mp and BIG APS sensor were very compelling features. The 350DS almost got my money. The optical viewfinder the solid feel, the fast continous capture capability and the interchangeable lenses are superb. However the interchangeable lenses were (foe me) also its downfall. I have for years prior to owning the Sony H1, been an SLR user. I sold my whole Pentax "kit" and moved on to an auto Pentax SLR - oh the convenience of point and shoot after years of lens changing exposure setting etc, etc.
So (for me) the DSLR's are out. They are all good - some better than others, BUT to get the capabities of 12x zoom, the lens cost can easily outweigh the cost of the camera.
So my choice came down to the Sony H5 and the Canon S3 IS. Do I want the extra 1.2mp and that extra 1" on the LCD display (hmmm? I do like that viewfinder)? Do I want better quality movies WITH STEREO SOUND, an intervalometer for picture sequences, a TWAIN driver to allow a computer to capture images a really "macro" macro capability a flexible LCD display and MANY great and useful camera options?
Well, the larger LCD display IS nice but I normally use the EVF for TAKING photo's the LCD display is used for just that, a display, to show images to others of the images taken. The Canons S3 LCD though smaller, is useful and it can be foded away for screen protection. The extra 1.2mp is of marginal benefit for most photo's offering only a slight improvement on enlarged images.
The intevalometer and the TWAIN driver to allow pc control of the S3 is something I find advantageous - though this is not for everybody.
The ability to take excellent movie clips is something very useful. There is of course a limit of 8 minutes at 640x48 at 30fps on a 1gb SD memory but most movie shots are far less than that anyway. A thirty second movie clip of the same scene seems a VERY long scene. So for holiday makers and quick home movie scenes this can be a very useful feature.
So as it turns out, the Canon S3 IS does it for me. This is not so much because "it's better" than the Sony et al, but because it offers the features and 12x zoom convenience that *I* want at a great price bracket.
On a featture by feature basis after lengthy reviews, I think the S3 has the advantage, but that 3" screen would have been nice.
Regards
Petetr -
"Recommended with Reservations" on by cdr_computers
Pros: High Quality Images (Color, Sharpness, Contrast)
Cons: Major Wavy Line Problem at Telephoto End of Lens
Summary: I purchased this unit approximately three months ago to replace the Canon S2 IS which I gave to my daughter. The subtle upgrades (not major by any standards - realistically) are welcomed, but I’m not so sure that the price differential for the new unit is worth the extra cost. (see review at http://www.dpreview.com/) The picture quality is definitely outstanding when outside in well-lit areas, but there are some problems with indoor shots. I have adjusted various settings and read the manual extensively, but still the problem persists with indoor low-lighting shots. The other major issue in my opinion stems from the fact that the straight edges of objects at the telephoto end of the spectrum tend to be wavy in pictures. This is not an issue with the S2 IS based on experimentation with both units. At full zoom, I took shots of a vehicle license plate, and the edges of the plate were very wavy (almost distorted in appearance) on the S3 IS version but perfectly straight on the S2 IS version. Similarly, I took a zoomed shot of a street sign and the same issue was pronounced when considering the S3 IS unit. I contacted Canon regarding this issue. The representative asked me to turn of the IS and take the shots again using a tripod which I did for both the license plate and the street sign. The same wavy-line anomaly manifested in the S3 IS pictures. I called Canon to discuss this issue, and I was told that there would probably be a firmware upgrade to deal with this issue. As of the date of this writing (08-18-2006), no firmware upgrade has been announced. If anyone reading this review doubts the validity of the information shared in this review, I implore you to conduct your own tests to confirm the problem with the S3 IS. Irrespective of this unfortunate glitch with the unit at the telephoto end of the lens, the S3 IS produces excellent pictures in well-lit areas. So, if you’re using the unit outside and in well-lit areas for the most part and not really using the zoom capability, then you’ll love this camera. On the contrary, if you’re going to be taking many zoom or low-light shots, then you’re going to be a bit disappointed. Regardless of these issues (which will hopefully be addressed in a firmware upgrade by Canon), I would have to recommended the camera for purchase based on my own experiences with getting high-quality images. The colors are on the mark, the sharpness of the images are on the mark, and there are no noticeable problems with fringing or softness on the edges of images. In closing, I would like to state that I do not feel this unit is worth the extra cost given that the S2 IS produces equivalent images on all points aforementioned. Best of luck to all in your search for a good camera, and I hope that this review proves beneficial in your decision-making process regarding the Canon S3 IS.
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"decent upgrade" on by canon all right
Pros: Canon's 9-point AiAF (Artificial Intelligence Auto Focus), 1 megapix improvement, black body, larger LCD
Cons: still no manual focus ring?
Summary: i own the S2 IS...it isn't the perfect camera out there as most seem to believe its the best...it has one glaring defect - poor focus in low light conditions (others who are intermediate-advanced users have also pointed this out). when you autofocus, the object must be inside the focus box which encompasses only a small portion of the picture...although you can move the box around a little bit, you can't quite move it to the edge to get some difficult angle shots...the S3 seems to address this problem with their new 9-point AiAF which isn't on the S2 and is supposed to provide excellent focus even when the object isn't in the center. even lower end models have a multifocus option that the S2 lacks.....if you haven't bought the s2 yet and are deciding b/w s2 and s3, spending the extra bucks is worth it if u are more than just a novice photographer
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"face change" on by joshUNC04
Pros: 6 megapixels
Cons: no other amazing add'l features
Summary: I currently own the S2 IS which I bought as soon as it came out last summer for taking pics on vacations. The camera is excellent, offers amazing picture quality, and I found the stabilizer useful. The new S3 IS adds 1 MP, although this is unnecessary for increased resolution, and the camera is now black instead of silver (possibly to give more resemblance to the higher end Rebel model). Save your money and buy the equally good S2 IS which can now be bought for around $350 vs. the $500 for the S3 IS.
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"Amazing Photo Quality, Definatly recomended!" on by anemone246
Pros: Great Photo Quality, Image Stabilizer is amazing, Super fast Shooting
Cons: False View Finder
Summary: I bought this right before a trip to Eastern Europe because I had been eyeing the S2 for over a year. When the S3 came out (at an incredibly decent price), I bought it same day. I think I hesitated to buy the S2 becuase I was unsure whether I should upgrade to a SLR or stay in the Powershot series, but I am a lot more satisfied with myself that I got the S3. It still has all the manual functions for more creative shots, 12x zoom (no additional lenses required...means not missing any good shots when on the go), super macro (once again, no need for additional lens with you can focus at 0 centimeters). I just got back from a month-long trip and had no major issues with the camera. Printed out about 100 pictures the other day at a lab, and had phenomenal image quality.
The only downside of this camera is the viewfinder. I don't know if the other S-models had this, but the viewfinder is just a smaller LCD screen displaying a digital image (you can also review your other photos in the viewfinder). Meaning, when taking a picture and the sun is too bright, you cannot see anything through the LCD becuase it is equivalent to using the larger LCD on the back; everything looks white. The data displays on the "mini LCD" are great, as found in SLRs, but the image itself is also digital as opposed to real. The photo-quality result is the same, of course, but it makes it rather difficult to know if the composure of your shot is good or not becuase of the lighting conditions.
However, the majority of the time, the digital viewfinder is amazing becuase it is exactly 100% to size of what the real photo will be like (as opposed to some real viewfinders that show less area). But for those sunny days, youll wish there was a way to switch it off.
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