- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 113 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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46 out of 56 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"decent upgrade"
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
- 4 replies to this review
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One thing you can do for subjects outside the focus area is this. Point the camera directly at the subject half-press the shutter so it focuses, shift the camera to your framing, and shoot! This should work fine, so long as the lighting/metering/white balance isn't vastly different for the slightly different framing.
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very disappointed that there is no 9 points focus in S3
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Would the manual focus option on the S2 IS take care of the low light focus problem?
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I do alot of low light digital photography in caves etc. A trick I learned is to carry a LED flashlight and use it to illumanate the target area until you get focus ... then turn it of and press your shutter release .. problem solved. I have done this with several brands of camers including Olympus, Fuji, Canon, and Sony.
My current camera of choice is a Canon Powershot S2 IS. I also carry a Fuji Finepics 3100. With a simple adaptor ring all my specialty lenses and filters are usable on both cameras.
Where to buy
Canon PowerShot S3 IS:
$799.95
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Amazon.com Marketplace
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$799.95 | Yes |
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