Canon S3

[JR6ooo4]

I bought a 2gig for DWs S2 and it did not work, but it would also not work in windows (could not write or reformat) so it was probably the card. rather than risk aproblem again I just got a 1 gig and it works fine.
I have been told that there is a 1gig limit on video files in the S2.

Mikeeee

Oh, congratulations on the S2, we call ours the "rebel Jr" because it has such great features and quality.

 

[ndelaware]

You would be better off getting a couple more 512MB cards. That way if you lose the camera or the card or if the card becomes corrupted you won't lose ALL of your pictures on the the one really big card that you are using.

 

[ldibo]

I have 4 Sandisk 1g cards for my S2 and I used them all for my last trip to WDW. I would definately get more memory.

Lynn

 

[makinorlando]

I have a 2g SanDisk and several 512mb and 256mb (the smaller ones for the times that I FORGOT to bring a card with me!).... the 2g works fine in my S2.... Even with the 2 g I always download and back up the photos right away so it never gets full on my day trips. I have filled up a 512mb card in one day though!

 

[LMarge]

Martha,
did you get the Ultra or the regular SanDisk card when you picked up your 2g? Just curious if there was much of a difference. I have a 512 Ultra and it seems to loose capacity each time I download and then reset it in the camera - not by tons, but a few less photos each time. Is that normal? TIA

Marge

 

[JR6ooo4]

My Rebel XT creates folders on the memory card to hold or categorize the photos. Each folder may hold a hundred pics or so.
though previous folders are empty they might take up a bit of space, each. That might be the problem. Try a reformat (in camera) to remove the old unused folders.

Either that or your photos are getting so much better they deserve more space!

Mikeeee

 

[makinorlando]

Martha,
did you get the Ultra or the regular SanDisk card when you picked up your 2g? Just curious if there was much of a difference. I have a 512 Ultra and it seems to loose capacity each time I download and then reset it in the camera - not by tons, but a few less photos each time. Is that normal? TIA

Marge

My 2g is regular SanDisk, but I honestly don't notice how many pictures it holds, I have yet to fill it up, and I delete the files as soon as I download to my picture drive and back up to disk - rarely do I have more tha one "outing" on the memory in my camera.

I honestly don't keep track of how many photos my memory cards can hold - since most of my trips are day trips, and I now have plenty of memory, and DON"T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT it anymore... running out has not been an issue.

The 512MB I used yesterday as 360MB used, 174 pictures in 4 folders....

 

[LMarge]

ok - this is a really stupid question, but how do you know what the "folders" are? Where would I find that info on my camera? Also, I do a "low level" reformat each time I empty the card --- but thanks for the thought that the pics are getting better!!!LOL
Marge

 

[JR6ooo4]

I never delete the card until the moment before I need it again. That way it is another backup. It takes less than one minute to change the card and reformat.

Mikeeee

 

[melissa2002]

Hello,

I've been doing a lot of research before buying a new camera and really like these two-I've found lots of info on both cameras but can't find anywhere that compares them. Has anyone used or seen BOTH cameras? From what I've read, it seems like the A620 is faster and has more megapixels but the Canon s2 has image stabilization and the zoom, which I would love, but in many reviews I read about problems focusing/blurry shots. Although I am very excited to learn how to become a better photographer and how to use the manual modes, I know I will be using auto a lot until I get it mastered. Any advice on which would be the better buy for me? Price is not an issue with them, it will be mostly a family camera (vacations,soccer games, dance recitals, kids being cute, etc.) and for me to use to practice before hopefully moving to a d-slr in a year or 2.

Thanks in advance for any advice!!

Melissa

 

[Judge Fudge]

You might want to consider the newer S3 which has recently dropped in price, likely because the S4 is due to come out soon. I can't say enough about the zoom, I love it. Of course at 12x if you don't hold still you still might catch some blurring. I don't have an a620, but I love my S3 so far.

Hope that helps.

 

[Anewman]

I agree with the judge, you can get the S3 IS for an extra $45(over the A620) at places like Buydig/Beachcamera.

But if forced to choose between the S2 or A620, it would be the S2. I have never really read about focusing issues with it, except for low light situations. And even expensive DSLRs have a bit of trouble with low light focus. I reall can not see a single area that the A620 is better, except megapixels and IMO 5 is plenty and then consider the fact that the S2 is actually cheaper...

NO CONTEST IMO. Shooting Soccer games that ZOOM will be very needed.

 

[JR6ooo4]

I bought my wife a 620. It had substantial shutter lag. so for $35 more at best buy we got the S2. (some months ago) Way faster on the shutter lag. Good for pet photos. the zoom is huge. It even has spot metering! SOmething my rebel xt DSLR does not have...
We call our S2 the Rebel Jr!

Small cameras take good pictures
Medium size cams take great pics
Pro size cost too much

Mikeee and Marcie

 

[T+C]

I finally decided between the two models myself. I decided that the a620 was what I wanted. Went to buy it last weekend and could not find one anywhere. Asked the fella at Best Buy...A620 is discontinued!!! So...I'll probably buy the s2 now...still waiting a bit to see what "new" models come out for Christmas.

 

[Jeanne B]

I finally decided between the two models myself. I decided that the a620 was what I wanted. Went to buy it last weekend and could not find one anywhere. Asked the fella at Best Buy...A620 is discontinued!!! So...I'll probably buy the s2 now...still waiting a bit to see what "new" models come out for Christmas.

Yes, the A620 is difficult to find now but I checked pricegrabbers.com and I see that Circuit City has a web only special on the A620 for $230. I have both the A610 and the S3...I think the A610 actually takes a better quality picture than the S3 but I love the S3, the zoom is great and the video button right on the camera body is pretty handy. Both have the swivel LCD which is another great feature. If zoom is important to you than I would go with the S2 or S3, I bought the A610 first and the zoom was the one thing I missed (which is why I have the S3 now). You can by the S2 on Amazon for $300 and the S3 for $350. I paid $427 for my S3 in May so the prices have come down quite a bit.

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

Hi!

I got a Canon S2 IS a few months ago and I’m looking forward to using it when we go to Disney later this month. I am really inexperienced with digital cameras and I haven’t practiced using my new camera as much as I wanted by now! My bad.

I’d like to take regular-sized pictures that I can e-mail and/or print. I don’t need really big (but not tiny either) pictures but I’d like them to be sharp & clear. I have a 1GB card and plan on taking LOTS of pictures. Although from what I’ve read on this board maybe it’s better to get a few smaller cards instead. I might do that.

So ….. my questions. Based on the info above -

What is the best setting for the resolution?
S (small) [640 x 480]
M2 (medium 2) [1600 x 1200] <----- This one?
M1 (medium 1) [2048 x 1536]
L (large) [2592 x 1944]

What is the best setting for the compression?
Normal
Fine <----- This one?
Superfine

TIA!
Debbie

 

[Groucho]

I vote for highest resolution and highest quality. Anything but the highest means that you're throwing away picture information. Memory cards are cheap so that's not really an issue, and of course you'll be able to keep using them in the future.

Even if you're going to shrink them down, the higher resolution gives you the option of cropping down to a specific part of the photo. If you are really concerned about storage space, I would give up resolution before compression, though.

 

[Goofyish]

I agree with Groucho - if you start with the largest resolution and lowest compression you can always reduce the image size/resolution in your PC for use in emails or the internet

Remember to keep the master hi-res image though and reduce the size of a copy

 

[Jeanne B]

I vote for highest resolution and highest quality. Anything but the highest means that you're throwing away picture information. Memory cards are cheap so that's not really an issue, and of course you'll be able to keep using them in the future.

Even if you're going to shrink them down, the higher resolution gives you the option of cropping down to a specific part of the photo. If you are really concerned about storage space, I would give up resolution before compression, though.

Ditto

 

[KaitlinsMom]

Just wanted to bump this up - I just received my S3 and was a bit surprised how loose the lens cap is - I did a search and this is the thread that came up - Does anyone have anymore suggestions?

Karen