Canon S3

[Pea-n-Me]

HELP! I am now seriously considering the canon powershot s3 is but am leaving for our Disney cruise in 10 days!!! If I order this online by tomorrow, will I have enough time to get the basics under my belt before we leave??? What else will I need to buy besides a case? A bigger memory card...better batteries?? Any help would be appreciated as this will be our first digital camera!

JMO..

Many here have good luck turning it on and shooting.

I've had mine for almost a year now and I'm finally getting pretty good at it; it's taken me that long. (It's also my 3rd digital camera.)

Most people probably fall somewhere in between those two extremes.

It's a very complicated camera but also has features that make it simple as well. It can take you from beginner to advanced hobbyist. I just don't know if you'll have wonderful shots right away. If you do get it, you should practice as much as you can before your trip. Good luck.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

HELP! I am now seriously considering the canon powershot s3 is but am leaving for our Disney cruise in 10 days!!! If I order this online by tomorrow, will I have enough time to get the basics under my belt before we leave??? What else will I need to buy besides a case? A bigger memory card...better batteries?? Any help would be appreciated as this will be our first digital camera!

90% of shots with the S3 can be taken in P mode (which is almost like full Auto, but better because you can control the ISO and have access to the MyColors features) ... it's only when you start taking pictures at the extremes that a complete understanding of the cameras settings becomes necessary. You can also stick with the Auto/Scene modes, and you'll get good pictures ... if not always the best that the camera is capable of....

Good rechargeable batteries are a *must* ... 2500mAh NiMH work great. You can also get Sanyo Eneloops (or equivalents) in stores like Wal*Mart or Target in 4-packs which even include a charger!

Extra SD cards are a *must* for a vacation. The camera only comes with a 16M card which is good for all of 5-6 pics! A couple of SanDisk Ultra II 2G cards will server you very well unless you start taking lots of video. You can get cheaper cards if you don't plan to use the high-speed continuous shooting feature very much.

On our recent 6-day Disney trip, I shot over 5G of pics and video!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

On our recent 6-day Disney trip, I shot over 5G of pics and video

We're baaaddd, aren't we?

I have so many (4600) I'm kinda stumped in going through them all.

 

[tiff13]

HELP! I am now seriously considering the canon powershot s3 is but am leaving for our Disney cruise in 10 days!!! If I order this online by tomorrow, will I have enough time to get the basics under my belt before we leave??? What else will I need to buy besides a case? A bigger memory card...better batteries?? Any help would be appreciated as this will be our first digital camera!

Most of my best and my favourites are from the first time I used it. I'd just make sure you'd have an extra set of batteries. Personally I use rechargeable.

 

[tidoublegger]

Thank you for taking the time to reply! I'm 100% convinced this is the camera for us...now to convince dh!!

 

[LMarge]

We're baaaddd, aren't we?

I have so many (4600) I'm kinda stumped in going through them all.

My dh thought I was crazy with over 4000 on the cards when we got home!! I've "weeded" it down to just over 1800! His response was "just how do you plan to scrapbook all those?" Little does he know that a good 500 or so are just shots for the Dis board!!! (signs, dof, fireworks,etc!) I think there's probably a therapy for this condition!!!

 

[LMarge]

Since we're back, here's one from my S2~ We were midway up on the end of the aisle (had to position ourselves for the mad exit to the Mickey meet-n-greet!)

 

[tidoublegger]

Thank you for taking the time to reply! I'm 100% convinced this is the camera for us...now to convince dh!!

Ok, it's ordered!! It should arrive Friday from Amazon.com!!! Thanks for all your terrific advice! The photos on this thread sold me!! I look forward to sharing some with you when we get back!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Since we're back, here's one from my S2~ We were midway up on the end of the aisle

Wow, LMarge ... that's a good shot!!

I tried getting good pics of FotLK, but it seemed that every time the performers were facing me, they were constantly moving and the few times I tried flash I got that horrible "dust in the air" artifacting.

I did manage get some good video of my son being pulled into the show at the end!

 

[Tickla]

Can you use lithium batteries in the S3? I read somewhere that you can't use them as they will make the camera overheat or something? (unless I was dreaming that or something) Please let me know because I have Lithiums in my S3 right now!! Thanks!!

 

[LMarge]

Wow, LMarge ... that's a good shot!!

I tried getting good pics of FotLK, but it seemed that every time the performers were facing me, they were constantly moving and the few times I tried flash I got that horrible "dust in the air" artifacting.

I did manage get some good video of my son being pulled into the show at the end!

Thanks Stitch! I wasn't sure what I would get considering the lighting conditions in FOLK. I'm pretty pleased with what the S2 produced. I have a few others that were really not to bad - but I'd like to run them through noiseware before I post them - they all have that fuzzy/smoky background to them. I've not used the video on this camera much, but I do use the continous shooting mode A LOT!!! Anything to catch a crazy 3 yo in action!!

 

[AshleyMWC]

Thanks Stitch! I wasn't sure what I would get considering the lighting conditions in FOLK. I'm pretty pleased with what the S2 produced. I have a few others that were really not to bad - but I'd like to run them through noiseware before I post them - they all have that fuzzy/smoky background to them. I've not used the video on this camera much, but I do use the continous shooting mode A LOT!!! Anything to catch a crazy 3 yo in action!!

Do you know settings you used on FOTLK?? My DBF says there is no way i will get a decent shot of that show- and while he is probably right, I am willing to give it a go after seeing yours.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Thanks Stitch! I wasn't sure what I would get considering the lighting conditions in FOLK. I'm pretty pleased with what the S2 produced. I have a few others that were really not to bad - but I'd like to run them through noiseware before I post them - they all have that fuzzy/smoky background to them.

Yep, Imagenomic's Noiseware (Community) clears up that ISO400 noise really well.

This is one of the better shots I got at FOTLK (same character, different performer!):

Mine isn't as sharp as yours, and you can see that one of the animal dancers must have moved in front of me just as I clicked the shutter (darker blurring on the right side). It's not great, but it's certainly better than no picture (which is what I've always gotten, before).

Do you know settings you used on FOTLK?? My DBF says there is no way i will get a decent shot of that show- and while he is probably right, I am willing to give it a go after seeing yours.

You can get decent shots, even good ones as LMarge's shows, but you probably won't getting "great" ones with anything less than an expensive DSLR with a fast lens.

For mine, I was using Av mode with the aperture as wide as it would go (3.5 with zoom), Spot metering, ISO 400 and I got a Shutter Speed of 1/30 sec. ... just enough to (almost) get a sharp pic of her....

 

[LMarge]

Do you know settings you used on FOTLK?? My DBF says there is no way i will get a decent shot of that show- and while he is probably right, I am willing to give it a go after seeing yours.

Ashley,
I used the Program mode (P) for those shots. I set the ISO to 400 and adjusted the light setting to Fluoresent (sp?) I also set my color selection to Vivid(this really helped since the venue is so dark). The other information was F3.5, 1/30 shutter. I think that's everything. It helps to go in and play around before the show starts (especially with the light settings!). Good luck and please share what you capture when you get back! Also, to add to what Stitch said above, a monopod may help as well - I took probably 100 photos during the show - only about 15 didn't have some motion blur - mainly on my part! It's hard to hold still with all the action going on - and sit close to the action - this reduces the amount of zoom needed, so you can get a bigger aperture! Have fun!!

 

[LMarge]

Stitch! That's a great shot! I agree that both photos are about as good as it gets with the S2/S3 camera in that setting. But, considering last time, my film slr got very little that was usable,(from FOLK) I'm thrilled!! I was very pleased with the results I got from the S2 - for the level I'm at, I'm very happy! I wish I had played with the fireworks a bit more, those just didn't turn out as great as I had desired or hoped for! Oh well, next time!!

 

[Amy]

Here's one I took this summer at FOTLK with my S3. We were sitting way toward the back, and this was at full zoom. Used my favorite Sports mode. Had to run it thru Noiseware, but I'm very pleased with the way it turned out!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Here's one I took this summer at FOTLK with my S3. We were sitting way toward the back, and this was at full zoom. Used my favorite Sports mode. Had to run it thru Noiseware, but I'm very pleased with the way it turned out!

WOW! That's a beauty, Amy!!

What a great capture ... with the singer still and sharp, and the dancers behind her motion-blurred, it really helps to convey the impact of this wonderful show!!

 

[TwingleMum]

Here's one I took this summer at FOTLK with my S3. We were sitting way toward the back, and this was at full zoom. Used my favorite Sports mode. Had to run it thru Noiseware, but I'm very pleased with the way it turned out!

Can you tell me what is noiseware?? How do I use it?? Where do you get??

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Can you tell me what is noiseware?? How do I use it?? Where do you get??

Noiseware is a product by a company called Imagenomic.

It's specialized computer software that identifies and removes camera-sensor noise from images.

And, the best news ... there's a (legally) FREE version (called Community Edition).

All you have to do to use it is start up the software, load a noisy image (standard Windows File|Open), pick a noise suppression profile from the drop down list (Default works really well but there are plenty of options to choose from or create your own) and click the Go button.

 

[Amy]

Noiseware is a product by a company called Imagenomic.

It's specialized computer software that identifies and removes camera-sensor noise from images.

And, the best news ... there's a (legally) FREE version (called Community Edition).

All you have to do to use it is start up the software, load a noisy image (standard Windows File|Open), pick a noise suppression profile from the drop down list (Default works really well but there are plenty of options to choose from or create your own) and click the Go button.

Yep, what he said. I've only been using it for a few months, but I can't believe the diff. it makes in pictures, esp. since the S3 is so noisy in low light. I've never strayed from the Default setting, so maybe I should give that a try soon. Thanks Stitch!