Canon S3

[TotalSnowWhite]

Noiseware just SAVED my NYC Halloween pics from last fall!!! Yea!! Thanks for bringing it to the board.

 

[donaldsgal]

Bump - anyone have any answers to my (numerous) questions in post 1257 on page 84? I'd appreciate it. I bothered LPZ_Stitch so much I think I've scared him off - sorry Stitch! I promise to quit asking so many questions.

With those answers, I'm ready to buy tonight! Got my taxes back today - Praise Jesus for quick W2 and Turbo Tax e-filing!

 

[jfap]

OK. Reputable noiseware-type software for Macs?

Me too!!!
I have a Mini Mac and some really bad pics I need to save!!!!

 

[DisneyMom14]

ok guys - I leave tomorrow night!! YEAH!!! I've practiced, but I'm just getting to set my camera's shortcut button. I'm going to try this from a previous post. Will these settings also work for an inside show like FOTLK?

Spectro is one of the hardest things to take pictures of with an S3, or any small-sensor camera. Heck, it's hard for the DSLRs even with a fast prime lens!

I did get a few decent pictures like this:

with these settings:

Av mode with Av set to 2.7 and no zoom, metering set to Center Weighted or Spot, depending on how bright the float is, and in the example posted above. To make switching metering modes easier, I've set my custom button on the back of the camera to 'metering' and can switch modes quickly; instructions for setting the button are in the manual) and ISO=400. I was generally getting 1/30 shutter speeds which, thanks to the IS, is just barely fast enough. It also helps to take more than one pic of each float as some will inevitably be blurrier than others.

You have to aim for the brightest part of the floats (where the most lights are) to get a decent shutter speed to have any hope of reducing/eliminating camera shake and subject motion blurring....

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Bump - anyone have any answers to my (numerous) questions in post 1257 on page 84? I'd appreciate it. I bothered LPZ_Stitch so much I think I've scared him off - sorry Stitch! I promise to quit asking so many questions.

With those answers, I'm ready to buy tonight! Got my taxes back today - Praise Jesus for quick W2 and Turbo Tax e-filing!

Nah ... can't scare me off that easily ... I've been sick in bed the past two days with some kind of throat infection. The 'zithromax' has kicked in and I'm feeling much better.

[EDIT]Hmmm ... I could swear I answered your questions, but my post appears to have disappeared! I'll answer again, in another thread....[/EDIT]

ok guys - I leave tomorrow night!! YEAH!!! I've practiced, but I'm just getting to set my camera's shortcut button. I'm going to try this from a previous post. Will these settings also work for an inside show like FOTLK?

Yes. Despite the lighting, FOTLK is still a pretty dark show and those settings are pretty generic for decent low-light shooting with an S3/S5. The brightest parts of the show are the Tumblemonkeys and the finale and you .

You'll probably want to push to ISO800 (1600 if you've got an S5) for at least a couple of shots, knowing that you'll have to clear them up with Noiseware when you get home.

Also, use the high-speed continuous mode when the singers/performers are at their most still. If you take more pictures, you're more likely to get a keeper.

I took a lot of pictures of FOTLK, most of them were crappy. This is one of the better ones. I really had to "wait for it", and it's still not as sharp as I would have liked, but it's definitely better than pictures I too with my older 2MP camera....

Someone, I think it was Amy, has an even nicer one (it's somewhere back in this thread). IIRC, she used an S5, ISO1600 and cleaned it up with Noiseware to get a sharp, clean pic!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Here ya go, donaldsgal:

Gotcha. Any idea how long it takes them after a camera is released to crack it?

Nope. The DIGICII was out for a couple of years before CHDK arrived, but the new one could crack easier as they already know what they're doing. I do know that they've been successful in getting the firmware *out* of the S5 ... whether or not that means they can do anything with it:

I should probably keep in mind that, as of yet, I really wouldn't know how to use these features. Therefore, it may be wiser to get the S5 for those features it has that you mention as being better and wait and hope for when they crack the S5. The other thing is, if I don't plan to use the hot-shoe (or won't know how to for a while), is that a feature that will be a "waste" for me as you mention it'd be for you?

I think you're on the right track ... the features in the CHDK are cool, but they won't really help you to be a better photographer without already having a good understanding of how the camera works to take advantage of them.

The features of the S5 are "already there" and *will* help take better pictures immediately (larger LCD makes lining up for pics easier, face-detection helps with exposure)....

I found another one on Amazon: "Sandisk 4GB ULTRA II Secure Digital SD HC Memory Card (SDSDH-4096, bulk) & BlueProton USB 2.0 SDHC Card Reader Writer (Blue)" for $38.99. If you buy this with a second Sandisk Ultra II SDHC 4GB SD Memory Card (SDSDH-4096, BULK Static Pack, No Reader), the total cost would be $74.80. So that's basically 8 GB of memory along with a BlueProton USB reader that would have the same function as the MicroMate - not needing to rely on the Canon cable but instead being able to plus that device into a USB port, right? Is that a good deal or not?

That sounds pretty good, too ... 8G plus a reader for $75....

How does the card reader work? I assume you put it into the camera somehow for it to "collect" the pictures from the memory card?

Nope. You plug the reader into the PC's USB port. Take the SD card out of the camera and plug it into the reader. Your PC will then treat the SD card as just another drive and you can do anything with the files that you could with files on your hard drive (C: drive). The reader doesn't actually do anything to the files at all ... it just makes the whole SD card accessible to your PC like a drive.

And are all USB ports 2.0? I mean, can I be assured that it will work with my computer (Dell Inspiron 600m purchased in 2003 with Windows XP Pro O.S.)?

You'd have to check with the PC manufacturer to be sure ... usually USB 2.0 ports are labeled with a 2.0 somewhere. Even if your PC doesn't have a USB 2.0 port you can buy a cheap little card to plug into a slot that will give you 2 or 4 ports. Also, devices should work fine even if it's not USB 2.0, they'll just be slower.

Again, how do the card readers work if they DON'T take pictures off the card directly?

By making the whole card look like a drive....

How do I know if I'm getting a class 2, 4, or 6 Ultra II? I mentioned the class level in my last post because one of the reviews of the other deal from Amazon that I posted explained that the memory card in the package was a class 2.

You'd probably need to check the SanDisk web site and compare the offered card from Amazon to the specifications. I'd be surprised if real SanDisk "UltraII" SDHC cards were only Class 2 ....

However according to the SanDisk web site, the SDHC UltraII's are at least as fast as the "plain" SD UltraII's which means even if it is Class 2 it's still fast enough for the S3/S5....

And by "impact the High Speed Continuous mode", you mean that, since it's taking pictures constantly in that mode, there would actually be a delay in the pictures being taken since the camera would be slowed down when the class 2 tries to write them onto the card?

Exactly, if the camera's output (in high-speed) exceeds the cards write speed, you'll see "busy" messages in the EVF/LCD and the picture taking speed will slow down until the card catches up.

With an UltraII, it never needs to slow down and can fill the card at full speed. This is not the case of slower SD cards. I doubt it will be a problem with the SDHC cards, either.

I read on the SD card website that you need to make sure you use a compliant SDHC card, which will have both the SDHC logo and the SD class - the ones I'm seeing on Amazon aren't showing the class in the pictures. What will happen if these are "non-compliant?"

SanDisk brand cards are definitely compliant ... they're pretty much the originator of the technology and they're the "gold standard" among SD cards.

What function does the 2.3fps High Speed serve? In other words, I don't get what that is. What's the comparable feature (or is there none) for the S5?

The High Speed mode takes continuous pictures at 2.3 frames-per-second as long as you hold down the shutter button. It's great for action shows like Lights! Motors! Action! where you can get multiple pics of the car jumping the explosion: some taking off, some more in the air, and still more landing. You can then pick the ones you like best for prints or scrapbooking.

The S5 has the same mode, but it's just a little slower, probably due to the higher MP.

Hope this helps!!

 

[Amy]

Someone, I think it was Amy, has an even nicer one (it's somewhere back in this thread). IIRC, she used an S5, ISO1600 and cleaned it up with Noiseware to get a sharp, clean pic!

Amy here, and it's so nice to know someone remembered one of my photos! Here it is:

This was taken with an S3, and I used Sports mode, which automatically boosts the ISO, and I *think* the S3 can go to ISO1600, too, not just the S5. And yes, I ran it through Noiseware. Like Stitch, I took a ton of photos and most of them turned out lousy.

Another tip for low-light shots that Sharon mentioned many pages ago is to set your shutter on continuous - you stand a better chance of the 2nd or 3rd shot being less blurry than the 1st.

And to whet your appetite even more, here's a neat shot of the fire guy in FOTLK; I was so thrilled when this turned out because I wasn't expecting it to:

Again, taken with my S3 on Sports mode, continuous shutter, and run thru Noiseware.

Good luck!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Amy here, and it's so nice to know someone remembered one of my photos! <snip>
This was taken with an S3, and I used Sports mode, which automatically boosts the ISO, and I *think* the S3 can go to ISO1600, too, not just the S5. And yes, I ran it through Noiseware. Like Stitch, I took a ton of photos and most of them turned out lousy.

Yep! That's the one I remembered!! Great job!

Just FYI ... without the CHDK firmware extension, the S3 can only go to ISO800 ... ISO1600 is supported, natively, on the S5.

But, with the "hack" you can not only get ISO1600 but ISO50 and shutter speeds up to 1/10,000 (and possibly even higher!).

 

[DisneyMom14]

Yeah! Thanks so much! I leave in approximately 9 hours! I will try to get some really cool pictures and post them when I get back.

 

[WickedWench]

Hey guys! I'm thinking about joining the S5 family, and I had a question.

When I looked at the camera at Best Buy it seemed really heavy to me, but then it was attached to a heavy retractable chain, so I wasn't sure if it was the camera or the security device.. What is the weight of the camera like? Are you able to just wear it around your neck all day in the park without problems? I wore my SD500 on a lanyard last time and loved having it constantly at hand.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Are you able to just wear it around your neck all day in the park without problems?

Just this past September, I carried my S3 with me pretty much from 8 in the morning to 10, 11, or 12 at night ... no problems. The strap did get a little sweaty and itchy/uncomfortable at times, but the weight wasn't much of a problem. You could probably get a DSLR-style neck strap that would be more comfortable. I almost bought a Disney one, but didn't really like the design....

At AK, I even added the weight of my Raynox DCR-1540PRO Teleconverter for a good chunk of the day, without any noticeable strain.

If we happened to be going into an area with limited photographic possibilities, like 3D shows or when it started raining, I just hung the camera bag off the back of DS11's wheelchair....

Remember, you'll also probably be storing it for a lot of rides and setting/hanging it on tables or chairs when sitting down for meals. That helps, too.

If it gets to be too much, it fits easily into the smallest lockers at the parks with plenty of room left over for other stuff.

 

[donaldsgal]

Well, I just hit "submit" on my order through Amazon for an S5. It's so scary - I really want to like it and kept going back and forth about whether to buy the S3 or S5. I went with the S5 for the larger LCD, more video capacity, and face detection. The final price was $332 and change. I also got a Sandisk 8 GB SDHC card (class 4) with reader for $61, and a Transcend 4 GB SDHC (class 6) card for $14.00. I bought a Pro Power case for $23 and the Ni-MH batteries with charger for $9 as well.

I really hope this is a good purchase for me. I'm excited to use it but just a little worried (as I always am with big purchases made when several choices are available) that I will get it and wish I got the S3.

Anyways, thanks for all your help along the way, guys (especially LPZ_Stitch!). I'll have close to 2 months to get used to it before we head to Disney for Easter.

 

[jpeka65844]

I wore my S5 for most of our trip in December. I will agree that the strap was the most uncomfortable thing about it. I think before June, I'll buy a nice strap!

Although DS2 wasn't with us, the times I've worn it around him, I forget I have it on when I lean over to help him, thus bonking him in the head with the camera. Be careful about that.....

 

[WickedWench]

Although DS2 wasn't with us, the times I've worn it around him, I forget I have it on when I lean over to help him, thus bonking him in the head with the camera. Be careful about that.....

Lol, I don't have any kids, so no problem there.

Thanks LPZ_Stitch! and jpeka65844, you've set my mind at ease. Now, I just have to wait for a sale. :>

 

[tiff13]

they look better bigger

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Thought you guys might like to see some of the low light shots I was able to crank out of my S3 at WDW last week. Handheld (very still, LOL). Shot primarily on Program mode with ISO 400-800 (depending on the situation) and run through Noiseware:

 

[madbrad76]

Thought you guys might like to see some of the low light shots I was able to crank out of my S3 at WDW last week. Handheld (very still, LOL). Shot as ISO 400-800 (depending on the situation) and run through Noiseware:

Besides manually setting your ISO, what mode did you have the camera in? Did you use sports mode or another mode?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Besides manually setting your ISO, what mode did you have the camera in? Did you use sports mode or another mode?

Oops, forgot to mention that, and edited my post above to reflect my answer.

I did play around with some settings but primarily for night shots use Program mode, even for fireworks. The key being to stay very, very still since the shutter is open longer. During the day I like to use Aperture Priority or Program mode.

BTW, the Eiffel Tower shot was taken from clear across the World Showcase, by China! Neat zoom!

 

[Amy]

Wow Linda! I'm impressed! I can never hold still enough to get decent night shots unless I use sports mode to boost the shutter. Good for you!

But that last shot of the tail of the plane....were you actually THAT close to another plane? Scary! (It's a beautiful shot, just too close for my comfort!)

 

[Pea-n-Me]

LOL, Amy! That was our wing, we were in the last row! If we'd have been that close to another plane I would have had my head between my legs and been kissing my you-know-what goodbye, not been firing shots off!

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