Canon S3

[SplshMtn99]

WOW!!!! Awesome pic of your bird. Time for me to update title date again I see. Keep up coming.

 

[jenr812]

Did you use a tripod with any of those? The detail is fabulous for zoom!

 

[jenr812]

I think you should stick with a digital point and shoot and in the future, should you decide you want to expand your experience in photography, you can go to the dSLR. That's how I did it....I went from a Canon S100 to a G5 to a Rebel. By the time you get to the dSLR you'll know a lot about digital images and how to postprocess.

As you can see, I'm a Canon person (didn't used to be...in film, I used to be a Minolta person). One reason I like to stick with the Canon cameras is that I find their cameras more intuitive than the Nikon cameras. By intuitive, I mean I can take some good photographs right out of the box without having to read a very thick manual.

I've heard good t hings about the S3 and it's a camera I'm about to recommend to my friend too.

Sorry to be OT but the pic in your sig is fabulous!

 

[wdwmom2]

Did you use a tripod with any of those? The detail is fabulous for zoom!

Nope, no tripod for any of the pics. The panda that is facing the camera was an amazing distance away. I think I used full zoom on her.

 

[RC Fan]

Thank-you! That wolf is absolutely adorable!

 

[wdwmom2]

Thank-you! That wolf is absolutely adorable!

Glad you enjoyed them!!!

 

[captaincrash]

Just a quick remark...

... you seem sort of new at this - and if so then you'd be better served by a near introductory level camera of virtually any sort. And the reason I say this is you need to get used to just snapping photos again. And the idea of snapping them at near zero cost (incrementally) is gonna be a new twist. There is a lot more in common among the P&S ilk then otherwise. And I think you'll find there is a lot you more your can do with digital images then you know or expected. From sharing a 60 photo "album" via email with 40-60 friends and family (comparable to printing 2400-3600 prints and mailing them) at near zero cost! To getting normal 12x18 enlargements at Costco for $2.99 same day ... or 4x6s at $0.15-0.17 in under an hour at Costco or Walmart. And then there's the creative image manipulation tools you have at home on your coumputer. You can do so much that it is bewildering.

Then again... all you may do is shoot a couple dozen images per outing and print them all straight out of the camera at 4x6... no rebalancing or sharing. And if that was the case then my best suggestion is to buy from Costco for their fair prices and "NO QUESTIONS ASKED" refund / exchange policy. Try something well within your price range and if it is not quite right then swap it. Keep your receipt and do not abuse the digicam - and try to access the shooting qualities soon under a wide range of situations ... indoor / outdoor, day and nite, near and far subjects, and stationary and moving subjects. See if the shutter lag bothers you and whether the zoom angle range is sufficient. Sometimes a camera is not so hot under challenging conditions as in low light with flash exposures... or at the extremes of the zoom range. IE, on wide angle it may have dark edges (vignetting) or on telephoto it may seem soft in focus (low resolution or operator error with excessive hand motion). Hand motion you can fix but a fuzzy lens at long zoom range means you will shy away from using that part of its' performance.

OK... so much for the short answer... I'll just abruptly cut it off here with this final remark.... I prefer DP Review, RobGalbraith.com and Fred Miranda for my photo info. Check 'em out!

 

[captaincrash]

QUick PS...

Between the G7 and S3 I would go with the G7 for the basic advantages of high ISO (max 1600), higher sensor count (10 MP) allowing extreme post-camera cropping, and Digic 3 processing. The S3 is a close competitor with that long lense range and optical IS. Plus the S3 has that flip out and pivoting LCD feature that I love... but it is only Digic 3 and 6MP... which is more then adaquate for me as I shoot with a 6MP DSLR.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0609/06091405_canon_g7.asp

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons3is/​

 

[Sanka]

Do I need anything else to attache the extra lens' for this? Or does the lens attach directly to the camera? I have the Canon S3.


http://cgi.ebay.ca/12-PIECE-ACCESSO...QQihZ002QQcategoryZ116186QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[psimon]

Two weeks ago, I got a new Canon S3. This week we just came back from a week at Disney World. While there I shot about 450 pictures and about 25 minutes of video. All of that was done on 1 set of 2500mA Energizer batteries. They were still working when we came home.

Here I had packed 2 chargers and 3 sets of batteries. Never needed any of it.

Is this kind of experience normal? Are others getting this kind of life out of a set of batteries?

Thanks....

---Paul in Southern NJ

 

[LMarge]

I think there is an adaptor ring you need for attaching the 2 "adaptors". When I stopped in our local camera store and asked about them, they priced me the ring and then the 3 lens adaptors individually. Hope this helps. I didn't see the "adaptor ring" in that kit, so I'm a bit confused by the offer myself.

 

[Sanka]

I just got the s3, and I couldn't tell you how many shots I've taken on this set of batteries, as I have deleted a lot before I downloaded them to my PC. However, I have probably taken a few hundred shots with it on this set of batteries. And if my memory serves me correct. they guy at the store said you could get 400-500 shots off a set of batteries...

So it does sound like it is pretty much the normal!

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have the S2 and yes, my experience is the same, phenomenal performance from the batteries.

 

[zeniff]

the experience with the batteries are not so good on mine

 

[SplshMtn99]

the experience with the batteries are not so good on mine

Maybe you are using batteries with a lower mh? Sorry, don't know the correct terms. lol

About 2 yrs ago, I stopped using all my weaker batteries & changed to just 2200mh & 2500mh rechargeable Energizers.

I've had my S3 since last wk in September. I haven't taken 500 pics yet, but I have changed the batteries just once. We were going somewhere & I was concerned since no "low battery" indicator on camera, so I changed just to be safe even though I too had read 500 shots on a set of batteries.

All those shots & videos on a wks WDW vacation with just 1 set of batteries is AWESOME!!!! Guess I'll be packing lighter whenever we return.

 

[SplshMtn99]

My Christmas wish list just got a bit longer. Need to stop reading Photography Board, Scrapbooking Board & the Budget Board.

 

[Jeanne B]

Sanka - To answer your question, the kit includes an adapter which is what's needed to add on lenses, filters, etc so you shouldn't need anything additional.

But...I hate to be pessimistic but here goes. $80 for a telephoto lens, wide-angle lens, adapters, filters and accessories is VERY cheap, too cheap IMO. I'd be leary of the deal because you're probably going to get what you pay for. If you go to www.lensmateonline.com which is a very reputable site for S2/S3 add-ons (especially their adapters) sells wide-angles for $60-100 and the telephoto is $130 (1.54x). Their adapters are about $25 (I have one along with a couple of filters). I know beachcamera.com was selling 52mm or 58mm adapters back in the spring, I don't remember the brand, but they stopped selling them because they weren't fitting properly (or something to that effect) and that's when I came across lensmate.

 

[Amy]

Ok, I may be asking a dumb quesiton here.......I'm quite happy with the 12x zoom on my S3 IS and don't really want to get an additional zoom lens. BUT, I know from my old SLR days and from some posts on this board that in order to protect the lens, I should probably at least get a polarizing filter, and in order for the polarizing filter to attach to my S3 lens, I'll need an adapter.

I looked at the site Jeanne B mentioned, and it showed the S3 with the adapter attached. I'm confused - does the adapter attach at the very end of the lens, or does it attach back at the camera, like where the lens attaches to the camera? From the picture, it looks like it covers the entire lens, not just the end. Or is it just my morning eyes not seeing things correctly since the caffeine hasn't kicked in yet?

 

[LMarge]

Sanka - To answer your question, the kit includes an adapter which is what's needed to add on lenses, filters, etc so you shouldn't need anything additional.

Sorry - my bad!! Should have read thru the list instead of jumping to the bigger picture!!

 

[Dan Murphy]

the experience with the batteries are not so good on mine

Are you using nickel metal hydrides?