Canon S3

[MarkBarbieri]

There could be a lot of different things causing your problems. Posting some sample pics would help us accurately diagnose the problems.

 

[theblondebee]

I got the S3 just 3 days before our trip last month. I skimmed the manual on the plane and used the Program mode for the whole trip. I came home with over 1600 pics and not too many deleted. I was very pleased with the ease of use and the picture quality. It only takes a few seconds to make adjustments for different situations. I suggest you play with the settings to find out which ones work best for you and then save them to the shortcut button.

 

[garris3404]

Now my big question: How large of a SD card do I need?????? And can I use any brand of SD card - or are some better than others?????

Staples will have the Sandisk Ultra II 2GB cards on sale for 39.98 starting Sunday (1/7).

 

[Master Mason]

Staples will have the Sandisk Ultra II 2GB cards on sale for 39.98 starting Sunday (1/7).

Thank you for that, I need to get a card for the Wife's camera that should be here in a week or so....

 

[Master Mason]

Congrats MAsterMason Now here's hoping your order won't get cancelled !!!

Well, I just checked and they shipped it yesterday.... Now the question is do I give it to her now or save it for our aniversery next month..

 

[ajwomic]

Here are some examples of my blurred, noisy or overexposed and one outdoor to show I do get some good ones.

 

[ajwomic]

On No! I obviously did something wrong trying to post the pics. I clicked IMG and entered the flickr address. Oh well. They are on Flickr under JasonWomick. Does this help?? Please forgive my ignorance!!
Alicia

 

[Master Mason]

Here are some examples of my blurred, noisy or overexposed and one outdoor to show I do get some good ones.

I did one to make sure it works...

img]http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/346679644_fcb18ece90.jpg[/img

use the format above, with the rest of the pics... add the front and rear brakets and you'll get the pic

 

[garris3404]

Well, I just checked and they shipped it yesterday.... Now the question is do I give it to her now or save it for our aniversery next month..

Wait for your anniversary! Get her a couple of SD cards and a nice bag for you trip.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I also got an S3 several weeks ago after having a P&S. I can only speak for myself, but I'm finding it's taking a while to figure it out (others here seemed to have better luck at first). In fact, I posted this the other day looking for ideas and help myself: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1312333&referrerid=70088

Sure, check it out to make sure it's working ok. But it may be a matter of just fooling around with it and learning how to use it. There's a definite learning curve here but in the end I think it will be worth the effort.

 

[ukcatfan]

I have no idea what RAW format is (a lot of the "good" photographers on this board use it), but I DO think there's an option on the S3 to let you shoot in RAW format.

Unfortunately, there is not. That is one of the major gripes people have with Canon's current mix of p&s cameras. There is not one currently produced model that offers RAW. Not even the new G7 which costs as much a DSLR.


For better results, try using the P mode. Then you can decide what the ISO is and if there will be a flash. A basic way to start learning would be to set the ISO to the lowest and check to see if you can get the shot. If it is too blurry or you do not get enough depth of field(DOF), try increasing the ISO. The camera's brain thinks that you want to get everything in the frame in focus, but especially what you focused on. By increasing the ISO, it will use a faster shutter to reduce the blurring and might use a smaller aperture(higher f/#). If it is too low light, it will likely always use the widest aperture and you will limit the DOF. By trying some of this, you will start to get a feel for what the camera is doing and what works. Then you can move on to the Tv and Av modes so that you can control the shutter and/or aperture along with the ISO.

I believe there is another trick you can do in the P mode. If you lock the exposure(check the manual), I believe that you can then cycle through different shutter and aperture settings that will result in the same exposure. Just remember that increasing the shutter to properly freeze the action will also decrease your DOF.

I could go into rules and so on, but I do not think that would help at this point. It is better to get a feel and then learn some rules.

Kevin

 

[ukcatfan]

( i think the s3 processor is the same as my rebel xt but i don't know about the sensor)..

Your XT sensor is huge compared to the S3 sensor. I believe that someone a week or so ago posted a comparison of the sizes. The S3 sensor is something like one fourth the size of a postage stamp (1/2.5" or .4 sq/in area) and the rebel's is 22.2 x 14.8 mm. Converted to area in mm, the rebel is 328.56 sq/mm where the S3 is only 10.16 sq/mm. If my math is right, that means that the rebel has 32 times the amount of sensor surface area yet it is only 2MP more. That is why DSLRs have so much less noise.

Why a 6MP might have more noise than a 3MP is b/c they often use the exact same sensor size. So you are either getting 3MP out of 10.16 sq/mm or 6MP out of the same area. Physics says that something has to give and that usually means more noise. Some higher MP cameras use software to reduce the noise, but that leads to loss of sharpness, so they then usually over sharpen it to try to bring it back. This is where RAW would help.

Kevin

Kevin

 

[ajwomic]

Let's try again...

Too bright

Too Blue

Good

Too noisy

 

[Master Mason]

Not an expert by any streach, but here are my suggestions anyways

Let's try again...

Too bright

this looks like the flash over did it

Too Blue

This looks like a white blance issue, the adjustments act as a filter, for example, it might have been set at florencent and you were under incandecent light. If it was in auto, then the camera guessed wrong

Too noisy

this looks more to me like out of focus on the front subjects. Like the camera focused on the backpack in the background, and the foreground was slightly blured.

The first can be resurected pretty easy in photoshop, as can the second, probably 15 seconds or less of work to mostely eliminate the issues.

Aslo, if you could post the exif data, those that know more than I do, will be able to help you even further...

 

[ukcatfan]

Let's try again...


Probably too close to the subject. Try turning down the flash compensation on the function menu

Too bright


This is a white balance issue. The system is not perfect and sometimes you must set in manually or with the custom WB feture

Too Blue


enough said

Good


It looks like low light. Sometime you just have to use a flash inside

Too noisy

Kevin

 

[Master Mason]

Better?

 

[ajwomic]

That does help. Thanks! But, but I guess my frustration lies in the fact that I rarely had to use editing tools with my old p&s. So I did not expect to have to use it so often with my new, and expensive s3. I *know* many pics are correctable, but it seems to me anyway that on auto, the camera is "guessing" wrong a lot more than my other. I know it can and will take great pics. I just had higher expectations than to have so many out of focus and noisy pics. I will keep playing and learning. I don't regret the purchase, but with so many of my pics being "Quick! Take a picture of that before they move" type shots with my kids, I cannot always be tweaking the settings or I will miss the shot. Just with AUTO was more accurate.
Alicia

 

[jann1033]

the last one of the two boys looks like the ones i take with my 50mm lens ...i think i focus on what i want, the 2 in front, but it focuses on what is between the 2... maybe by 1/2 way pressing the shutter, try focusing on one of the boy's eyes then still holding it 1/2 down recompose and press the rest of the way. it doesn't look really noisy to me, more not focused on the boys as the backpack and high chair are sharp.

it could be your flash is better than your old camera so maybe you need to backup a smidge to keep it from washing out the faces?

i do think most new cameras come with learning mountains instead of learning curves...

cute kiddies though!

 

[2DDprincessesforever]

Thanks for all the info.

What is the difference between the SanDisk® 2GB Ultra II SD™ memory card on sale for $39.98 and the PNY 2GB SD™ memory card on sale for $29.98 after rebate from Staples???? The regular price on the SanDisk Ultra is over $100. Is this a better card for a camera like the Canon S2????

 

[Master Mason]

San Disk is a major brand, your paying somewhat for the name, but I have never had an issue with them, so I buy them myself.