Canon S3

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Just note that without IS on the Kodak, it is going to be almost impossible to take a shot at 12x without a tripod.

Oops! I was comparing at the specs for the Z712 IS ... I didn't even realize there was a non-IS model.

In addition to having a hard time using the full zoom without IS, it's harder to take a low-light pic without needing to get into the much-more noisy higher ISO values....

 

[Alacrity]

Here is a budget version:

http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=865569

or for $170, but it is out of stock....:
http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/CANDC20.html

or for $750...:
http://www.ikelite.com/web_two/can_s2is.html



Mikeeee

The Ikelite housings are excellent and heavy duty. A little bulky and a little costly but considered very highly by many.

 

[Jeanne B]

It's unfortunate with all the S3 users out there that Canon didn't make a housing for the S3 like they do for so many of their other cameras (I have one for my A610). The Ikelite housings are so expensive compared to the Canon housings.

 

[ukcatfan]

Oops! I was comparing at the specs for the Z712 IS ... I didn't even realize there was a non-IS model.

In addition to having a hard time using the full zoom without IS, it's harder to take a low-light pic without needing to get into the much-more noisy higher ISO values....

I was just going by garris3404's comment. It might have it.

Kevin

 

[claribella]

I have a Kodak P712 (not Z712) but I did have the Z612 and liked it alot. My current P712 had a large learning curve but after many "what in the heck is THAT" photos...I've got it. I am hoping for a Canon though eventually.

 

[denise5374]

What kind of bag does everyone carry their S3 in? I have a backpack style bag made by Sampsonite that I bought a Walmart a few years ago. I like it because it is a backpack but I am looking for something for my August trip that I could carry my camera in as well as other stuff for the parks.

Also, when wandering around the parks, do you leave your camera hanging around your neck? I think I miss alot of photo ops because the camera is away. Plus I love all the rides, do you leave it out while riding?? When I was at a couple of amusement parks, the ride operators made me put my camera away.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

What kind of bag does everyone carry their S3 in? I have a backpack style bag made by Sampsonite that I bought a Walmart a few years ago. I like it because it is a backpack but I am looking for something for my August trip that I could carry my camera in as well as other stuff for the parks.

I've got a small Sampsonite bag that I got from WalMart ... it's just big enough for the camera with lens adapter and usual extras (filters, extra batteries, extra SD cards). The bag will probably just hang on the back of our DS's wheelchair.

Also, when wandering around the parks, do you leave your camera hanging around your neck? I think I miss alot of photo ops because the camera is away. Plus I love all the rides, do you leave it out while riding?? When I was at a couple of amusement parks, the ride operators made me put my camera away.

I fully intend to keep mine in hand as much as possible, but I'm not sure I like the idea of wearing it around my neck. I'll probably already be carrying our Pal Mickey on a lanyard ... I don't want aching shoulders every day!

Likewise, I would hate to have it swing around and crack up against something!

I've seen people with their cameras out on just about every ride in Disney, even water rides (though I wouldn't recommend that with a stock S3!). They *recommend* that you store your stuff, but I've never seen any CM enforce it for something as small as a camera....

 

[JLoane]

Thanks for the insights, everyone! I should have been more specific in my original post that the new kodak Z712 does have image stabalization. Would definitely not consider it otherwise!

 

[Dznefreek]

Just note that without IS on the Kodak, it is going to be almost impossible to take a shot at 12x without a tripod.

Hand held zoom, Kodak Z740:

 

[Dznefreek]

 

[GrumpyOne]

I was poking around and noticed that there was a firmware hack available for the Canon PowerShot a610-640, a710 IS and the S3 IS that enabled functions like RAW and a live histogram.

Link to site

Before attempting anything, I figured I'd see if anyone else had used it.

 

[Sir Bouncealot]

Missed the sunset, but got a nice color to the sky....only sharpened a little bit and resized:

Centennial Bridge connecting Davenport, Iowa to Rock Island, Illinois - night shot:

Walking path alongside river with Centennial Bridge in background, Iowa side:

I know I need more work. I ordered Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson, so that should help me get more out of my new S3.
I also ordered a lens tube adapter (along with a lens hood and clip in lens cap) so I could use my 58mm filters I have for my film Rebel. Hope my 2GB SD card shows up soon....more room for more pics...more room for improvement.

 

[wdwmom2]

Centennial Bridge connecting Davenport, Iowa to Rock Island, Illinois - night shot:

I hope that you don't mind, but I thought I would show you a neat way to get rid of noise. Someone here showed me this the other day on one of my threads. It is a free program and took maybe 5 seconds to download. http://www.imagenomic.com/download.aspx

Before

After

 

[Sir Bouncealot]

Sharon,
No I don;t mind...actually I am grateful that you posted that link. I had downloaded Noise Ninja before and the brige shot I posted was the 2nd shot I took. The first I ran through Noise Ninja and it came out all muddled and blurred. I found the Noiseware you recommended a lot easier to use with better results. Thanks again.

 

[TamieH]

I've only had my S3 about two weeks, so not a lot of time to play & read, but I do absolutely love some of it's features. I think the video will be my favorite. I used it this week to capture some running races & long jumping at my daughters 5th grade track meet. It was really nice not taking both a camera & camcorder for these quick moments.

Questions -

1)After transferring video & pictures to my computer, how do I clear off the cards again w/o formatting the card or deleting each image? My Olympus had a feature to format card, erase all images or erase an image at a time.

I bought 2, 1-Gig Ultra II cards for the camera. Do you think I need a 2-Gig as well? If so, where do I buy a good one at a good price? We have a Disney cruise in October, so I want to be very prepared.

2) Space left on Card - how do I see how much space is still available on the card while using camera? Again, my old camera had an indicator to let me know how many more pictures I could take with the current quality settings.

3) Ditto and battery life - where do I see the battery life indicator


Many thanks - I have been looking the the manuals for these issues, but must be missing them.

 

[shirleyb]

Sharon, thanks for that link - the difference is dramatic!

 

[wdwmom2]

Sharon, thanks for that link - the difference is dramatic!

No problem!!! We are all here to learn from one another. That program "is so easy, a caveman can do it!".

 

[Lizziejane]

Which one did you download? There are a number of different ones, and I'm not sure which is best

 

[wdwmom2]

Which one did you download? There are a number of different ones, and I'm not sure which is best

I downloaded the Noiseware Community Edition Standalone 2.6. It is the one at the bottom of the page.

 

[Lizziejane]

Thanks Sharon!