Canon S3

[Ducky4Disney]

I do like the idea that I can get an S3 right now, but maybe that means I should wait a bit so I don't impulse buy something. I only looked at the G7 becasue it's the latest in the Canon G series, but I will look back into the G5/G6's.

If only the S3 had a hot shoe! And if only they used CF cards so I could use my current memory! I wonder how the DIGIC III card is going to perform but I don't know if I want to be a guinea pig for that.

A Fuji you say...? I had never thought about moving away from my beloved Canon, especially for a Fuji (jk) but it seems I have a couple more camers to consider!

D4D

 

[AndrewWG]

Nice shots, Andy, although that turkey is U-G-L-Y!!!! Very patriotic, though, with his red, white, and blue. Maybe you can also post him over on the June assignment thread - colors!

That is exactly what I was thinking when I took the shot! I just may do that afterall.

Andy

 

[snowman]

Well, the camera came Thursday, but I didn't really have much time to try it until today.

I think these came out pretty good (all of the flowers are natural sunlight, using supermacro):

The neighbor's bleeding heart:

This is also the neighbors - but I don't know what it is.

Even a dandelion looks spiffy:

Our lilac bush:

My beagly-beagly Hank:

On the other hand, the color swap thing is gonna take some practice. The blue is from our couch. DSO doesn't really have fuzzy feet

 

[AndrewWG]

Well, the camera came Thursday, but I didn't really have much time to try it until today.

I think these came out pretty good (all of the flowers are natural sunlight, using supermacro):

On the other hand, the color swap thing is gonna take some practice. The blue is from our couch. DSO doesn't really have fuzzy feet

Well, that one is just disturbing! However, you should know that color swap is very hard to get done correctly. A small shadow on the subject you are coloring will cause the camera to "see" it as a different color and not add the new color to it. As far as I can tell, it is only successful if the color is uniformly lit.

The other shots are great! You will love the camera, I'm sure!

Andy

 

[madge]

my first attempt at the color accenting feature -

 

[garris3404]

I could pack up my wife's S3 with some memory cards and a bag, if you want to trade for the D200 and the 80-200 lens?

 

[ukcatfan]

Ducky4Disney,

Have you considered the D40? It sounds like many of your wants/needs are in the DSLR only area, but you want something smaller than the D200. The D40 is darn near close to p&s size and weight. Then you could share lenses when needed, but keep something smaller on for normal use.

Kevin

 

[YEKCIM]

Here is a comparison of the features of the S3, S5, G7, and S6000fd. The D40 suggestion is also a good one; I might suggest, too, that you consider a factory refurb D50 ($400) plus the Nikon 18-135mm lens ($300). For $700, you'd have a very good camera and lens, with a 35mm equivalent range of 27-202mm, and the ability to swap lenses and other accessories with the D200. My wife has the D200 and really likes it, but I'm quite happy with the relative simplicity of the D50. For examples of the great low light capabilities of this camera, take a look at some of Gdad's shots with his recently acquired D50.

~YEKCIM

 

[webshark3]

None of these cameras shoot in RAW format, which surprises me. T
"Distressed4Digital"

The line between Canon's G series and their entry level DSLRs is thinning, and they [Canon] didn't want P&S sales to take away potential DSLR buyers. More DSLR buyers means more accessories and more lens purchases, which means you're more likely to "lock" a buyer into your system. Stripping RAW away from the G7 was a step to "push" serious photographers from the G to the Rebels.

Like everyone else, I'd probably look for a G6 or older rather than the G7.

 

[webshark3]

An article on high ISO everyone should read.

http://www.dpreview.com/articles/compactcamerahighiso/

If it's too much, I'll summarize:
"Compact camera high ISO modes: summing up

* There is a lot of variation in the appearance high ISO output of different cameras, but they're all crippled by the same small sensors / lack of sensitivity.

* Do not expect to be able to produce large prints from compact camera high ISO modes.

* Subject matter matters: portraits are a lot more forgiving of noise reduction than landscapes.

* Once you get over ISO 400 any advantage of higher megapixel counts is usually lost.

* There is no compact camera on the market that can produce acceptable full size results at ISO 3200, and only a handful that can at ISO 800 or ISO 1600.

* Even viewed full screen on a large monitor you will see the loss of quality.

* Optical image stabilization is not a replacement for high ISO - it can combat camera shake, but it doesn't allow you to increase the shutter speed and therefore cannot do anything about blur due to movement of the subject in low light.

* If you intend to buy a compact for use in low light look for a fast lens (wide maximum aperture) - it's worth a lot more than a pointless ISO 1600 mode.

* For small social snaps (friends in a bar, for example) high ISO modes may well produce acceptable results as long as you are aware of the quality limitations and stick with small prints.
"

"There are some compact camera brands we would currently absolutely avoid for regular high ISO photography (Casio, Panasonic and Olympus spring to mind), but in reality - aside from one or two 6MP Fujifilm Super CCD models - the only real difference between the best and worst models is the quality and quantity of noise reduction, and none really impress."

 

[Sir Bouncealot]

From the riverfront in Bettendorf, Iowa...

 

[Sir Bouncealot]

A couple more from the riverfront...

 

[Sir Bouncealot]

Vander Veer Park is a city park in Davenport. They have a large Rose garden that I went to use my macro and supermacro modes.

 

[Sir Bouncealot]

Vander Veer Park, but not macro/supermacro...

 

[dopey81]

I haven't posted pictures before, so I hope this works!
(All of the photos are unedited.)

 

[Amy]

Love all the color accent shots that have been posted lately. I really should try that. I'm used to Photoshopping my shots - turn them black & white and then "erase" the parts I want in color. Color accent gives you one color everywhere it appears in the photo without all the work of erasing. Dopey - love that one of mom & daughter with the guitar!

 

[Amy]

Pea-n-Me started a thread on panoramic shots yesterday, and I just HAD to try it on my S3. Here's my back yard:

What do you think? I was amazed how easy it was! Literally 10 min from reading how-to in the camera manual and Short Courses book to having the finished photo on screen!

I used the Panoramic setting (right next to the movie icon on the dial), took 4 shots, hit the "set" button when I was done. Downloaded them to my computer using the Canon software that came with the camera. Under the Tools menu there's a choice for stitching the photos together and viola!!

Hmmm, we're heading to WDW soon, and I'm seeing all kinds of panoramas: World Showcase around the lagoon, Main Street from the train station, WL pool/lake views...... Maybe this time they'll have an opening and we can be Flag Family at WL and I can get some nice shots from the roof (keeping my fingers crossed for this one!).

 

[dopey81]

Thanks Amy. That was one of my favorites too.

 

[Ducky4Disney]

Getting a Nikon D40 or D50 was a consideration my boss came up with (he has a D70). I need to look at the difference between the D40, D50, D70, and D80.

I agree about the Canon G series - I'd have to look for a G6 or G5.

Right now I'm putting this decision on the back burner until further review. I'm going to use the D200 some more, read more about it, and take a good look at my options before spending anymore money.

Getting a smaller Nikon DSLR is a good idea and might be the way I go.

D4D

 

[hjd0411]

This is one I took a couple of weeks ago at the Sunshine Coast. I am quite happy with how it looks - it was a bit flukey, really! It was very glary and I have awful trouble with my eyes in the glare! So I wasn't even sure what the photo looked like when I took it!
I know the camera was in landscape mode (by accident!) and that's about it!

I am still very much in the learning stages, but I have purchased the s3IS Short Course book, so hopefully will learn more before I go to WDW!!

Thanks for looking!

Heather