Canon S3

[SplshMtn99]

I love your autumnal photos,really stunning.

I have been looking into getting this camera as it is so popular on these boards.I am an amateur photographer with minimal knowledge.Can you tell me if this is an easy camera to use?I currently have a sony cybershot which is pretty much point and click,but i am just dying to upgrade before the next trip.

Any advise will be appreciated.

I'm finding it easy...but I'm mostly an Auto & Modes kind of person. Also, I'm finding the buttons & menus very intuitive compared to the Olympus cameras I've owned. I still haven't read the manual...and I'm finding my way around very easy. I will read it though. Some day. For now, I'm just playing around -- its no waste of film --- and my pics have been very pleasing to me so far.

 

[TwoOldPoohs]

Very nice! I really like the owl and the gorilla. I've never been to the National Zoo, but it's on my list of zoos to visit some day.

 

[TwoOldPoohs]

Nice shots, I really like the Wolf. Our Zoo , Bronx Zoo, got rid of their wolves a few yrs ago.

Have you seen the new African Wild Dogs exhibit yet?

 

[Philagoofy]

Your photos are really good. The gorilla is a great shot. Keep snapping away & posting. The elephant , so sad, they are moving all of ours away.

 

[tmt martins]

They are some very nice shot . This is the first summer we haven't hit the Nat Zoo. Don't know why but it just seemed like we were always doing something and never made it.

I have the Maryland/baltimore zoo right across the valley from me. When we were younger and the lions were at the front of the Zoo I could hear them roaring in the mornings.I can still see the Monkey's outside on some days in the fall when the leaves fall from the trees and they let them out.

Philagoofy I think we might be getting your Elephants I thought I read it in the newsletter. We were going to get rid of ours a few years back but the members(corp & seasonal) really rallied around them and they ended up staying. They have a state of the art building and grounds so they will be taken very good care of.They are starting a breeding program with the new arrivals that are coming.

 

[Philagoofy]

tmt martins, yes I think you are getting 2 or 3 of our 4 elephants. They tried to raise the money to improve their habitat but fell short. I'm sure they will be missed. But since Baltimore's not too far, we can visit them there.

Tell them to take good care of our big guys.

 

[wdwmom2]

This is the first summer we haven't hit the Nat Zoo. Don't know why but it just seemed like we were always doing something and never made it.

The National Zoo isn't as nice as I remember it. Granted it's been a little over 10 years since I have been there, but I was disappointed in the number of animals that we saw. They are renovating, so maybe some of the animals are not on display right now. I have to visit the Phili zoo after seeing Philagoofy's lion pic in another thread!!!

 

[tmt martins]

The National Zoo isn't as nice as I remember it. Granted it's been a little over 10 years since I have been there, but I was disappointed in the number of animals that we saw. They are renovating, so maybe some of the animals are not on display right now. I have to visit the Phili zoo after seeing Philagoofy's lion pic in another thread!!!

That seems to be the trend with Zoos now.

Our cut off the entire front (older but closer to animals) area and cages. They now tram you to the mid section of the Zoo. They have made many improvements in that area (Polar bears are great) with natural habitat . But it's a shame they have t get rid of so many animals and people.They even cut the winter months out and shut down with just a small crew to take care of the animals.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Ok, since I missed out on the fireworks, I wanted to get some kind of Disney-like night shots to try camera out on. I rushed out one night & found a nice subject away from street pole lights & parking lot lights..with nice colors.

Parked along side of road; it was COLD outside so trying not to shake; stood in front of car (headlights on - but not aiming at subject) and QUICKLY shot each mode with & without flash. Handheld....no tripod.

AUTO mode - w/ & w/o flash.
NIGHT SCENE mode - w/ & w/o flash (may not have allowed to focus; want to try again; or maybe it has to be on tripod)
NIGHT SNAPSHOT mode - w/ & w/o flash. (came out the best)

So, starting here, here's the 6 shots (resized to 800 x 600).

Auto mode with flash. Handheld.

Auto mode. No flash. Handheld.

Night scene mode. No flash. Handheld. BLURRY.

Night scene mode with flash. Handheld. BLURRY.

Night snapshot mode with flash. Handheld.

Night snapshot mode. No flash. Handheld.

 

[ndelaware]

Auto mode without flash and Night Snapshot mode without flash were definately the best. Night Scene mode probably requires a tripod due to longer exposure times.

You are really doing great with your new camera.

 

[SplshMtn99]

thank you. i think my percentage of "keepers" has improved with this camera...AND... i know I'm thinking about the shot more since seeing all the great pictures posted here.

just still not ready to leave Auto & Modes yet though.

 

[momrek06]

Splash: Loved your pictures!!! And as a frequent guest at the Coffee Hop, you did a great job capturing it perfectly.

 

[SplshMtn99]

Splash: Loved your pictures!!! And as a frequent guest at the Coffee Hop, you did a great job capturing it perfectly.

LOL...well then you KNOW where I live. Wonder if we've ever been there at same time? lol

 

[Amy]

Joanne - great night shots! I haven't had an opportunity to try any at night like that, so I'm learning from you. And now I can see the diff. between night scene and night snapshot. Cripes, even plain old "auto" on the S3 takes great pictures!

I can't wait for marching band season to be over so I can have a life again and maybe go somewhere other than rehearsal or competition to take pictures!

 

[SplshMtn99]

Amy, that's why i posted all of them. It was hard to find a good colorful night subject away from lots of lights...so I figured we could all benefit from seeing all the results. LOL, yes, I was quite happy with plain old Auto too. Won't be too stressed about having to remember to tell DH to change mode if he doesn't.

glad to help.

 

[grover]

Great night shots! I am still learning about my S3. Don’t have it here with me..but the Night Snapshot—that mode is on the dial right? Those photos look great! I think when I am in Disney that may be a good one to use. I just want to make sure I have in my mind the correct Night setting! The Night Scene.that is found in the SCN setting and then scrolling thru on the viewfinder if memory serves me?

 

[SplshMtn99]

Great night shots! I am still learning about my S3. Don’t have it here with me..but the Night Snapshot—that mode is on the dial right? Those photos look great! I think when I am in Disney that may be a good one to use. I just want to make sure I have in my mind the correct Night setting! The Night Scene.that is found in the SCN setting and then scrolling thru on the viewfinder if memory serves me?

Actually other way around.

Night scene is on the dial.
Night snapshot is in the SCENE mode & you have to scroll thru it.

Would have been smarter to put night scene in the scene mode...but NOOOOO....its backwards. lol

Just remember, you want the one that is more difficult to get to.

Another way to remember is: night scene (on the dial) shows a red shaking hand on the screen reminding you to use tripod. I'll just remember that's the one that gave me blurry pics.

 

[grover]

okay good! see glad i asked or i would have it backwards!
yes i will remember-go to the one that takes longer to get to..lol!

 

[SplshMtn99]

I found a solution or a way to work around all the "green eye" I was getting on kitty Splash's photos.

I don't frame the picture exactly has I want it. Instead, I zoom out some, keeping her in the center (left & right), but I focus on just above her. Then, I can crop the photo to just the way I wanted it on the computer.

I was finding that when focusing right on her face, the green AF spots shining on her face would turn her eyes green even before I took the shot. But if I aim those AF green spots elsewhere, her eyes weren't green before or during the shot. Make sense?

I was doing this in Auto, with flash obviously, & with AF (green spots) on. She happens to have green eyes...so I don't know if this was causing all the green possessed looking eyes in her photos.

Going to keep experimenting with this....but at least there is some hope.

 

[SplshMtn99]

I found a gallery on PBase of someones Sept 2006 vacation pics to Orlando theme parks. First of all, I wonder if they are a DISer.

He visited all the parks, day & night, he took the pictures alot of us recent Canon S3 owners were wondering about. Night time, fireworks, video......

You'll have to look at the exif data, because he actually used 2 different cameras on his trip, BUT it looks like most of the nice zoom pictres & the night time shots are the S3. Other camera was a cheaper smaller Canon. Daytime, he seems to have switched back & forth between cameras.

Be sure to check out the MK fireworks. WOW!!! I would love to know settings...and wonder if he used a tripod. A couple look crooked, so not sure. ??

AND, the last pic in the AK gallery, also includes a 2:45 min video of Expedition Everest ride taken on S3!!!!!

http://www.pbase.com/idhardy/florida_september_2006

It is possible to email people on Pbase thru their profiles. Maybe we should invite him here to answer all our questions on certain photos? lol

Enjoy.... I know I am.