Canon S3

[Papa Deuce]

Also, how do you like the optical zoom?

Or, in Disney terms... say I was at the ice cream place on Main St. at WDW... and it was night time. I want to take really nice pictures of the castle form that distance, would they turn out well. Would I be able to get close enough to see any detail?


How about for the fireworks at WDW? Is this camera a good choice?


I've been giving it some thought, and even though "I" would enjoy a DSLR, I don't think my wife would want the extra features and weight of the lenses when travelling. And, since it is mostly for her......

Also, does it have the EXIF ( ?) info?


Oh, and I just saw a $50 rebate on amazon for this camera... brings it down to $247..... seems like a sweet deal!

 

[JR6ooo4]

The only problem I have found with my DW's S3 is the expanding and contracting of the lens everytime you power on/off. that and the lens cap cannot be on the lens when the camera is on.

Mikeeee

 

[Amy]

Thanks Sharon! 6 months ago, I had no idea what noise meant in a photo, but I just downloaded noiseware from your link, and the difference is amazing! I had some pix of my DS during his National Honor Society Induction ceremony last week - dark auditorium, taking photos of the kids on the stage using Sports Mode to stop action, but that meant high ISO (can't set ISO in Sports mode). WOW is all I can say of the diff between the before and after. Next rainy day, I have to go back through all my other pictures and run them through Noiseware!

I just want to thank everybody on this board - you've been so much help, offering constructive criticism without getting nasty, helping us learn so much. You're the best!

 

[Papa Deuce]

The only problem I have found with my DW's S3 is the expanding and contracting of the lens everytime you power on/off. that and the lens cap cannot be on the lens when the camera is on.

Mikeeee

That's it? Very nice!

 

[S. C.]

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.

I'd like to know too. Thank you for asking these questions.....here's hoping someone knows the answers for us.

 

[AbbysFamily]

Yep, but that problem can easily be solved by adding a lensmate tube and a real lens cap!

 

[Amy]

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.

Hi Tamie! When you have the camera in playback mode, choose the Menu button on the back of the camera. On the first tab (has a ">" on it) scroll thru the items and you'll find an "Erase All" option. Choose Set, OK and you'll erase all the images at once without formatting or going thru them one 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.

If you plan on taking a lot of pictures (and if you're using the video a lot, you'll go through memory REAL fast), more memory the better. Keep watching these boards; usually someone will post a good online deal. I've got 2G cards at Best Buy on sale for less than the 1G price; Amazon.com has some good deals on memory cards, too.

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.

Look at page 20 of the S3 manual - it shows the info you'll see in the viewfinder/LCD screen in shooting mode. In the lower right corner, it'll show you how much recording time is left if you're using video mode (the number after the little movie camera icon) and how many photos can fit on your memory card (the number after the camera icon). Unfortunately, the battery indicator only comes on when the battery starts to run low. Luckily, the S3 is very kind to batteries - they last REALLY long. I'm using regular NiMH rechargeables, and I go a long time before I have to replace them.

Enjoy your camera! Be sure to post lots of pictures!

 

[Amy]

My biggest problem (right now anyway) with my S3 is mostly operator error. I love the fact that you can adjust so many of the "auto" settings, but you have to remember to set them back when you're done.

For instance, last night we had our band banquet and I took a picture of the cake and how nicely it was decorated. Dim lighting, holding the camera over the cake about 3' from it. At full flash, totally wiped out. Since I was in Program mode, I just lowered the flash output; took one pic at -1, another at -2. Then *I* forgot to put the flash back to 0. Later on, I'm taking flash pictures from across the room and couldn't figure out why they weren't coming out the way I'd hoped. Wasn't until this morning that it hit me that I forgot to set my flash back to 0! Duh!

I've been taking a lot of photos in the high school auditorium during concerts and awards ceremonies, and I wish it had a larger aperture than 3.5 (zoomed). The only way I've been able to get decent shots is using Sports mode, but the camera increases the ISO automatically and yes, it stops action and you don't get blurry photos, but they're extremely noisy. (But now I've downloaded Noiseware, so I can fix that.)

I've had a lot of trouble getting macro to work right; others on this board don't seem to be having that same problem. Supermacro works better for me. Maybe I just need to experiment some more.

Overall, it's a great little camera. Can be fully automatic, but you CAN adjust the settings when you need to - you just HAVE to remember to adjust them back when you're done . I'll be taking it on our trip to WDW this summer, and I can't wait to give it a good workout! I have two 2-gig cards and two 1-gig cards; I hope that's enough!

 

[S. C.]

Hi Tamie! When you have the camera in playback mode, choose the Menu button on the back of the camera. On the first tab (has a ">" on it) scroll thru the items and you'll find an "Erase All" option. Choose Set, OK and you'll erase all the images at once without formatting or going thru them one at a time.



If you plan on taking a lot of pictures (and if you're using the video a lot, you'll go through memory REAL fast), more memory the better. Keep watching these boards; usually someone will post a good online deal. I've got 2G cards at Best Buy on sale for less than the 1G price; Amazon.com has some good deals on memory cards, too.



Look at page 20 of the S3 manual - it shows the info you'll see in the viewfinder/LCD screen in shooting mode. In the lower right corner, it'll show you how much recording time is left if you're using video mode (the number after the little movie camera icon) and how many photos can fit on your memory card (the number after the camera icon). Unfortunately, the battery indicator only comes on when the battery starts to run low. Luckily, the S3 is very kind to batteries - they last REALLY long. I'm using regular NiMH rechargeables, and I go a long time before I have to replace them.

Enjoy your camera! Be sure to post lots of pictures!

for answering Tamies questions. I needed the answers too.

 

[Papa Deuce]

Thanks.... I think I am buying one today.... for $247 it just seems like too good a deal adn I have seen the photos from the other thread... I think it will be perfect for my wife!

 

[Papa Deuce]

Yep, but that problem can easily be solved by adding a lensmate tube and a real lens cap!

Ok, I'm a noob... can you explain?

 

[Papa Deuce]

Does this camera ONLY use alkaline batteries? I see that that is what comes with it.... Is there a Lithium Ion you can use that is rechargeable?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Rechargeable nickel metal hydride is the preferable battery.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I wish the camera (I have S2, almost identical camera) had a threaded lens barrel, I really hate not having a skylight filter on, primarily for lens protection.


ETA, the rebate requires a printer purchase.

 

[TamieH]

Amy - thanks so much for the assistance!!! This info is just what I needed.

 

[Amy]

Yep, but that problem can easily be solved by adding a lensmate tube and a real lens cap!

PapaDeuce - I think if you go to the Canon website you'll see the lensmate. A lot of people get it for their S3 because then you can add filters to the lens BUT it sticks out of the front of the camera and doesn't retract, so then you're talking about lugging around a bulkier camera. I didn't get it for my S3 for just that reason. The S3 is bulkier than other digital cameras (no way can you slip it in a pocket!), but it's still smaller than a digital SLR. Unless you start adding on all these accessories, so then you might as well go all the way to a digital SLR!

 

[Papa Deuce]

I wish the camera (I have S2, almost identical camera) had a threaded lens barrel, I really hate not having a skylight filter on, primarily for lens protection.


ETA, the rebate requires a printer purchase.

Thank you.

 

[Papa Deuce]

PapaDeuce - Unless you start adding on all these accessories, so then you might as well go all the way to a digital SLR!

Thanks... I actually know almost NOTHING about photography. I have always enjoyed other people's work. I have often thought about going DSLR, but this is for my wife, and I know she doesn't want to be lugging around a bunch of stuff.

For now, I will be happy with ANY decent camera that has a nice optical zoom. That has always been what bothered me with her Cooplix cameras... I can never get a decent shot from far away.

 

[Dan Murphy]

......(no way can you slip it in a pocket!).....

I have big pockets, Amy.

.....I will be happy with ANY decent camera that has a nice optical zoom. That has always been what bothered me with her Cooplix cameras... I can never get a decent shot from far away.

The S2/S3 zoom is fabulous.

 

[Amy]

Ok, something else that I don't like, but it's not exactly the S3's problem. The batteries last a long time if you use a card reader to get the photos from the camera to your computer, rather than hooking up the camera to the computer using the USB cable.

But DON'T get a SanDisk 12-in-1 card reader!! I got one because I gave my DS my old Canon A70 and DH has an A95 and they both use Compact Flash cards, while the S3 takes SD cards. I've had nothing but problems with this 12-in-1 reader; it'll read some of my SD cards and not others, and I'm using SanDisk and PNY cards, so it's not like I'm using cheap cards. But it has no problem reading the Compact Flash cards. I even sent it back once and got a brand new one and the same problem. So depending on which card I have in my camera at the time, I have to hook the camera up to the computer via USB cable and drain the camera batteries.

I think I'll buy just an SD card reader the next time I get a Best Buy reward certificate. This 12-in-1 thing is horrible!