Canon S3

[Pea-n-Me]

My photography class teacher had a copy of this book tonight ~ he was surprised anyone (anyone = me ) had ever heard of it!

Little does he know how much we learn from this board.

How do you like the class, BTW? What are you learning?

 

[madge]

Little does he know how much we learn from this board.

How do you like the class, BTW? What are you learning?

I really like the class. I wasn't sure after the first class, it was a little slow. We went over all the settings on a camera, and for the 3 people in the class who rarely use their camera, I guess it was informative. LOL. The second session was about exposure, and how setting the aperture and shutter is the basis of a good picture. This week we talked a lot about depth of field. The next class is about shutter speed. I'm looking forward to that.

I was really surprised to learn one thing about my instructor, though. He's been a professional photographer for 14 years (I think?) and I assumed after that long, that he'd know what settings to use, and that he usually shoots everything in manual. Nope. He always takes a meter reading (off a gray card?) and shoots mostly in Av or Tv, depending on the situation.

I'm signed up for the second session after I get home from Fall Break

 

[Tickla]

I am curious if the E-18 error is associated with the S3 or not? Has any of you S3 owners had the problem? There are a couple of S3's available in my area at one store--nowhere else has them anymore, but wanted to know if this model is affected before grabbing one.

 

[Soupermom]

Hi everyone! I don't have any pictures to post, but I have a few questions I'm hoping you experts can answer for me!

1. I know I need to format my card every time I empty it, and I think we are supposed to pick "low"...can you tell me what the difference is between low and the regular setting?

2. I tried taking photos of DD's b-ball game in the gym last week. I used the TV setting and played around with ISO, etc. Still turning out a little grainy though...Can anyone suggest specific settings for me to try? Also, can someone recommend some "noiseware" for me to use? Can you use noiseware for free?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Amy]

Hi everyone! I don't have any pictures to post, but I have a few questions I'm hoping you experts can answer for me!

1. I know I need to format my card every time I empty it, and I think we are supposed to pick "low"...can you tell me what the difference is between low and the regular setting?

I don't think you HAVE to format your card every time you transfer photos to your computer; I usually just "erase all", and format every once in a while. I know you DO have to format if you're going to take your SD card and use it in another camera. I don't know the diff. between low-level format and regular; I usually just use the default setting.

2. I tried taking photos of DD's b-ball game in the gym last week. I used the TV setting and played around with ISO, etc. Still turning out a little grainy though...Can anyone suggest specific settings for me to try? Also, can someone recommend some "noiseware" for me to use? Can you use noiseware for free?

Thanks for your help!

Yep, the S3 is a "noisy" camera in low-light settings. When I'm taking pictures in low light (mine are the marching band on the football field at night under stadium lights), I usually use the Sports setting, and my shots come out very grainy. The S3 will bump up the ISO automatically to 800 (I think it can even go up to 1600) to make sure it can use a fast enough shutter to stop action.

Here's a link for Noiseware: http://www.imagenomic.com/download.aspx. Go to the very bottom of the page and choose the last one - it's freeware. I've been using it for a while, and it's pretty good, easy to use. The only thing I don't like is that you can only do one photo at a time, no batch processing.

And post some pictures!! We'd love to see them.

 

[suwoogie]

Hi! I'm a lurker and a very green photographer. I check this thread from time to time to see your GORGEOUS photos. Right now I have a Canon SD400 Elph and it's very nice, but I can't get the photos that some of you get. I'm inspired by all of you. So inspired that I have ordered the Canon S5 IS but have not hit the ORDER button yet. I'm a little afraid that this camera will be over my head.

Staples is running a special (although it's probably a constant special) for $349 for the camera and you get a free printer. It's tempting. Our local photography store is selling it for $399.

Should I jump in and give it a try? I'm looking for a little incentive from people who love the camera.

Thanks and keep those photos coming. I LOVE the water drops. WOW.

 

[Soupermom]

Thanks for your help Amy! The Noiseware is great; WOW, what a difference that makes. I still haven't gotten around to getting an account at photobucket, but when I do I'll post some photos. I took some really neat ones on our trip to Yellowstone/Tetons this summer. Thanks again for your help!

Gayle

 

[hjd0411]

Hi! I'm a lurker and a very green photographer. I check this thread from time to time to see your GORGEOUS photos. Right now I have a Canon SD400 Elph and it's very nice, but I can't get the photos that some of you get. I'm inspired by all of you. So inspired that I have ordered the Canon S5 IS but have not hit the ORDER button yet. I'm a little afraid that this camera will be over my head.

Staples is running a special (although it's probably a constant special) for $349 for the camera and you get a free printer. It's tempting. Our local photography store is selling it for $399.

Should I jump in and give it a try? I'm looking for a little incentive from people who love the camera.

Thanks and keep those photos coming. I LOVE the water drops. WOW.

Hi suwoogie! And welcome!! Now, while I can't answer you regarding the relative costs etc of the camera (as I live in Australia, and the prices are completely different here!! ), I can vouch for its "user friendly-ness"! Although I've had the camera for a few months I haven't practiced with it as much as I should. But when I got it I had owned a very cheap Kodak digi-cam for about 9 months, which was my first digital camera. I took the plunge and bought my s3, and I really love the results. There are a couple of online books that you can get, and the one I am working my way through is "A Short Course in Canon Powershot S3 IS Photography". (I notice that they now have one for the s5, too). This, and the people on this thread have helped me enormously!
I hope this will help you push that "Buy" button!
Let us know what happens, and post your photos when you get your camera!!
Heather

 

[tiff13]

the last picture is completely accurate, no the camera wasn't fuzzy

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

The e-18 error seems to be less common in the S3 than some other Canon cameras.

I've only gotten it once on mine, when I was trying to turn on the camera inside an Aquapac underwater bag ... the lens couldn't extend all the way and the e-18 came up.

I pulled the camera out, turned the camera on and off, and it was fine and I've had no problems since.

Now, I make sure the camera is on BEFORE I put it in the bag!

 

[suwoogie]

Thanks, Heather! I'm going to buy it and get a book to help me through.

Any suggestions on which flash to buy? They have all sorts of price ranges.

 

[Tickla]

Thank you LPZ Stitch! After reading your post, I called every store in my area(North Dakota/ Minnesota border) in both states, and could only find ONE. They are saving it for me!! I have read so much about the camera and how to use the settings--I have to admit that I owned one for a week this past July,I used it at my son's baseball games on sports mode & was surprised by the noise- the other pictures were beautiful, but I have ALOT of sports to go to between my 3 sons, so I returned it, but kept reading posts & tips - I want to give it another try--I really love the color of the pictures from it-thank you for easing my mind about the e-18 error. Now, who can tell me what the best batteries are to use in it???? Lithium non-rechargeables, rechargeable ni-? something or other or regular alkalines? Help!! Thanks

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

For outdoor sports/action, I've had good luck keeping the camera in Av mode with the aperture as wide as necessary to get a fast shutter speed -- the S3 can go as wide as 3.5 at full zoom and you don't have to worry about a too-narrow DOF with a small-sensor camera.

On a sunny day, even at smaller apertures, you should easily be getting fast shutter speeds that can freeze just about anything AND be noise-free. Some of my recent Disney pics were at 1/1600 even at f/8! The smaller apertures can reduce the effect of CA/PF (Chromatic Aberration/Purple Fringing) that can occur in areas of high contrast.

You can also use Tv mode if you just want to set a particular shutter speed, but I tend to like the results I get in Av mode, more.

You also should set the Continuous mode to High-speed ... that's 2.3fps until your SD card fills up!

Now, who can tell me what the best batteries are to use in it???? Lithium non-rechargeables, rechargeable ni-? something or other or regular alkalines? Help!! Thanks

I use these -- 2600mAh NiMh Powerizer AA's and charger from BatterySpace.com.

I easily got 250-400 pics (including some video, quite a bit of flash at character greetings and a *lot* of LCD reviewing, too) on our recent Disney trip on a single charged set.

I never needed more than one backup set in my camera bag for a single day at Disney.

 

[hjd0411]

Good for you suwoogie I look forward to your photos!

As for the flash - I only use the one on the camera, so I'm not much help here - perhaps someone else can help..!!??

Heather

 

[marivaid]

Hi there, just found this thread.. I've had my S3 for about a year, still struggling with night shots. I usually shoot in TV mode in daylight & the pics come out OK :

 

[S. C.]

Lake michigan, Sunset
These are straight from the camera, my first ever sunset shots. I need more practice on getting the horizon straight.

 

[S. C.]

Saw this sign after we were back on land.

 

[S. C.]

 

[Amy]

Nice pics, S.C., esp. the sunset shots! Really nice colors.

 

[Amy]

There are 2 historic houses in my town, both built in the 1800's. One was so dilapidated it was slated to be demolished, but the historical society bought it, dismantled it and moved it next to the other. I haven't been there in years, so I decided to stop by and take some pix while I was out and about today. They're only open for tours on Sundays, so I wasn't able to go inside.

Here's the McCully Log House (a log "house" is 2 stories, as opposed to a log "cabin" which is just one story):

This is the McGinley stone house:

Have to take some flower shots everwhere I go:

And of course....the outhouse!