Отзывы о Фотоаппарат Canon PowerShot S3 IS
691 отзывов пользователей o Canon PowerShot S3 IS
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Canon PowerShot S3 IS?
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Скроменый эксперт
27.11.2011
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I've had this camera for a few years now. I love it. Takes great pics for someone who is a novice but it has enough settings and things to play with to also make it fun for someone who knows their way around a camera. Just beware... I saw that some want over $600 for this camera. I purchased it new a few years ago for around $400... it's not worth more but it is a great camera.
Скроменый эксперт
18.01.2012
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
This aluminum adapter tube is a perfect fit for my S2 IS, it fits nice and tight. I highly recommend this as it is much cheaper than Canons own version.
Скроменый эксперт
02.07.2011
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
I used this camera for five years to take thousands of pictures, most of which were pretty good. Pictures without flash in my church were always a problem--not enough light for this camera; I had to throw away 95% of the pix because of blurring or focus problems.
But then, out of nowhere, the zoom lens locked up while I was taking pictures, and that's when I discovered a plethora of internet posts complaining about Canon S1, S2 and S3 cameras whose lenses locked up for various reasons. Lots of instructions given that fixed some of the problems, and I tried them all to no avail, so now my nice little camera is in the waste basket.
My recommendation for myself and other purchasers of digital zoom cameras: check the internet for problems with locked up lenses before buying.
But then, out of nowhere, the zoom lens locked up while I was taking pictures, and that's when I discovered a plethora of internet posts complaining about Canon S1, S2 and S3 cameras whose lenses locked up for various reasons. Lots of instructions given that fixed some of the problems, and I tried them all to no avail, so now my nice little camera is in the waste basket.
My recommendation for myself and other purchasers of digital zoom cameras: check the internet for problems with locked up lenses before buying.
Скроменый эксперт
05.01.2012
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
Item came in just as promised. Exactly what I had ordered and at a great price to boot! Will use you guys again.
Скроменый эксперт
14.12.2011
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
This is a great camera, still learning how to work everything.
Downloaded manual off the internet and having fun learning to
work a more advanced camera.
Downloaded manual off the internet and having fun learning to
work a more advanced camera.
Скроменый эксперт
25.07.2011
2/10
Оценка пользователя
Ужасно
There are many complaints on the internet on the S3 IS CCD ceasing to function. I sent back my S3 IS and they claim there is no known problem with the S2 or S3 IS. Well my government S2 IS did the same thing. I can buy a new CCD on line for $18 so it seems they are willing to have a bad reputation over this little money. I work for the government in Imaging Engineering and see this as a stonewalling tactic. I think it reflects badly on Canon.
Of what use is a camera that takes blank pictures?
Of what use is a camera that takes blank pictures?
Скроменый эксперт
18.08.2011
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
This is my second Canon PowerShot camera and I love them both. This camera is so very easy to use and gives great pictures. Just wish that I had ordered more lens to go with it so that I could expand on it's capabilities....though, it is wonderful without the extra lens. I definitely would purchase it again myself and would highly recommend it.
Скроменый эксперт
01.12.2009
6/10
Оценка пользователя
Плохо
I have owned this camera for almost 3 yrs now... i researched and researched when i bought it and i got it on sale just shy of $[...]. I LOVED it for the first year or so... LOVE the display screen, the way it flips around and you can hold it way above your head to take great zoom shots at concerts or even pics of yourself. LOVE that it has a eyehole viewfinder for those bright days that you cant see the screen all that well. Love the feel of the camera in general and all of its cool extra features --- but, that lens cap is a piece of crap! I tried and tried to get a new one, but none of them fit this camera... then i purchased a few extra lenses and the extention to put them on the camera... the lens cap problem was solved then! BUT, you have to KEEP the extention and extra lenses on it all the time if you want the protection! UGH! Then it's a pain to carry around! OH, and not to mention... that extention doesnt work so well if you are using the flash! The flash on the camera doesnt pop up tall enough to clear the extention!!! AND - you can not add a Hot SHoe to this camera to solve that problem... about 2 months after i bought this one, a friend of mine showed up with the S5 i think and hers had a Hot Shoe adapter! UGH (after 6 months of research, the one thing that i wanted that i finally gave up on, came out about a month after my purchase!!!) So, with out the hot shoe flash, you wind up with a shadow "ring around" your pic - which looks cool in some pics -- but sometimes you really want the whole shot!
I have virtually quit using this camera now - b/c i am so frustrated with carrying it around in a professional's sized bag - since i have to keep the extention on it... I bought a tiny poliroid camera that has most of the same features... but they are just a little harder to use --- the thing i love about my polaroid that this camera doesnt have is that you can actually crop a pic right after you take it! So now I am looking for a replacement camera for this cannon... i want to be able to add a lens when i want - but i Dont want to have to keep it on there all the time just to protect the lens b/c i cant buy a new lens cap...
Long story short... try one of the newer versions of this camera if you are really intrested in this one!! Hopefully they have fixed that crappy cap! AND... there is NO WAY I would pay $[...] + for this camera today! THere are way too many other choices out there now!!!
I have virtually quit using this camera now - b/c i am so frustrated with carrying it around in a professional's sized bag - since i have to keep the extention on it... I bought a tiny poliroid camera that has most of the same features... but they are just a little harder to use --- the thing i love about my polaroid that this camera doesnt have is that you can actually crop a pic right after you take it! So now I am looking for a replacement camera for this cannon... i want to be able to add a lens when i want - but i Dont want to have to keep it on there all the time just to protect the lens b/c i cant buy a new lens cap...
Long story short... try one of the newer versions of this camera if you are really intrested in this one!! Hopefully they have fixed that crappy cap! AND... there is NO WAY I would pay $[...] + for this camera today! THere are way too many other choices out there now!!!
Скроменый эксперт
09.05.2010
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
This is one of my favorite cameras to use. It's simple enough that anyone can use it with the press of a button for making pictures or video... But, has enough features that you can tweak to keep pros interested by being able to fine-tune your shots.
In fact, I would doubt that there is anything that this camera couldn't capture beautifully because you can customize the white balance settings. A MUSt for any camera... Basically when you can tweak your own white balance, any camera will be able to make crisp, clear, true-to-life colorized images. It doesn't matter if the camera is $50 or is $5,000.
It also has the "RAW" file format which strangely a lot of the newer Canon Powershot cameras seem to have left out. That means you can keep the images in their original uncompressed, ultra-sharp quality.
Don't be fooled by the low "Megapixels" this camera has compared to more modern cameras. That is a salesman's trick to try and get you to but a more expensive camera. The only time megapixels will matter to you, is if you want to make very large prints. Otherwise when you just want to print pics out with your home printer or view them on your computer, you won't notice any sharpness issues... Providing you don't jerk the camera around to blur the images of course. Ha ha!
The only problems I have found with this camera is that I don't really like how heavy and bulky it is, which makes it kind of hard to handle for me. That also reduces it's portability as you'll never be able to fit it in your pocket. But you can hang it off your neck or shoulder with it's strap. It also seems to drain batteries pretty fast. I'd recommend you buy some rechargeable AAs to save you some money in the long run.
Otherwise, it's an amazing camera!
In fact, I would doubt that there is anything that this camera couldn't capture beautifully because you can customize the white balance settings. A MUSt for any camera... Basically when you can tweak your own white balance, any camera will be able to make crisp, clear, true-to-life colorized images. It doesn't matter if the camera is $50 or is $5,000.
It also has the "RAW" file format which strangely a lot of the newer Canon Powershot cameras seem to have left out. That means you can keep the images in their original uncompressed, ultra-sharp quality.
Don't be fooled by the low "Megapixels" this camera has compared to more modern cameras. That is a salesman's trick to try and get you to but a more expensive camera. The only time megapixels will matter to you, is if you want to make very large prints. Otherwise when you just want to print pics out with your home printer or view them on your computer, you won't notice any sharpness issues... Providing you don't jerk the camera around to blur the images of course. Ha ha!
The only problems I have found with this camera is that I don't really like how heavy and bulky it is, which makes it kind of hard to handle for me. That also reduces it's portability as you'll never be able to fit it in your pocket. But you can hang it off your neck or shoulder with it's strap. It also seems to drain batteries pretty fast. I'd recommend you buy some rechargeable AAs to save you some money in the long run.
Otherwise, it's an amazing camera!
Скроменый эксперт
01.09.2011
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I own one of the S3's and I have to say it is perfect.
Excellent pictures. Long batteries life.
Light and ideal for my needs.
Excellent pictures. Long batteries life.
Light and ideal for my needs.
Скроменый эксперт
21.02.2011
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
Every other camera I owned were a point and shoot camera and I decided it was time to upgrade to a bigger slr type camera, Im a complete novice to photography so didnt want to splash out too much on a camera that would be wasted on me so after reading extensive reviews I choose this one and am happy with my pick, The functions are easy to use and the handbook is pretty clear to read. The quality of pictures isnt as high as some of the point and shoot cameras out there but the point of the camera was learning to take better pictures without just using the auto function.
Скроменый эксперт
08.03.2011
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I bought this with some high expectations of taking some wide angle shots. I was beyond satisfied. It fulfilled my expectations, and did more. ;) It was prompt delivery, and would definitely recommend this seller and product. These lenses are awesome; I'm an amateur photographer and will be using this a lot more! I fell in deep love with my camera after these lenses were purchased and used. 'nuff said.
Скроменый эксперт
25.03.2011
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I had the same camera for 2 years, until it was stolen. I shopped for a year for a replacement, but I could not find a camera I liked as much as this one. I decided to try to replace this camera with the same kind. I bought this one from Amazon, and I am very happy with the camera.
Скроменый эксперт
14.05.2010
6/10
Оценка пользователя
Плохо
I bought this camera in 2007. I took it to Georgia on Vacation and I got the hang of it quite quickly. The battery life was amazing on this thing. I owned a Samsung before and it ate batteries for dessert. The main problems this camera game me was an occasional Lens Error. That was ok because it didn't do it often and It seems that their motion stabilization wasn't quite up to par on all the shots. On the same settings in the same light roughly 60 percent of the pictures would end up with some sort of blur which was quite disappointing. Luckly I had a large memory card so I solved the issue by taking several photographs. I took this camera to the beach being careful not to get sand in it but after that visit the Lens Errors got really bad and eventually in 2009. The camera refused to start up all together. I probably would not recommend this camera because there is several better and cheaper options on the market these days. For what they want for a new version of this camera you can add 250 dollars and buy a Canon EOS Rebel T1i 15.1 MP CMOS Digital SLR Camera with 3-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens which is a professional grade camera where this is just a high end Amateur camera.
Скроменый эксперт
06.02.2011
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I have owned this camera for several years now and it is an awesome camera. I have taken thousands of photos with it and they always come out great. The zoom is quite good and the camera is quick.
Скроменый эксперт
31.12.2010
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
Took it out of the box, connected it to the camera, plugged it to the outlet and it worked. So far, it has been working really well. I even left the camera shooting over night, without having to worry about batteries during one of my time lapse shoots.
Скроменый эксперт
21.07.2007
8/10
Оценка пользователя
Хорошо
I went car shopping awhile back--the first time I'd ever looked for one on my own--and, accustomed to the rapidly changing pace of the tech sector, I innocently asked the salesman what the differences were between last year's model and the new versions slated to come out soon. He looked at me blankly, blinked, then responded, "The shape of the headlights." Well, Canon changed a bit more than the shape of the headlights between the PowerShot S2 IS and the S3 IS, but not much. The newer model integrates a 6-megapixel CCD instead of 5 megapixels, and Canon tosses in a few new features, but ultimately, it's the same camera. That's not necessarily a bad thing--the S2 remains a great camera, and the S3 carries on the tradition.
The Canon PowerShot S3 IS's aesthetic seems to be a cross between those of a classic Volkswagen Beetle and a Busy Box. Granted, it's the same body as its predecessor's, but the silver bits stand out more against the current version's iridescent, dark gray plastic than they did against the previous model's silver coloring. As with the S2, there's certainly enough here to keep you busy for a long time, though, and loving every minute of it. (For more details about the S2/S3's basic design and features, read the PowerShot S2 IS review.)
For the S3, Canon upped the size of the flip-and-twist LCD to 2 inches from 1.8, which is still disappointingly small. The company also added a ludicrous 16:9 aspect mode: not only does it simply crop and letterbox the standard 4:3 image, but the LCD is too small for a functional letterbox display. More useful is the new 320x240 60fps movie-capture mode, which produces slick little movies, as does the VGA, 30fps mode. Unfortunately, the camera still lacks raw format support.
Oddly, despite the different sensors--or perhaps because they use the same f/2.7-to-f/3.5, 36mm-to-432mm lens and Digic II imaging processor--the S3's photos look almost identical to the S2's. They display a broad tonal range, albeit with some clipping in the highlights and shadows, very good color accuracy and saturation, and acceptable edge-to-edge sharpness. Its noise profile follows suit as well: low until about ISO 200, then increasingly bad. Though the camera can now boost ISO sensitivity to as high as ISO 800, either manually or by enabling ISO Boost in a programmed-exposure mode, the noise at that setting is quite obtrusive. In general, the S3's photos look good but can't really shake the digital look, either onscreen or in print.
The haloing around the hands, the smearing in the corduroy, and the general lack of detail in the bricks make this photo look obviously digital. Keep in mind that this was shot at maximum telephoto, however.
Performance, while not identical to the S2's, is either the equivalent or better. Start-up to first shot takes only 1.5 seconds, which is quite zippy overall, and extremely good for a camera that has a long lens to extend. Shutter lag in bright light runs about 0.4 second and doubles to 0.8 second when the lights get low. The S3 is also relatively responsive: 1.1 seconds typically from shot to shot, plus another second if the flash needs to recycle. Though it maxes out at 1.5fps in continuous-shooting mode, there's no buffer-constraint on the number of sequential shots at maximum resolution; I find that much more useful than a fast but limited burst mode. It was certainly sufficient to capture active dogs and children playing in the park, including kids spinning in a tire swing.
Autofocus occurs quickly for the most part, although a few of my shots looked as if the focus hadn't locked before capture. I didn't experience any of the problems that the S2's reviewer did with SuperMacro mode; it worked fine for me, even with the lens almost pressed against the subject. The image stabilization bought me about two stops of shutter latitude, but my hands shake like an octogenarian's--a coffee-drinking octogenarian.
I'm not a big fan of electronic viewfinders (EVFs), and the S3's didn't convince me otherwise; though it's fine for framing, I hate that it freezes when the shutter is pressed. The LCD is certainly viewable in most light, but I prefer an eye-level viewfinder to the unsteady arm's-length approach.
True, a cheap dSLR will provide better performance, and a moderately priced one will deliver better photo quality. But the Canon PowerShot S3 IS's combination of features, performance, and relatively compact design certainly gives megazoomers a compelling alternative.
The Canon PowerShot S3 IS's aesthetic seems to be a cross between those of a classic Volkswagen Beetle and a Busy Box. Granted, it's the same body as its predecessor's, but the silver bits stand out more against the current version's iridescent, dark gray plastic than they did against the previous model's silver coloring. As with the S2, there's certainly enough here to keep you busy for a long time, though, and loving every minute of it. (For more details about the S2/S3's basic design and features, read the PowerShot S2 IS review.)
For the S3, Canon upped the size of the flip-and-twist LCD to 2 inches from 1.8, which is still disappointingly small. The company also added a ludicrous 16:9 aspect mode: not only does it simply crop and letterbox the standard 4:3 image, but the LCD is too small for a functional letterbox display. More useful is the new 320x240 60fps movie-capture mode, which produces slick little movies, as does the VGA, 30fps mode. Unfortunately, the camera still lacks raw format support.
Oddly, despite the different sensors--or perhaps because they use the same f/2.7-to-f/3.5, 36mm-to-432mm lens and Digic II imaging processor--the S3's photos look almost identical to the S2's. They display a broad tonal range, albeit with some clipping in the highlights and shadows, very good color accuracy and saturation, and acceptable edge-to-edge sharpness. Its noise profile follows suit as well: low until about ISO 200, then increasingly bad. Though the camera can now boost ISO sensitivity to as high as ISO 800, either manually or by enabling ISO Boost in a programmed-exposure mode, the noise at that setting is quite obtrusive. In general, the S3's photos look good but can't really shake the digital look, either onscreen or in print.
The haloing around the hands, the smearing in the corduroy, and the general lack of detail in the bricks make this photo look obviously digital. Keep in mind that this was shot at maximum telephoto, however.
Performance, while not identical to the S2's, is either the equivalent or better. Start-up to first shot takes only 1.5 seconds, which is quite zippy overall, and extremely good for a camera that has a long lens to extend. Shutter lag in bright light runs about 0.4 second and doubles to 0.8 second when the lights get low. The S3 is also relatively responsive: 1.1 seconds typically from shot to shot, plus another second if the flash needs to recycle. Though it maxes out at 1.5fps in continuous-shooting mode, there's no buffer-constraint on the number of sequential shots at maximum resolution; I find that much more useful than a fast but limited burst mode. It was certainly sufficient to capture active dogs and children playing in the park, including kids spinning in a tire swing.
Autofocus occurs quickly for the most part, although a few of my shots looked as if the focus hadn't locked before capture. I didn't experience any of the problems that the S2's reviewer did with SuperMacro mode; it worked fine for me, even with the lens almost pressed against the subject. The image stabilization bought me about two stops of shutter latitude, but my hands shake like an octogenarian's--a coffee-drinking octogenarian.
I'm not a big fan of electronic viewfinders (EVFs), and the S3's didn't convince me otherwise; though it's fine for framing, I hate that it freezes when the shutter is pressed. The LCD is certainly viewable in most light, but I prefer an eye-level viewfinder to the unsteady arm's-length approach.
True, a cheap dSLR will provide better performance, and a moderately priced one will deliver better photo quality. But the Canon PowerShot S3 IS's combination of features, performance, and relatively compact design certainly gives megazoomers a compelling alternative.
Скроменый эксперт
29.10.2010
6/10
Оценка пользователя
Плохо
I love my canon s3, it really a great camara, only complaint I have is the screen is not big enough, and it uses battery really fast, the picture quality is great for beginner, all in all its an ok camara not the best!!!!!!!!!!!1
Скроменый эксперт
27.09.2010
6/10
Оценка пользователя
Плохо
Bought this camera direct from Amazon three years ago. Amazon sold me a service warranty, but after I had problems with the repairs, would not back up the product. Amazon claimed no responsibility for work done by a third party. Very disappointing. I'll think twice before buying anything that may need repairs from Amazon
Скроменый эксперт
06.05.2007
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
From all the other reviews, you know this is a great camera and you can learn technical capabilities better from others than from me. I'll just comment on a few things.
The video quality is amazing. It comes with an A/V cable to plug into the tv so you can watch video directly on the tv. The quality on the tv was comparable to my Panasonic MiniDV camcorder. I didn't even consider the video abilities when I bought this, but in the few weeks I've had it, I can already see that this will replace my regular video camera for most uses. I just need to get a DVD burner on the computer. Needed a reason to upgrade! I never carry the real video camera when we travel, because it was such a pain to pack and carry around. Now I've got one built in. The sound and picture quality are amazing. I downloaded video from the SD card onto the computer and used Microsoft's MovieMaker to edit the video, add captions, resize them for the Web and attach them to emails to the grandparents. Fabulous. (MovieMaker is included in XP's ServicePak 2. I had a heck of a time finding it on my computer, though. Found it by clicking on Start, then All Programs, then Video, then Movie Maker. It's pretty self explanatory, except that after you open a file you have to drag the icon to the bottom of the screen to edit it. Click on the options tab at the top and you can limit the size of your movie to optimize for email, e.g. 4 MB, etc.) Also, you don't have to switch from still shots to video mode. You just push the video record button at any time. One downside, though. While recording video, it doesn't seem that you can take still shots. If you push the shutter button it freezes a "picture" within the video, but it doesn't save it as a separate photo file. Maybe the next generation will fix this, or maybe I'm not doing something right.
I like the easy ability to turn off all sounds the camera makes. We had robins nesting on our windowsill and I was able to start up the camera and take pictures silently without scaring them off. The video taken in this mute mode still has sound in playback. We could hear all the chirping clearly.
Size -- I was torn between getting a smaller camera and getting a camera with zoom power. My previous camera had a 3X optical zoom. I'm so glad I went for the 12X zoom. Already I'm taking pictures that I never would have been able to get before. The camera is not that big, and will easily fit in a big handbag or a backpack, even in the bag I got for it. It comes with a neck strap that attaches securely to the sides of the camera. I bought a camera bag that opens from the top so that I can easily get the camera in and out while carrying the bag. I have found the camera surprisingly comfortable to "wear" around my neck.
Shot-to-shot speed is good and shutter lag isn't a problem like with my old Minolta.
Canon S3 IS vs. pocket-size camera: The Canon is small enough to carry comfortably while travelling or going to the kids' sporting events. I wouldn't carry it around all the time, though. My current cell phone doesn't take pictures, but I figure the next one I get will take decent enough pictures to catch that unexpected photo opportunity, and that's an item I would have with me all the time.
Battery usage. The Canon comes with 4 regular AA batteries (not rechargeable). I ordered rechargeables at the same time, but plunked the regular AA's in when I opened the camera. I've taken about 10 video clips of around 2-3 minutes apiece and about 50 pictures without any noticeable slowing in performance so far. My old camera wouldn't have survived the 50 still shots!
Program modes: I never used the program modes on my old camera. The most I ever did was turn the flash off to shoot through glass. (I'm not a photographer!) I have found myself actually using the program modes on the Canon, though. They are easy and intuitive. I especially like the fact that you don't have to remember what the little symbols stand for, because the symbol appears with the name of the program on the LCD screen. There are the "idiot" programs on one side of the dial and the professional settings on the other. I even found myself playing with the professional settings and the ISO button after reading the owner's manual.
I keep forgetting turn the LCD screen back around when I turn off the camera, but I haven't had any problems with it.
Do I even need to say anything about the quality of the pictures? Beautiful!
The video quality is amazing. It comes with an A/V cable to plug into the tv so you can watch video directly on the tv. The quality on the tv was comparable to my Panasonic MiniDV camcorder. I didn't even consider the video abilities when I bought this, but in the few weeks I've had it, I can already see that this will replace my regular video camera for most uses. I just need to get a DVD burner on the computer. Needed a reason to upgrade! I never carry the real video camera when we travel, because it was such a pain to pack and carry around. Now I've got one built in. The sound and picture quality are amazing. I downloaded video from the SD card onto the computer and used Microsoft's MovieMaker to edit the video, add captions, resize them for the Web and attach them to emails to the grandparents. Fabulous. (MovieMaker is included in XP's ServicePak 2. I had a heck of a time finding it on my computer, though. Found it by clicking on Start, then All Programs, then Video, then Movie Maker. It's pretty self explanatory, except that after you open a file you have to drag the icon to the bottom of the screen to edit it. Click on the options tab at the top and you can limit the size of your movie to optimize for email, e.g. 4 MB, etc.) Also, you don't have to switch from still shots to video mode. You just push the video record button at any time. One downside, though. While recording video, it doesn't seem that you can take still shots. If you push the shutter button it freezes a "picture" within the video, but it doesn't save it as a separate photo file. Maybe the next generation will fix this, or maybe I'm not doing something right.
I like the easy ability to turn off all sounds the camera makes. We had robins nesting on our windowsill and I was able to start up the camera and take pictures silently without scaring them off. The video taken in this mute mode still has sound in playback. We could hear all the chirping clearly.
Size -- I was torn between getting a smaller camera and getting a camera with zoom power. My previous camera had a 3X optical zoom. I'm so glad I went for the 12X zoom. Already I'm taking pictures that I never would have been able to get before. The camera is not that big, and will easily fit in a big handbag or a backpack, even in the bag I got for it. It comes with a neck strap that attaches securely to the sides of the camera. I bought a camera bag that opens from the top so that I can easily get the camera in and out while carrying the bag. I have found the camera surprisingly comfortable to "wear" around my neck.
Shot-to-shot speed is good and shutter lag isn't a problem like with my old Minolta.
Canon S3 IS vs. pocket-size camera: The Canon is small enough to carry comfortably while travelling or going to the kids' sporting events. I wouldn't carry it around all the time, though. My current cell phone doesn't take pictures, but I figure the next one I get will take decent enough pictures to catch that unexpected photo opportunity, and that's an item I would have with me all the time.
Battery usage. The Canon comes with 4 regular AA batteries (not rechargeable). I ordered rechargeables at the same time, but plunked the regular AA's in when I opened the camera. I've taken about 10 video clips of around 2-3 minutes apiece and about 50 pictures without any noticeable slowing in performance so far. My old camera wouldn't have survived the 50 still shots!
Program modes: I never used the program modes on my old camera. The most I ever did was turn the flash off to shoot through glass. (I'm not a photographer!) I have found myself actually using the program modes on the Canon, though. They are easy and intuitive. I especially like the fact that you don't have to remember what the little symbols stand for, because the symbol appears with the name of the program on the LCD screen. There are the "idiot" programs on one side of the dial and the professional settings on the other. I even found myself playing with the professional settings and the ISO button after reading the owner's manual.
I keep forgetting turn the LCD screen back around when I turn off the camera, but I haven't had any problems with it.
Do I even need to say anything about the quality of the pictures? Beautiful!
Скроменый эксперт
23.07.2010
6/10
Оценка пользователя
Плохо
Much has been said about Canon's Powershot S3 IS all of it justified.. Well in my opinion is not half as good as they say! I have many cameras at half the price and a lot better in almost all departments.
I got it just last week and can't get on with it and the pics are not that great, I know a bit about the subject as I do a lot of it for my web site. In short the Fuji Fine pix F70 EXR wins hands down. Cheaper faster more portable and better pics,, Well is only my opinion after all.
I got it just last week and can't get on with it and the pics are not that great, I know a bit about the subject as I do a lot of it for my web site. In short the Fuji Fine pix F70 EXR wins hands down. Cheaper faster more portable and better pics,, Well is only my opinion after all.
Скроменый эксперт
27.11.2006
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
This is a near pro camera in disguise. This little wolf really needs you to study it and play with it to get the best pictures, but when you do you are really rewarded. When I say worse, if you just want a point and shoot you will get crappy photos sometimes and think you were cheated.
If you just select Auto, you will probably be disappointed. Canon makes better point and shoot cameras like the S series. My wife uses the S80 for her business, my daughter has the S70, and we have two other Canon P&S around that we all use for fun shots. I needed something with a real zoom lens and didn't want to do all the way to DSLR as I wanted something that also shot movies. I'm a HS tennis coach and I wanted to be able to take short videos of my players to help them see their strengths and weaknesses.
The S3 takes unbelievable videos! Better than my sony video camera that cost much more AND it is easier to get them into my computer, edit them, and produce a CD to hand to one of my players. A feature that I didn't find on any of the other competitive cameras was the ability to snap a still picture in the middle of taking a video. Also like the separate video button so you can take videos without changing anything on the camera, just hit the video button and it starts.
It also takes GREAT pictures. When you understand the options on the camera, you can take pictures that are close to the best you can do with a pro DSLR camera. I now shoot all my normal pics in P mode with it set for ISO 100 or ISO 200 and a 3 shot bracket. Great pics everytime. The anti-shake (IS) makes it easy to take great pics in low light. In low light when I let it go up to high ISO I can get noise like you wouldn't believe. However, I still get the pictures. Now that I know better, I can set up the camera to get really good low light pictures without going into high ISO ranges. I also have been able to take wonderful pics of my Koi, my cats, my kids, my wife, my car, my anything that takes my fancy. I have a framed 10x14 picture in front of me taken of a squirrel in the very top of a 100' redwood tree with the camera at max optical + digital zoom of 48x. Hand held and clear as a bell due to the IS and the optional settings available. Try that at home with any other camera in this price range.
Bottom line: after looking at all the current offerings from Panasonic/Sony/Nikon et al, this is the best of the bunch for a prosumer big zoom camera. None of the rest of them paid any attention to making videos, canon did. All the rest tried to get our attention by promising more pixels, but Canon when for quality and a reasonable price. This camera takes better pics than the Panasonic Lumix that costs several hundred $$$ more and has 10 mega pixels -- oh, and the canon is considerably smaller and easier to carry.
Accessories: I recommend that you get the Lensmate 52mm lens adapter and the Tiffen 3 pack of filters. I didn't bother with the Canon 58mm stuff, just got everything in 52mm. Unfortunately Amazon doesn't carry Lensmate but you can Google them. I also got the Raynox .7x wide angle lens from Lensmate at a good price. It has a bit of barrel distortion, but easily correctable with software -- big feature is that it is extremely clear at full zoom. Much better than the Canon wide angle lens. Case Logic makes a case that holds the S3 with the lens adapter on, so I can carry it around with the UV filter in place. The Lensmate lens adapter is made from metal and gives you a place to grip with your left hand so you are extra steady. Wish that Canon would just put threads on the end of their lenses, but they have their way of doing things.
Also got the Transend 4GB 150x SD card. Works like a charm. Make sure you low format it before your first use and then do that again every so often to keep the card clean. Very fast and lets me take up to 30 minutes of videos if I want. Get the SD cards wherever . . . Fry's had the Transend card for $10 less than Amazon.
Great camera, well worth the time I spent researching and testing everything available in September through early November of 2006. I did test every Panasonic, Sony, and Canon model in my price range of $250 to $750. Bought an SD card first and then went to camera stores and tried them all, bought the card home and looked at every pic and video. I ended up paying $350+ here at Amazon for the S3 which was the best price from a trusted source.
Again, what I wanted was a digital camera that could zoom to 10x+, take videos that were as good as my video camera, take fast action still shots in varying conditions, and had a resolution of 5mp or more. I also wanted it to be compact and easy to use, with the capability of using storage cards larger than 2GB. I already have taken almost 2 hours of action videos of my tennis players and several hundred pictures of them. I also have a batch of family pic
If you just select Auto, you will probably be disappointed. Canon makes better point and shoot cameras like the S series. My wife uses the S80 for her business, my daughter has the S70, and we have two other Canon P&S around that we all use for fun shots. I needed something with a real zoom lens and didn't want to do all the way to DSLR as I wanted something that also shot movies. I'm a HS tennis coach and I wanted to be able to take short videos of my players to help them see their strengths and weaknesses.
The S3 takes unbelievable videos! Better than my sony video camera that cost much more AND it is easier to get them into my computer, edit them, and produce a CD to hand to one of my players. A feature that I didn't find on any of the other competitive cameras was the ability to snap a still picture in the middle of taking a video. Also like the separate video button so you can take videos without changing anything on the camera, just hit the video button and it starts.
It also takes GREAT pictures. When you understand the options on the camera, you can take pictures that are close to the best you can do with a pro DSLR camera. I now shoot all my normal pics in P mode with it set for ISO 100 or ISO 200 and a 3 shot bracket. Great pics everytime. The anti-shake (IS) makes it easy to take great pics in low light. In low light when I let it go up to high ISO I can get noise like you wouldn't believe. However, I still get the pictures. Now that I know better, I can set up the camera to get really good low light pictures without going into high ISO ranges. I also have been able to take wonderful pics of my Koi, my cats, my kids, my wife, my car, my anything that takes my fancy. I have a framed 10x14 picture in front of me taken of a squirrel in the very top of a 100' redwood tree with the camera at max optical + digital zoom of 48x. Hand held and clear as a bell due to the IS and the optional settings available. Try that at home with any other camera in this price range.
Bottom line: after looking at all the current offerings from Panasonic/Sony/Nikon et al, this is the best of the bunch for a prosumer big zoom camera. None of the rest of them paid any attention to making videos, canon did. All the rest tried to get our attention by promising more pixels, but Canon when for quality and a reasonable price. This camera takes better pics than the Panasonic Lumix that costs several hundred $$$ more and has 10 mega pixels -- oh, and the canon is considerably smaller and easier to carry.
Accessories: I recommend that you get the Lensmate 52mm lens adapter and the Tiffen 3 pack of filters. I didn't bother with the Canon 58mm stuff, just got everything in 52mm. Unfortunately Amazon doesn't carry Lensmate but you can Google them. I also got the Raynox .7x wide angle lens from Lensmate at a good price. It has a bit of barrel distortion, but easily correctable with software -- big feature is that it is extremely clear at full zoom. Much better than the Canon wide angle lens. Case Logic makes a case that holds the S3 with the lens adapter on, so I can carry it around with the UV filter in place. The Lensmate lens adapter is made from metal and gives you a place to grip with your left hand so you are extra steady. Wish that Canon would just put threads on the end of their lenses, but they have their way of doing things.
Also got the Transend 4GB 150x SD card. Works like a charm. Make sure you low format it before your first use and then do that again every so often to keep the card clean. Very fast and lets me take up to 30 minutes of videos if I want. Get the SD cards wherever . . . Fry's had the Transend card for $10 less than Amazon.
Great camera, well worth the time I spent researching and testing everything available in September through early November of 2006. I did test every Panasonic, Sony, and Canon model in my price range of $250 to $750. Bought an SD card first and then went to camera stores and tried them all, bought the card home and looked at every pic and video. I ended up paying $350+ here at Amazon for the S3 which was the best price from a trusted source.
Again, what I wanted was a digital camera that could zoom to 10x+, take videos that were as good as my video camera, take fast action still shots in varying conditions, and had a resolution of 5mp or more. I also wanted it to be compact and easy to use, with the capability of using storage cards larger than 2GB. I already have taken almost 2 hours of action videos of my tennis players and several hundred pictures of them. I also have a batch of family pic
Скроменый эксперт
04.09.2009
10/10
Оценка пользователя
Великолепно
I start off by saying that I know that some of those cameras have lens problems, so if you got a lemon one, sorry. Otherwise a very useful camera. The biggest things for me is of course a 12x zoom. I had this camera for about 3 years now, and this zoom let me take amazing pictures. I travel a lot, so 12x zoom helps to take far away pictures, for example out in nature, zoos, beach, parks like Disney World/Land, where it is not an option to be closer to an object. Also the micro focus works very well. You can see my pictures at platonm(dot)com. The 6MP is not really anything to brag about, but 3 years ago, especially for the price I paid ($298.26) it was a good choice. Do not be discouraged by the fact that it needs 4AA batteries. It threw me off at first, but then looking at other options, that combined mega-zoom and low price, there was nothing else. I bought Sony BCG-34HE4 Super-Quick Worldwide Battery Charger with 4 AA NiMH Batteries for $22.95, and those work forever between charges. I can take about 300-500 pictures on one charge, even 3 years later! Including using a flash!
As all Canons it is simple and easy to use, and since it is higher-end PowerShot it has extra features, like manual/micro focus. The lens focuses nice and fast. I sometime have problems with focus on higher zoom when it cannot focus because it cannot make out depth of an object, but that's like any other camera. It is durable. I take very good care of it, but still, nothing ever broke for me.
As all Canons it is simple and easy to use, and since it is higher-end PowerShot it has extra features, like manual/micro focus. The lens focuses nice and fast. I sometime have problems with focus on higher zoom when it cannot focus because it cannot make out depth of an object, but that's like any other camera. It is durable. I take very good care of it, but still, nothing ever broke for me.
Скроменый эксперт
05.08.2009
4/10
Оценка пользователя
Ужасно
I used this camera for a year before giving it away and replacing it with a Nikon D40. I have some good things to say about it, but it has some very serious problems.
First, the good:
* Fast startup time for a point-and-shoot.
* Long zoom lens. Not the sharpest nor the most distortion-free, but acceptable for its weight and price.
* EVF is useful when there is too much sunlight to use the screen.
* Lots of features.
* Movie mode is quite respectable.
* Manual focus is dreadful, but at least they tried.
* With an optional adapter it can take filters--I use a polariser quite frequently around the water and while hiking. The filter+adapter go on and off much faster than the braindead threaded filter design found on SLRs.
I've only found one really bad habit, but I regard it as a showstopper: As with all point-and-shoots, it becomes almost useless above ISO 200--even at ISO 80 you will notice grainy noise. But the ISO button is positioned about where your nose goes, and you will probably also hit it with your thumb. I've lost many really good shots by accidentally hitting the ISO button and not noticing that I'd bumped it up too high.
I'd also think that with such a huge zoom range they could have worked in the ability to shoot at wider angle and taken a little off the long end. But no--its wide end is no wider than is standard for a point-and-shoot.
First, the good:
* Fast startup time for a point-and-shoot.
* Long zoom lens. Not the sharpest nor the most distortion-free, but acceptable for its weight and price.
* EVF is useful when there is too much sunlight to use the screen.
* Lots of features.
* Movie mode is quite respectable.
* Manual focus is dreadful, but at least they tried.
* With an optional adapter it can take filters--I use a polariser quite frequently around the water and while hiking. The filter+adapter go on and off much faster than the braindead threaded filter design found on SLRs.
I've only found one really bad habit, but I regard it as a showstopper: As with all point-and-shoots, it becomes almost useless above ISO 200--even at ISO 80 you will notice grainy noise. But the ISO button is positioned about where your nose goes, and you will probably also hit it with your thumb. I've lost many really good shots by accidentally hitting the ISO button and not noticing that I'd bumped it up too high.
I'd also think that with such a huge zoom range they could have worked in the ability to shoot at wider angle and taken a little off the long end. But no--its wide end is no wider than is standard for a point-and-shoot.
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