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Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera

User Reviews: Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera
$599.99
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4.6 out of 5.0 stars 206 Ratings (53 Reviews)

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    Canon S3 IS Great camera

    By Man  Jun 8, 2006 | 112 out of 116 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: This is a great camera. It takes great outdoor pictures and good indoor pictures. The IS really work on zoom. I have 3 Nikon. S3 makes much better pitures in every way. Battery life is long. You can turn the lcd to any angle you want to take the picture.

    Cons: Buttons & body don't have solid feel as my Nikon. LCD too dim on daylight.

    I got my the 1st batch of S3 on May 06' Wow, S3 is like a mini DSLR with IS. I am a Nikon guy. I had Nikon N50(sold), N60(sold) and Coolpix 3100(still have it). But my S3 blow them away with much better picture quality. Only concern is built qual...ity, buttons feel loose. When I was holding my N60, I felt like I was holding a stone. I don't have the same feeling when I hold my S3. But not a big deal. Taking good pictures is all It takes. Read more Less

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    Great Find

    By Angela  Oct 17, 2006 | 48 out of 49 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: Easy To Use. This camera is the best we found...the most BANG for the BUCK. We handled dozens and researched on the net for days. Everything is self explanitory and simple. We love the "AA" Batteries for easy reload anywhere...and not having to depend on a Lithium. Software was easy to install and seems quite easy to use.

    Cons: Didn't Find Any

    We researched for days both in person and on the net. Purchased two cameras and returned them until we came across this one. It feels secure in your hands (unlike some that felt like a toy). The screen is large and easily turned for easy viewing. E...ach of the settings are self explanitory on the viewer...and overall this camera is simple...simple...simple. But most importantly, after seeing the quaility of the photos, we realized that if you're not enlarging and printing oversized photos the 6 pxls are more than enough for the average user. Even with motion, the photos are clean and crisp. We upgraded to a 2gig memory card which will allow us to take videos and photos and never worry about running out of memory. It's size is convenient and doesn't feel like a bulky oversized camera. It has the convenience of an instant camera with the results of a professional. So...we must say...as fussy as we were and with the two prior mistakes we made, we are pleased to say that the end result and purchase of this Cannon was a WISE DECISION. We highly recommend this camera for on the go fun! Read more Less

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    Bought S3 May 2006

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Feb 9, 2007 | 31 out of 31 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: Awesome Optical Zoom, Perfect Photos at 75 mph while driving down the highway

    Cons: Cheap attachments

    I bought the Canon S3 IS in May before I went on a trip to Seattle. I hadn't purchased any additional products with it yet, but with the 12x optical zoom I really didn't need a better lense. The photos were near perfect once I made it home. T...he picture clarity was great. I took a lot of pictures while driving down the highway near 75 mph, very few pictures blurred. The auto focus works really well as long as it knows what to focus on. The center of the lens is what it uses as a distance guide. I have one photo taken through the windshield and it focused on the bug's splattered on the windshield. However, the next photo taken of the same spot didn't even show the bug's on the windshield. The picture was perfect. You can't even tell that you're taking a picture from a car. I was so happy with the S3 that I decided to make it even better by buying all of it's attachments. However, I was slightly disappointed with that. You have to buy a lens adapter which is merely a plastic tube that fits over the lens. Then I bought a 1.5x teleconverter lens to increase the zoom capabilites. The increase was minimal and not really needed for the type of landscape pictures I take. It also made the lens eight inches long, very cumbersome. However, the UV Filter and the lens cap were well worth it. You need the lens adapter in order to use the UV Filter. I keep the len adapter, UV Filter, and aftermarket lens cap attached at all times. The lens cap that comes with the S3 does not work over the lens adapter, hence the need for the aftermarket canon lens cap. I bought this camera for just above $400. Paying less for this camera is insane! However, the Rebel series has also come down in price. If you're looking for a camera that is professional grade, look at the Rebel. If you're looking for a great camera that is inexpensive and don't care about attachments, buy the Canon S3 IS. It's a great buy! Hope this helps. Read more Less

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    Canon S3 IS

    By Scott  Aug 16, 2006 | 26 out of 28 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: Digital Zoom Through Viewfinder, Motion Stablizer

    Cons: No Lithium Ion Battery

    I have been a fan of canon digital camera for some time now and while searching to upgrade my camera from my G2 I looked at many brands. The features seem to be endless. My favorite feature is the digital zoom through the view finder. This saves on ...battery life. The motion stablizer is great for taking those longer shot when you use the zoom. The sports setting was great when taking pics at my son's soccer games. When you are in a hurry and switching between settings the setting you chose shows up briefly in the viewfinder. No need to take your eye off the action or otherwise pull the camera down and double check the setting. I am disappointed though with no lithium battery. This camera is new and this issue can be resolved at a later time. 4 AA batteries will last about 400 or so shots. Read more Less

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    Unbelievable

    By Littlebit  Jul 26, 2006 | 24 out of 26 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: Videos, still clips from video, still imaging

    Cons: None

    I purchased the camera little over a month ago. I have used this camera for everything from video at dirt track to get still pictures, video from fireworks that captured lightning and pulled still photos from them. The quality of photos that are pri...nted are unbelievable. They actually look professional. I am still learning the many features of the camera and they seem endless. I have found no defaults with the camera. Thanks Canon for putting together a user friendly item that anyone can use and enjoy. Read more Less

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    Super camera; a few niggles

    By JOHN  Jan 14, 2007 | 16 out of 16 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: Fine sharp pictures, excellent image stabilisation, lots of features

    Cons: Digital noise, dull viewfinder, no remote release, some buttons poorly placed, fringing.

    This is basically an excellent camera, and results are superb. I am particularly impressed by the performance of the image stabilisation which makes good sharp hand held shots at 12X zoom quite possible at relatively slow shutter speeds (1/100 sec or... slower). Having said that, I want to concentrate on what I see to be weaknesses in a point and shoot which, in many ways, challenges the DSLR in quality, and beats it hands down on cost. I am comparing with my Fujifilm S7000, also a fine 6 MP camera, but with a 6X zoom. Unlike the S7000, the Canon exhibits really bad digital noise at ISO 400, and pictures taken at ISO 800 are hardly usable. Unlike the S7000, there is no facility for a remote release. That seems particularly poor when you can take pictures s-o-o-o-o close, or at such a big zoom. Camera shake is almost inevitable, even on a tripod, if you press the shutter button on the camera. Unlike the S7000, there can be serious fringing of bright parts of the image - especially at full zoom. Unlike the S7000, there are buttons on the back of the camera, placed in such a way that, when you grip the camera firmly, a menu appears in your viewfinder and obscures the scene! And last, but not least, the viewfinder image is coarse, so that it is really difficult to tell if you have a sharp image when you examine pictures you have taken - even if you zoom in on them, Also, detail in the scene you are taking is so poor that I was unable to find a bright rainbow I was trying to shoot! Don't let me put you off, though. This is till a fine and lively camera. Just be prepared for a few irritations. Read more Less

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    For those who love super zoom digital camera

    By Millionduc  May 20, 2006 | 27 out of 41 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: Very easy and comfortable using

    Cons: Canon still be weak for night snapshot

    I like this camera long time. Now I'm saving money to buy it. For a man who like to travel, take beautiful pictures of landscape, people. This is the best choice for everybody. Price is not so expensive. Another advice to you, remember to buy a l...arge memory card (1 or 2 GBs) and a tripod to take pictures. Read more Less

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    Good all round camera

    By Yahoo! Shopping User  Nov 22, 2006 | 10 out of 10 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: Flexibility, Great movie mode, Lots of manual settings

    Cons: Colour fringing in bright light

    I bought this camera to upgrade from a compact - I wanted to take more creative photos with a camera I could take anywhere. What's great about this camera is that you have an incredible amount of flexibility in a fairly compact package. The super... macro mode lets you take extreme close-ups. The long lens gives you options you never dreamed of if you've only used a compact. The movie mode is outstanding. There's a lot of manual control and the menus are well organised. On the down side, colour fringing can be a problem in bright light - it can be freakish in some conditions. Also unless you're in super macro mode then the f value is quite high - so it's difficult to get depth of field effects (subject in focus, background out of focus) in normal portrait shots, for instance. And that manual control isn't as easy to exercise as on a digital SLR. If you're looking for high quality, in a (fairly) compact package, you'd be very hard pressed to beat this camera. Read more Less

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    Purple Haze - Serious Fringing Problem

    By Phil  Mar 21, 2007 | 7 out of 7 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: Great look and feel, movie quality, swivel screen

    Cons: Fringing of high-contrast edges in sunlight

    I had purchased a Sony H1 last year for zoom performance over my excellent Canon G2. I soon discovered numerous shortcomings of the Sony (reflective screen, poor ergonomics, huge delay between flash shots, inefective image stabilization). This led me... to the Canon S3. Loved the looks, the feel in my hands and the swivel screen. However, I quickly came across a HUGE problem - purple fringing. Taking a picture of a person sitting in the sun, especially with zoom, and the edge of their skin would "glow" with a violet outline. Any high contrast surface would do the same. I did one-on-one comparisons with my Sony H1 at identical settings and found that in all cases the Sony had minimal fringing. With the Canon, shooting at f8 would reduce the effect, but not even to an acceptable level. I went back to Best Buy and did an in-store comparison between the demo model and mine, shooting sunlight coming through the front window. Turns out that the demo model was fine and mine had the harsh violet edge. The tech guy said that it looked like a sensor problem (I had thought it to be a lense issue). Figuring I had the rare defective camera, I exchanged mine for another and guess what? ...same problem! I just now have my third S3 and haven't tried it yet, but based on some of these reviews, I bet I'll be looking at the same issue. It appears that Canon has recently introduced a (sensor?) flaw in the production of their recent models - I say recent because the demo model in the store is probably an older production model (I'll check on the dates of the reviews reporting this problem). If you are as serious about your photography as I am, this type of fringing is totally unacceptable. If the third S3 has the same problem, I'll talk to a Canon tech rep to report the issue, return the camera for a refund and give up on the S3 : ( Read more Less

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    Canon S3IS is GREAT!!!

    By Alexsander  Jan 6, 2007 | 4 out of 4 found this Canon PowerShot S3 IS review helpful

    Pros: Lots of features, portable for traveling, great zoom, quick to shoot pictures

    Cons: Learning Curve

    I have always purchase Sony cameras and I was happy with them. Decided to give a chance to Canon since most professionals have Canon. I was looking for a DSLR, but did not wanted to carry a big bag for traveling. After some research found Canon S3IS.... The 12X Optical Zoom it is great and all the multiple different types of photo settings are great. I took it on my Christmas Vacation to Puerto Rico and the pictures came great, specially the ones outdoor. The indoor pictures if you do not know how to use it will come badk, but once you learn a little bit they come out great. For not being a DSLR this camera offers more than what you really are going to use for the average photographer. I compare this camera with the Sony DCH-5, but went Canon, because I always was discourage that Sony cameras take time when taking a shoot and normally loosing the important moments. The difficult thing is the learning curve on how to use all the settings in the correct moment. I'm still learning how to use it but so far but, I'm really happy with the camera and recommend it if you have the time to learn it. Read more Less

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