New Canon prosumer camera question

ForeheadForehead Registered Users Posts: 679 Major grins
edited October 3, 2006 in Cameras
I was waiting for a shuttle to take me back from the airport in Phoenix to Cottonwood, when I encountered a newlywed couple from Lituania, on their way to Sedona. At one point, I noticed that the guy had a Canon prosumer camera that looked quite different than the Powershot A620/640.

It was a Canon Powershot S3 IS. As I definitely NEED to replace my Nikon E5400, am NOT ready for DSLR yet, I think that this camera might be the replacement I'm looking for (I'm still PO'ed at Sony so forget ANY of their products). A couple of intriguing features:

12X OPTICAL zoom (yeah, some other cameras got that too) with some sort of anti-coffee-nerve feature--I've been missing way too many otherwise good quail shots as my piddly 4X zoom just doesn't get close enough for those shy little bastards;

That "Super Macro" is REALLY intriguing: being able to literally press the subject right against the lens...hmmm! And with the optional 55mm "closeup lens" for "greater detail" in macros...hmmm again!

Does anyone out there have one of these cameras? Do you like it? Or are you "PO'ed" about it?

I tell you what, though: those tiny little SD cards seem so fragile (which is NOT French for "Unbreakable") and so easy to lose. But even SMALLER are those cards used in those Olympus P&S cameras. My thumb nail's thicker than they are!

ANyway, Canon Powershot S3 IS: Likey? No likey? Tell me!
Steve-o

Comments

  • ForeheadForehead Registered Users Posts: 679 Major grins
    edited September 30, 2006
    What? No comments or gripes about this camera yet?
    Steve-o
  • W.W. WebsterW.W. Webster Registered Users Posts: 3,204 Major grins
    edited September 30, 2006
    Forehead wrote:
    What? No comments or gripes about this camera yet?
    More likely potential posters find the lime green text somewhat annoying. eek7.gif
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  • OlgaJOlgaJ Registered Users Posts: 146 Major grins
    edited September 30, 2006
    I bought the S3 when it first came out thinking that I would prefer it over my Sony H1 due to the tilt and swivel LCD which is something I really like.

    I ended up selling the S3 and keeping the H1. That's because I didn't find the S3 images satisfactory. They looked a tad too muddy and not too sharp to me. Not sure exactly what it was that I didn't like because some of the images were OK. I use a Canon 5D most of the time and still own my Canon G3 which I consider the best P&S I've ever owned. But I just could not warm up to the S3.

    Olga
  • ForeheadForehead Registered Users Posts: 679 Major grins
    edited October 1, 2006
    I'm starting to wonder if there's such a thing as too much range in a lens. I mean, from against-the-glass macro to 12X optical zoom. That much range--and such a tiny image sensor--must have required some compromises in overall lens design, as the "muddy" and "not too sharp" images may betray.

    Sorry that S3 didn't work out for you.
    OlgaJ wrote:
    I bought the S3 when it first came out thinking that I would prefer it over my Sony H1 due to the tilt and swivel LCD which is something I really like.

    I ended up selling the S3 and keeping the H1. That's because I didn't find the S3 images satisfactory. They looked a tad too muddy and not too sharp to me. Not sure exactly what it was that I didn't like because some of the images were OK. I use a Canon 5D most of the time and still own my Canon G3 which I consider the best P&S I've ever owned. But I just could not warm up to the S3.

    Olga
    Steve-o
  • ForeheadForehead Registered Users Posts: 679 Major grins
    edited October 1, 2006
    Is THIS better?

    Take a happy pill.
    W.W. Webster wrote:
    More likely potential posters find the lime green text somewhat annoying. eek7.gif
    Steve-o
  • claudermilkclaudermilk Registered Users Posts: 2,756 Major grins
    edited October 2, 2006
    Forehead wrote:
    I'm starting to wonder if there's such a thing as too much range in a lens. I mean, from against-the-glass macro to 12X optical zoom. That much range--and such a tiny image sensor--must have required some compromises in overall lens design, as the "muddy" and "not too sharp" images may betray.

    Sorry that S3 didn't work out for you.
    Yup. That's why you will see that most of the top-level SLR glass is something like 2.5x or 3x zoom maximum, and the absolute BEST image quality comes from 1x zooms AKA primes. :D That's also why the "Bigma" has such a reputation in that it reputedly gets decent image quality in a 10x zoom (50-500).
    Chris
    http://www.chrislaudermilkphoto.com/
  • digitalitiesdigitalities Registered Users Posts: 59 Big grins
    edited October 2, 2006
    Forehead wrote:
    ...
    ANyway, Canon Powershot S3 IS: Likey? No likey? Tell me!

    in the category of superzoom/compact cameras, you should consider the Sony DSC-H* family.

    I've been shooting with H1 for a year and gave me amazing results. I recently moved to H5 mainly because I was looking for a better ISO support. H1 had a noisy 200 ISO while H5 has usable ISO 400.

    I would recommend you to read reviews available at dpreview.com. Furthermore, the Sony forum on dpreview is really lively as regards posting samples and discussing the H family.

    There is also a person who wrote a great white paper if you decide to go for H family: http://www.aakatz.com/h1whitepaper/

    In the end, I'm really satisfied with the camera. Have a look at my fresh new smugmug website for samples (http://digitalities.smugmug.com)


    Cheers, Sergio
    http://digitalities.smugmug.com
  • Shay StephensShay Stephens Registered Users Posts: 3,165 Major grins
    edited October 2, 2006
    When it comes to cameras, you already know what you want. You should go with that and not look back.

    Myself, I am looking at the Fuji F30. My dad picked one up and I finally got a chance to check it out first hand. I still love it. Now, they are coming out with the F31. By the time I actually get one, who knows where they will be hehehe.
    Creator of Dgrin's "Last Photographer Standing" contest
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  • mr peasmr peas Registered Users Posts: 1,369 Major grins
    edited October 3, 2006
    There's plenty of prosumer p&s fixed lens digital cameras out there that have similar controls compared to DSLRs that I'm sure you will love. Take a look at the Powershot series and also the F-series by Sony. I happen to *cough Sony plug* have a Sony F828. My dad and I paid almost a thousand for it back when it first came out but now its hitting at least half that price on Ebay. I've used it for fun and professionally for years, this is the only year I'm about to switch to 'up my hustle' ;)

    Another great camera is the older Sony F717/707.     Those three cameras give you 28mm-200mm F2.0-2.2 coverage, which you can only match on a DSLR if you have plenty of cash to spare! The only problems I have with small sensor cameras such as these is that digital noise (grain) is much more apparent compared to cameras with larger sensors. At ISO400 and ISO800 on my Sony is like staring into a frame full of    green-blue-yellow sand. Not fun. However, if you use it mainly during daytime and use flash at night, it works perfect. The cool thing about getting a Canon though (at least with the newer models, not sure about the older ones), is that you can plug in an EX-series flash and it will communicate with the camera perfectly. On my Sony however, I plug in my Speedlight and the only option I have is to use it in manual, I learned a lot from doing that.

    COLORS R FUN! rolleyes1.gif

    I hope you find the camera you want! Or, just go out and buy an Rebel XT. They're very affordable now!
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