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 grey plastic than they did against the previous model's silver colouring. 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 two 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 colour 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 stabilisation 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.
Note: Products in this test are for comparative purposes only and are not necessarily available in the Australian market.
(Seconds; shorter bars indicate better performance)
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Shutter lag (typical) | |
Time to first shot | |
Typical shot-to-shot time |
(Frames per second; longer bars indicate better performance)
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Typical continuous-shooting speed |
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digital camera reviews and news
12/05/2008, 08:34 PM
rating
8/10
This first camera I see in my life that has powerful feature to record video in extra ordinary form at very cheap price.I like its stylish design very much.
Pros: Very good looking camera with great features.
Simple controls and easy to use.
Zoom feature is extraordinary.
Cons: Small LCD only.
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sophieb
11/11/2007, 05:38 PM
rating
9/10
excellent little camera - don't hesitate to buy this gem!
i've had mine for 10 months, and although i've outgrown it now and am in the market for a dSLR, it served me brilliantly. i wouldn't hesitate to recommend this little beauty to anyone, and i'll be keeping mine for a long time to come. love it.
Pros: lovely telephoto, supermacro mode is excellent as well. flip out LCD is very handy.
Cons: some shots overexposed in bright daylight, a lot of noise in high ISO. LCD slightly too small, but still does the job.
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Sajjad Imam Abidi
24/08/2007, 07:46 AM
rating
8/10
I have been using it for almost a 10 months now...i takes awesome pictures in the day...but photogharhy at night time with manual mode is a bit difficult...the picture does not have the same attributes as the original scene....furthermore theres two much noise at high ISO speeds....Otherwise i found it good for day photography in house and outdoor both...u good buy
Pros: Great functions....almost all a beginner can demand...even a professional would appreciate the functions....
Cons: LCD is too small.....useless in outdoors in daytime....too much noise at high ISO speeds...
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Mary
30/06/2007, 07:43 AM
rating
8/10
A great little camera. If you have had any of the Canon line, operating this little gem is prety easy. Basics are basics. Be patient and read the guide, then practice. This camera is th "little engine that can."
Pros: Zoom is wonderful. Very low noise at ISO 400 and under. Easy to swich modes while shooting the same subject. This is a very nice feature.
Cons: Not really a con, but when you also shoot w/ an DSLR Canon xTi, the tiny screen is difficult to use in the bright sun if you want to use the excellent zoom. D point and shoot is not DSLR, but this little guy does not pretend to be a DSLR, just simply a great digital camera.
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Mogobob
31/05/2007, 07:02 PM
rating
10/10
Awesome, Simply awesome
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William Brooker
16/05/2007, 10:31 PM
rating
8/10
I have been using the S3 IS for some months now mainly for bird photography . I added the tele-converter tc-dc58b which gives another 1.5x equivilent to over 600m which gives great results. Of course the screen is next to useless in bright sunlight but viewfinder is nearly always usable, focusing on cluttuered backgrounds can be difficult , so called manual focus via man focus mode is not very easy to use, is it possible to have some kind of manual focus similar to SLR.
I leave the conversion lens adaptor on the camera and use a standard canon 58mm spring lens cap (much better than the original supplied cap, which is not a design masterpiece)
Overall I think it is a great little camera for wildlife photography, convienent and a very respectable telephoto plus good movie capability.
Pros: Versartile , convenient to carry around,
great telephoto ability, nice to handle.
Cons: Small lcd monitor, hopeless original lens cap.
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Angela
20/04/2007, 01:21 PM
rating
8/10
After reading reviews for over six weeks of various cameras I decided to purchase the Canon S3 IS and am so glad that I did. I mainly purchased it for the use of video (as I already own 2 Nikon SLRs) and I also wanted a camera where the noise would not be obvious when using up to 800 ISO. I had read reviews where the photos of Panasonic Lumix and Sony Cybershot cameras were unusable at 800 ISO so decided to go with the Canon. Fantastic shots even on overcast days the colour is magnificent. The video quality is amazing and I love that there is a wind filter on the camera. Finally, none of my photos needed to be altered on the computer afterwards - they were perfect in camera.
Pros: Great colour in photos.
Telephoto shots are clear.
Instructions are easy to follow.
Nice weight to the camera.
Flip out screen comes in handy.
Cons: 2 inch screen is way too small.
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gigme
16/04/2007, 11:44 AM
rating
10/10
i got this camera for my birthday and love it. the 12x zoom is terriffic and the ictures that you can take with it are amasing.
Pros: the 12x zoom
Cons: none
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mookypooky
15/03/2007, 02:03 PM
rating
9/10
Excellent allround
Pros: easy to use, good quality, great zoom
Cons: low light level on viewfinder
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therealkaos
23/02/2007, 11:50 AM
rating
10/10
This is a great camera. I purchased it based on online reviews and Canon's reputation. I have not been dissapointed.
I have owned several digital cameras before but they were all like toys compard to this one.
The controls were a little strange to me at first but I overcame that with a few days practice in my spare time.
Zoom is incredible. The picture quality is even better than I expected. I had read that using high ISO settings led to a lot of noise but it prforms better than other cameras I have used in that area.
Movies apear to be at least equal to vhs quality when 320x240 30 frame is used.
The Camera has a very solid feel it. The controls are easy to use after a little practice. The movie button is a great i dea, one touch and your filming.
Image stabilization works great. This is the first camera I have owned that had that feature and it is amazing.
The only thing I would change if it were possible is the lens cap. It has a strange feel to it. It doesn't snap into place it just sort of pushes on. I would buy a different cap if one was available.
Pros: Picture quality
Batteries life
Super Zoom
Image stabilization
Solid construction
Amazing movie quality
Uses AA batteries
Cons: Lens cap
Controls take a little practice
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