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Anonymous
So, the 5D system, at 10 times the weight and 20 times the cost, really did perform much better under difficult conditions even viewed at these very tiny sizes. The extra focal length range on the wide end was a huge help in many situations, the focusing performance is far faster and more reliable, the DOF control is dramatically better, the flash is more than 100 times more powerful, dynamic range is massively better, the camera operates faster, and of course it does way better in low-light.
This is not to say the compacts can't get the job done. They can. But they are far closer to the performance of the larger cameras in easier conditions - those with good light and less need for DOF control and huge dynamic range especially.
My strategy for our next real vacation is to actually take both - I'll carry the 5D kit mentioned above, and my wife will carry the S3IS, which will give her a camera to use and give us a pretty solid movie mode, which the SLR lacks. Plus, in good light, it's a pretty solid performer - one of Canon's best compacts ever, IMHO.
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