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Canon Powershot S3 IS opinions? Anonymous
Since there are a bunch of knowledgeable people here in /p/, I figured I'd ask. What do people think of the Powershot S3 IS?
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_s3is.asp
My current camera is a PowerShot A70, and I want to upgrade, but at the same time, I'm lazy and have never really bothered to learn THAT much about how to take better pictures, so I feel that a DSLR would be wasted on me, hence my looking at something different.

Pic is something I took recently on my A70.
EXIF data available. Clickhereto show/hide.
Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeCanonCamera ModelCanon PowerShot A70PhotographerTim LindenschmidtMaximum Lens Aperturef/3.5Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution180 dpiVertical Resolution180 dpiImage Created2007:03:14 12:46:40Exposure Time1/60 secF-Numberf/3.5Lens Aperturef/3.5Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModePatternFlashFlash, Auto, Red-Eye ReduceFocal Length9.41 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width2048Image Height1536RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypePortrait
>> heavyweather !4AIf7oXcbA
Kill it with fire.
>> Anonymous
it's a good learner camera. high quality images, high zoom, image stabilizer, high manual control. get it and once you feel like it's limiting you too much get an SLR.
>> ac
/p/ is filled with Canon S3IS fanboys.
>> Anonymous
>>41036

Oh please do share your unfathomable wisdom upon us, great sage, and provide us a much better alternative which has the same zoom range, IS, image quality and price as the S3IS?

:)
>> ac
>>41039
What? Oh, I have no better suggestion. The S3IS is actually exactly the camera I'd recommend for someone who
1. Is used to Canon's cameras' software interfaces
2. Wants something more than a P&S
3. Doesn't want an SLR

Sorry, when I said "/p/ is filled with S3IS fanboys" what I meant was "A lot of people here are very fond of the S3IS."
>> OP
>>41049
2 and 3 are me. 1 is too, i suppose, not that i use any of the software that was bundled with my camera, but i'm used to a canon interface.

Fanboy isn't always negative :3

AFter reading the dpreview review thoroughly, the only thing that really concerns me is the chromatic aberration. For people who have this camera, how big of a problem is this for you?
>> Anonymous
>>41052
i got an s3 IS recently. i use the telephoto end of the zoom more often than not and i don't notice dick-crap worth of difference.

i was worried about chromatic aberration too, from probably reading the same review as you, but here's how i would put this: if you know enough about photography for the chromatic aberration 'problem' that the S3 IS has to be a significant bother, you're too good of a photographer to buy one. my telephoto shots have been very satisfying.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
>> Anonymous
>>41057
fair enough. i mean, they showed examples, and it was like O GOD THE BLUR AND THE PURPLE, AAAAAAAH.

But maybe it's not so bad.
>> Anonymous
>>41057
I haven't heard about this problem, but owning one, I've observed heavy purple noise shooting dark photographs at ISO 800, especially under flourescent lights. Is this the problem in question?
>> Anonymous
>>41119
well, it's like, a purple fringe around high contrasty pics, brightly lit objects, etc.

As far as ISO800, everyone agrees that the S3 IS sucks ass at ISO 800.
>> Anonymous
>>41120
I've found if it is not underexposed (which sucks, because I usually underexpose pictures at least a little) and if it isn't under flourescent light, the noise is manageable at 800. Manageable being the operative word.

But yeah, the purple fringing is it.
>> Anonymous
i have no experience with any other cameras since the s3is is my first camera. iso 800 lots of noise. chroma distortion gets a little annoying also. no raw.