Canon PowerShot Pro Series S3 IS 6MP with 12x Image Stabilized Zoom

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.5 x 3.1 x 3 inches ; 14.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000EMWBV0
• Item model number: 1101B001
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (550 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,224 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 21, 2006

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The sleek PowerShot S3 IS digital camera offers you high resolution, an extra-long zoom, advanced yet easy-to-use movie functions plus great new shooting options. Also, with Image Stabilizer technology, images and movies taken with the S3 IS are sharp and smooth, even when the camera gets jostled. It's everything you need to capture the fun, excitement and beauty of your active life - wherever it takes you!

Successor to the popular PowerShot S2 IS, the latest addition to the PowerShot S-series incorporates a 6.0-megapixel CCD sensor, Canon's renowned optical Image Stabilizer technology, and video functionality rivalling that of dedicated digital video camcorders. Sporting a striking new finish in gunmetal grey, the compact PowerShot S3 IS answers the demands of advanced photographers with several improvements over its predecessor, including an increased sensitivity range of ISO 80 to ISO 800, a larger 2.0-inch vari-angle LCD screen, widescreen (16:9) recording, new movie features, and an additional Sports mode.

Canon PowerShot S3 IS features:

12x optical zoom lens with USM and UD lens element

Optical Image Stabilizer

6.0-megapixel CCD

Larger size 2.0-inch vari-angle LCD

30-frame-per-second (fps) VGA movies with stereo sound and Photo in Movie feature

DIGIC II, iSAPS, and Flexizone AF/AE for fast, precise results and 2.3 fps continuous shooting performance

20 shooting modes and My Colors photo effects

High ISO Auto and ISO 800 for low light flexibility

Widescreen (16:9) recording

The PowerShot S3 IS caters for serious photo enthusiasts seeking extended zooming flexibility and fully featured movie recording in a versatile compact digital stills camera.

Optics
Still the most powerful zoom in a Canon digital compact camera (36 to 432mm, f2.7-f.3.5), the PowerShot S3 IS's lens incorporates the same leading technologies used in Canon's professional EF lenses. An Ultra-Sonic Motor (USM) drives rapid and near-silent zoom operation; an Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens element significantly reduces chromatic aberration in telephoto shots; Canon's optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology counteracts camera shake to reduce image blur when shooting stills or recording video, essential for handheld shots at longer focal lengths. IS allows photographers to shoot at shutter speeds up to 3 stops slower for reliable flash-free photography in low light conditions.

The PowerShot S3 IS's 12x optical zoom combines with digital zoom to deliver 48x magnification for recording both stills and video. For even wider framing options, optional wide and telephoto converter lenses extend the focal length from wide 27mm to super-tele 648mm (35mm film equivalent) for an impressive 24x optical zoom. A Super Macro mode and optional Close-Up lens 500D (58mm) allow for detailed macro photography. (Optional wide, telephoto, and close-up lenses not included--must be purchased separately.)

Increased ISO speed
In addition to Image Stabilization, the PowerShot S3 IS features a new High ISO Auto setting and ISO 800 to further extend the camera's low light shooting capabilities. High ISO Auto automatically sets exposure using the higher range of ISO sensitivities, enabling faster shutter speeds in low light and increased image stability at the telephoto end. A dedicated ISO button allows for easy switching between ISO sensitivities.

Movie functions
Powerful video functions make the PowerShot S3 IS far more than just a high-performance digital still camera. A dedicated movie button means users do not need to switch modes to start recording, so spontaneous moments can be instantly captured in full motion. Users can record smooth 30-frame-per-second VGA quality movies of up to 1 GB with stereo sound, or create 60-frame-per-second QVGA clips for sharp slow-motion playback. The Movie mode also allows users to pre-select exposure and white balance, zoom throughout the camera's focal range, and manually adjust focus while shooting. A Photo In Movie feature enables the capture of full resolution digital stills during video recording.

Creative shooting
The PowerShot S3 IS offers 20 shooting modes including full Manual mode, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Speed Priority. Together with 2.3-frame-per-second continuous shooting, a new fast-shutter Sports mode with improved autofocus accuracy provides unprecedented capabilities for capturing action sports sequences. Special Scene modes--such as Night Snapshot and Snow--assist with tricky lighting conditions, while Color Accent and Color Swap modes enable dramatic color effects to be applied to both images and movies. Canon's My Colors photo effects have been enhanced for this model, and can now be applied to images both before and after shooting.

The PowerShot S3 IS features a new Widescreen mode (2816 x 1584 recording pixels) for capturing still images in 16:9 format--perfect for viewing images on widescreen television or printing wide (10 x 20-centimeter) photos with a Selphy Compact Photo Printer.

Printing and other features
A new, dedicated Print menu simplifies printing of multiple images. Full PictBridge support means users can print directly to any PictBridge compatible printer without the need for a PC. New PictBridge features include the ability to print shooting data and optimize faces in portrait shots when connected to a compatible Canon PIXMA printer. The camera's ID photo and movie stills features are also available when connected to a Selphy CP Series Printer. A handy Print/Share button allows one-touch printing and easy uploads to Windows or Mac systems. (Printer not included--must be purchased separately.)

The camera's menu system now features support for Arabic, bringing the total number of supported languages to 23.

Canon technologies explained

Optical Image Stabilizer
Canon's lens-shift-type optical Image Stabilizer counteracts the camera shake caused by slight hand movements. Vibration sensors detect the angle and speed of movement and send this information to a processor, allowing the camera to compensate. This adds stability to hand-held, telephoto, or moving shots and enables shooting at shutter speeds of up to three stops slower with no noticeable increase in image blur.

DIGIC II
Canon's purpose-built DIGIC II (DIGital Imaging Core) image processor links all primary camera functions for maximum efficiency. High-speed processing results in outstanding responsiveness, rapid autofocus, and extended continuous shooting ability. Advanced image processing algorithms deliver superb image detail and color reproduction with accurate white balance and minimal noise. DIGIC II operates efficiently to extend battery life, for longer shooting on a single charge.

iSAPS
iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) automatically optimizes key camera settings before every shot. Each scene is analyzed and cross-referenced against Photographic Space--a vast in-camera library of photographic data. This enables the camera to make optimal adjustments to autoexposure, autofocus, and auto white balance before image capture occurs.

9-Point AiAF
Canon's 9-point AiAF (Artificial Intelligence Autofocus) automatically scans and selects subjects from a set of nine focusing areas across the scene. This ensures accurately focused images even when subjects are not in the centre of the frame.

FlexiZone AF/AE
FlexiZone AF/AE lets users manually select the focus point from almost any point in the frame by moving the autofocus window in the viewfinder. Exposure is linked to the focus point to ensure that the chosen subject is accurately focused and exposed.

Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens technology
No matter how well engineered, conventional optical glass lens elements cause chromatic aberrations which can 'soften' images and appear in photographs as fringing around the outside edge of subjects. Canon's Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) glass has special optical properties to successfully reduce these aberrations. Especially effective in super telephoto lenses, UD glass helps to deliver crisp, sharp, high-contrast images.

What's in the Box
PowerShot S3 IS body, AA-size alkaline battery (x 4), SD memory card SDC-16MB, lens cap, neck strap NS-DC4, Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, USB interface cable IFC-400PCU, stereo video cable STV-250N

Product Description

The sleek PowerShot S3 IS digital camera offers you high resolution, an extra-long 12x zoom, advanced yet easy-to-use movie functions plus great new shooting options. The exclusive "MovieSnap" feature allows you to take a full 6 Megapixel still image at any time while you are recording a movie. Also, with Image Stabilizer technology, images and movies taken with the S3 IS are sharp and smooth, even when the camera gets jostled. It's everything you need to capture the fun, excitement and beauty of your active life - wherever it takes you!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

487 of 492 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awsome camera with excellent picture quality, zoom, and battery life., May 13, 2006

By	Anthony Pantliano "The Photo Guy" (Pearl River, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I thought I wanted a micro-sized camera and bought 2 different brands of compact cameras just to return them because of sub-par picture quality. After that experience, I decided to give the new Powershot S3 IS a chance. Sure it might not be small enough to fit in a pocket, but what a camera! The pictures are great with sharp images from corner to corner, a 12x zoom lens, and an extremely effective Optical Image Stabilizer. The benefits of the the Optical Stabilizer cannot be understated on a camera with such a long zoom range. When you zoom into maximum telephoto every slight movement of your hands results in a huge movement at the lens. With the stabilizer though it eliminates that problem. The pictures have low noise levels from 80-400 ISO, I have not tried the ISO 800 yet, though it should be nice to have in a pinch. The tilt and swivel LCD is awesome, you'll wonder how you got along without it before. Battery life is excellent and I cannot underemphasize the benefit of the camera running on standard AA batteries. If ever you find yourself in the middle of a day of shooting and the batteries die simply pop into a local convenience store and pick up some more. I would suggest you purchase a good set of rechargeable NiMH batteries though. The movie mode is great with the ability to zoom, a dedicated record/stop button, and stereo sound! Plus, finally a Canon digital PowerShot with a live histogram! You will not be disappointed in this camera.

260 of 267 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent digital camera with image stabilization that shoots VGA movies in stereo!, May 16, 2006

By	Mark P. Deroller "marky mark" (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is my 3rd digital camera and my first Canon. I moved up from an Olympus Ultra Zoom 2100. The 2100 has 2.1MP 10x optical zoom with image stablization, and lo-res movie mode. The reason I was attracted to the S3 IS was because it offers 6MP with 12x optical zoom and image stabilization, and VGA quality movie mode in stereo. Since purchasing the S3 IS I have not been disappointed.

I also bought a Transcend 4GB SD memory card which can hold about 32 minutes of video, or over 2300 photos in the highest quality. No problems addressing the 4GB memory, or doing a low-level format of the card in the camera.

Shooting both photos and movies is easy. The S3 IS has a separate button that you press with your thumb to start shooting a movie. While you are shooting, you still take snapshots with the shutter button. There are 2 stereo mics built into the front of the camera, along with a software selectable wind filter. While shooting, you can use the zoom feature with no added noise to the movie; it's very quiet. Image stabilization is still active when shooting a movie.

I think the S3 IS is good enough as both a digital camera and video camera that I no longer need to haul around 2 cameras (digital and video) to every event.

315 of 330 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Camera aims to make better photographers, June 24, 2006

By	K. Williams (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

SO MANY FEATURES. SO LITTLE TIME.

Is it possible for a camera to make an amateur photographer better? Apparently this is Canon's goal with the S3. It provides easy access to controls that compensate for common difficult shooting scenarios. Most point-and-shoot (P+S) cameras have few buttons - relying instead on hidden menu driven options. While this may make the camera appear less intimidating initially, locating the correct setting while attempting to frame and photograph action or bad lighting subjects is frustrating. As a result, many features go unused.

By way of comparison, the S3 has at least ten more buttons than my discontinued P+S MINOLTA Dimage G500 (5MP 3x optical zoom). And many of the buttons on the CANON are multifunction depending on whether you are shooting in one of several modes, playing back stills, or movies - providing dozens of useful options.

The CANON S3 has a button for instant access to movie recording (with on-screen options for 320x240 15/30/60 fps or 640x480 15/30 fps) up to 1GB or one hour per clip. Stereo sound and zoom functions accompany movies. There are dedicated buttons for ISO, sound recording, flash, continuous shooting, macro, manual focus, display, and a customized shortcut. The mode dial on top of the camera includes settings for many typical situations such as portrait, landscape, sports, nighttime, and panoramic. There is also an AUTO[MATIC] mode. But if all your shots remain in this setting, you might as well use a P+S model.

The key benefit of the many buttons and dials on the S3 is quick access to a wide variety of useful features without taking your eye off the subject. The FUNC[TION] button can present a tremendous amount of pertinent information while the focused image is visible. Everything from remaining number of pictures and image quality to white balance and ISO feedback neatly border the subject. The DISP[LAY] button activates grids and histogram, switches between LCD and viewfinder, or reduces the amount of on-screen information. Either screen is equally informative and useful for making adjustments. The MENU button differs in that it brings up infrequently used options that temporarily replace the focused subject.

Elaborating a bit further on the impressive display of the CANON S3, it does a good job of simulating selected options. Punch up greens, blues, reds, all colors, neutralize, lighten or darken skin tones, photograph b+w or sepia and see the results before snapping the picture. It is possible to obtain untainted color even with mixed indoor lighting. In addition to AWB (automatic white balance) there are seven other settings accessed from the FUNC[TION] button. The last is custom metering. Just point at a white object in the room and press the SET button. No more green or orange casts on indoor photos!

Another common lighting problem occurs when a subject stands in front of a bright background or if frontal light from the sun washes out the highlights on faces. After a quick tap of the FUNC[TION] button, the first option in the upper left corner is exposure compensation. Use the omni selector left arrow to darken the foreground or right arrow to lighten it. If indoors or a relatively short distance away, you might also enable the flash. (For those with traditional photography background, there are also options for aperture priority or shutter speed priority on the mode dial.)

Despite efforts to write a short review, there is still much more to talk about. Image stabilization (IS) and the 12X optical zoom are significant features that work well together. In fact, now I understand why smaller digital cameras without IS typically only include 3 or 4x. The slightest hand movement is greatly exaggerated at high magnification. IS compensates for this movement. The S3 provides four options for IS: 1) continuous (constantly stabilizes preview which uses more power); 2) shoot only (stabilizes image when shutter button is pressed); 3) panning (stabilizes vertical movement only for tracking horizontally moving cars, race horses, bikers or runners); 4) off (stabilization is not necessary for tripod).

The 12X optical zoom can optionally be supplemented by 4X digital, making it possible to achieve as much as 48X zoom. A ring around the shutter button rotates clockwise to enlarge and vise versa. This brings up a slider in the viewfinder. If digital is activated, the white slider goes to a point and stops at 12X. Press it again and the slider is appended with blue as the digital zoom is progressively applied. I uploaded a picture of a bird in a a 16 foot palm tree with 21x zoom.

Panorama assist is yet another outstanding feature. As each photo is clicked, a portion slides over in preview, making it easier to align the next. Software is included to stitch the pieces together or you can use Photoshop's Photomerge under the Automate menu.

Image bracketing is also nice for difficult-focus situations; with one press of the button, three slightly different focuses are shot within a couple of seconds - a light, medium, and dark. This is not to be confused with continuous shooting (sometimes called burst mode), which shoots multiple images with consistent exposure as long as the button shutter button is pressed. This is extremely useful when photographing groups of people since it is often difficult to get everyone's eyes open and smiling at the same time. It is also great for photographing small animals with rapid movements like birds.


WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?

There are a few annoyances that could be solved by spending more. After all, Cannon makes cameras from under $200 to several thousand. Despite big features, the S3 is, relatively speaking, on the low end of the scale. So any apparent design omissions must be kept in context.

LENSE CAP FIT: The most minor annoyance is the loosely fitted lens cap that frequently disconnects. Make certain the lanyard string is attached to the neck strap so it won't be lost. The obvious concern is smudging or scratching of the lens. While carrying, frequently check to make certain is on.

ACCESSORIES: Canon cut accessories to the bear minumum. There is no case (strap is included), no power cord, no lens hood, and only Alkaline batteries. Purchasing all the necessary options can break your budget by $150-$250 USD. Fortunatelly, some items are common enough that you may not need to purchase everything. I already had a couple of 256MB SD cards for my prior camera. You'll need to factor in the cost of a fast charger with four 2500+ mHa AA batteries (currently around $35). There is also a need for a high-capacity SD card. The included 16MB card will only store four of the highest quality images. About 90 stills can fit on a 256MB card at the highest quality setting. If you require more images per session or will be recording movies, consider a high-speed 4GB card (currently around $100). The S3 is optimized for high-speed cards.

LCD BRIGHTNESS: More of an annoyance is the limited pivoting 2" LCD screen brightness. Take comfort in the fact that some expensive DSLR cameras have only a viewfinder. Fortunately, when the LCD is not visible, the viewfinder on the S3 can be used. The diopter adjustment is handy since I may be wearing single-vision prescription shades, trifocals, or no glasses at all. The two independent brightness settings for LCD or viewfinder are a noble consideration. The LCD just doesn't get bright enough. In time, it is easy to get used to the viewfinder.

IMAGE FORMATS: A camera with so many features naturally appeals to the prosumer not ready to make the leap to a full-fledged DSLR. Though this would result in better high-ISO nighttime shots and better daylight images, the cost with multiple lenses could easy triple the price of the S3 and you'll lose some consumer-oriented features. Nevertheless, a non-compressed image mode would be useful - especially with the availability of high-speed 4GB SD cards.

Test shots of straight-up blue sky in large "fine" and "super fine" modes both exhibited pixelization when examining up close. In fact, super fine is slightly more pixelated in large areas of SOLID (perhaps due to sharpening?). This may be considered simulated film grain. There is more color averaging with fine mode producing a smaller, visually smoother images. The "large" image setting is 6 megapixels so the anomalies I reference when zooming in 400 percent in Photoshop are not visible on typical prints. When the composition includes many different color changes and fine DETAIL (landscapes, architecture), the super fine mode is much better. Otherwise the detail becomes muddy.

I developed a Photoshop action called Smooth Pixels. Though not always necessary, it provides moderate smoothing on 6MP images to reduce pixelization in large areas of flat color. It can also be used to minimize artifacts occurring as a result of saving a JPEG image with too much compression. If you have Photoshop experience these settings may be familiar to you. Opacities can be increased as much to as much as 60% with minimal loss of detail. (A screenshot of the Action palette has been uploaded.)

1 Make snapshot
2 Duplicate current layer
3 Smart Blur (Radius: 1, Threshold: 12, Quality: High, Mode: Normal)
4 Set current layer (Opacity: 40%)
5 Duplicate Background
6 Gaussian Blur (Radius: 0.5 Pixels)
7 Set current layer (Opacity: 40%)
8 Flatten image

RAW, LZW TIFF (compression usually requiring a PostScript level 3 printer for decompression) or standard TIFF options would be appreciated by those concerned about consistent pixels within continuous color with no artifacts surrounding high contrast colors. It should be noted that each time a JPEG is... Read more ›