Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

I am kind of torn between what camera to get next. I have an
Olympus C5050 and it has been a fantastic camera. But 3x optical
zoom is a bit sparse. At the same time, I'm craving some higher
megapixel counts for 8x10's and maybe 11x14 or possibly even
11x17. But 8x10's will be the most common by far.

The Canon S3 IS sounds almost exactly what I would want in a
simple, all-in-one camera. But, it is only 6 megapixels.

I look at the Canon A630 and A640 and they are also close, except
for the zoom. 4x is better than 3x as far as optical zoom, but
not the image stabilized 10x or greater zoom I have been wanting.

But the fact that the A640 is out, and only around $350 online
and does 10 megapixel, it is pretty tempting. Still uses AA
batteries, which I dig.

If I could combine the A640 and the S3 IS into one camera, I'd be
happy. But as it is, I'm not sure what to do.

If the S3 IS is going to also get a boost in megapixels, I'd go
for that first. But if not, the A640 looks good.

I have been wondering if there is any info out there about an
update to the S3 IS in the near future that would push it to at
least 8 megapixels. Does anyone have any info on what may be
ahead?

Thanks

Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

Paul D. Sullivan wrote:
I am kind of torn between what camera to get next. I have an
Olympus C5050 and it has been a fantastic camera. But 3x optical
zoom is a bit sparse. At the same time, I'm craving some higher
megapixel counts for 8x10's and maybe 11x14 or possibly even
11x17. But 8x10's will be the most common by far.

How do you make, and what do you do with, these
large prints?

If you're a pro photographer, selling images,
I'd have thought you would be aiming higher
than a "compact" digi-cam.

BugBear

Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

On Thu, 04 Jan 2007 13:47:45 GMT, Paul D. Sullivan wrote:
I am kind of torn between what camera to get next. I have an
Olympus C5050 and it has been a fantastic camera. But 3x optical
zoom is a bit sparse. At the same time, I'm craving some higher
megapixel counts for 8x10's and maybe 11x14 or possibly even
11x17. But 8x10's will be the most common by far.

The Canon S3 IS sounds almost exactly what I would want in a
simple, all-in-one camera. But, it is only 6 megapixels.

I've made passable 11x14s, and fairly decent 8x10s, from my 5MP FZ5
(equivalent to a Canon S2IS). They're not going to win any awards, and
probably wouldn't look good from 5 inches away, but are fine for hanging
on the wall.

I'd go with the S3IS or one of it's competitors. If you really crave the
extra megapixels, Panasonic and Fuji both make 10ish megapixel
superzooms (the FZ50 and S9500 respectively). They're pricier than the
S3IS and equivalents, though (and physically larger).

-dms

Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

Paul D. Sullivan wrote:
I am kind of torn between what camera to get next. I have an
Olympus C5050 and it has been a fantastic camera. But 3x optical
zoom is a bit sparse. At the same time, I'm craving some higher
megapixel counts for 8x10's and maybe 11x14 or possibly even
11x17. But 8x10's will be the most common by far.

The Canon S3 IS sounds almost exactly what I would want in a
simple, all-in-one camera. But, it is only 6 megapixels.

I look at the Canon A630 and A640 and they are also close, except
for the zoom. 4x is better than 3x as far as optical zoom, but
not the image stabilized 10x or greater zoom I have been wanting.

But the fact that the A640 is out, and only around $350 online
and does 10 megapixel, it is pretty tempting. Still uses AA
batteries, which I dig.

If I could combine the A640 and the S3 IS into one camera, I'd be
happy. But as it is, I'm not sure what to do.

If the S3 IS is going to also get a boost in megapixels, I'd go
for that first. But if not, the A640 looks good.

I have been wondering if there is any info out there about an
update to the S3 IS in the near future that would push it to at
least 8 megapixels. Does anyone have any info on what may be
ahead?

Thanks


After giving it plenty of thought I bought a Canon A710is. Nice
zoom range, 7MP (which I'll never need) stabilized, plenty of things to
play around with, good price. I even got the guy to throw in one of
those magnetic WA lenses with a good macro for $15 more. It might not
be the thing for you, but its great for me, have you checked out the
Sony DMC-H5 it has more MP than the Canon S3is?


Eric


Eric

Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

On Thu, 04 Jan 2007 13:47:45 +0000, Paul D. Sullivan wrote:

I am kind of torn between what camera to get next. I have an
Olympus C5050 and it has been a fantastic camera. But 3x optical
zoom is a bit sparse. At the same time, I'm craving some higher
megapixel counts for 8x10's and maybe 11x14 or possibly even
11x17. But 8x10's will be the most common by far.

You might be surprised. I have had occasion to print 1mp (1152x864) images
at 8x10 and you can't tell it from a real photograph - IMHO 100dpi really
is adequate.


The Canon S3 IS sounds almost exactly what I would want in a
simple, all-in-one camera. But, it is only 6 megapixels.

I look at the Canon A630 and A640 and they are also close, except
for the zoom. 4x is better than 3x as far as optical zoom, but
not the image stabilized 10x or greater zoom I have been wanting.

But the fact that the A640 is out, and only around $350 online
and does 10 megapixel, it is pretty tempting. Still uses AA
batteries, which I dig.

If I could combine the A640 and the S3 IS into one camera, I'd be
happy. But as it is, I'm not sure what to do.

If the S3 IS is going to also get a boost in megapixels, I'd go
for that first. But if not, the A640 looks good.

I have been wondering if there is any info out there about an
update to the S3 IS in the near future that would push it to at
least 8 megapixels. Does anyone have any info on what may be
ahead?

Thanks

I can appreciate your comments. I spent a couple of years looking for an
EVF camera. I have looked at the S*IS cameras among others. One finding I
made that has impacted my choice has been the resolution of the electronic
view finder. They are NOT all the same. Most EVFs have a resolution of
about 110k pixels. Trying to work with one would drive me crazy - the view
is so blocky and pixellated, I can't stand it. Minolta had one model with
what they billed as a 1mp EVF - I've been given to understand it was
really counting R G and B pixels, so it was really only around 300k - but
it certainly was MUCH better. I recently settled on a Kodak P series EVF
with 237k pixel EVF (the LCD is about 110k). I suggest you at least look
through one at a local retailer to see the difference.

Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

I too was torn a few months back between the Sony H5 and the Canon S3.
The higher megapixel count, the Zeiss lens and the larger LCD screen on
the Sony were very tempting, but the Canon got the nod for me and I'm
glad I bought it. I find the S3 to be a terrific all round performer,
it's light, compact and easy to pack & carry, the controls are easy to
use, the menus logical, the image quality is fine and can produce an
excellent 5 X 7 or an acceptable 8X10 print (you can print well beyond
this size but the print quality degrades rapidly), battery life is
amazing, the tilting LCD screen is suprizingly useful, there are tons
of image refinement settings and the camera boasts full manual control.
There are some things about this camera that make it far from
perfect... but that statement applies to every camera on the market.

I had an opportunity to actually use the Sony H5 at a family gathering
recently and I was left flat by the lack of tweeking one could do to
image quality / adjustment. The overall feel and functionality of the
H5 seemed off to me (subjective comment I realize) and the camera I was
using had already been sent back for a shutter repair (which took 6
weeks) inspite of the fact that it was purchased only days after I
bought mine. I'm sure the Sony is just fine on Auto mode for casual
use and family snapshots, but I have that in my Canon and much, much
more. In reality there is only a miniscule difference between a 7.2
and a 6 MP image so there are many other factors to look at before
making a purchase.

The price of the S3 has fallen considerably since I bought it which
indicates this model will be phased out in the near future... what
Canon replace it with is anyones guess. For now the S3 is a great
little camera at an excellent price.

Best of luck with your decision.

Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

Paul D. Sullivan wrote:
I am kind of torn between what camera to get next. I have an
Olympus C5050 and it has been a fantastic camera. But 3x optical
zoom is a bit sparse. At the same time, I'm craving some higher
megapixel counts for 8x10's and maybe 11x14 or possibly even
11x17. But 8x10's will be the most common by far.

The Canon S3 IS sounds almost exactly what I would want in a
simple, all-in-one camera. But, it is only 6 megapixels.

I look at the Canon A630 and A640 and they are also close, except
for the zoom. 4x is better than 3x as far as optical zoom, but
not the image stabilized 10x or greater zoom I have been wanting.

But the fact that the A640 is out, and only around $350 online
and does 10 megapixel, it is pretty tempting. Still uses AA
batteries, which I dig.

If I could combine the A640 and the S3 IS into one camera, I'd be
happy. But as it is, I'm not sure what to do.

If the S3 IS is going to also get a boost in megapixels, I'd go
for that first. But if not, the A640 looks good.

I have been wondering if there is any info out there about an
update to the S3 IS in the near future that would push it to at
least 8 megapixels. Does anyone have any info on what may be
ahead?

Thanks


You're getting hung up on mp. I've gotten perfectly good 8x10 from a 2mp
canon A40. You don't mention the A710s, that looks like a nice camera,
would like to see the swivel lcd on it but it is 6x zoom.
The A630/640 have larger sensors. It's tough to make a decision, that's
what happens when we're offered so many choices. Life under Henry Ford
was a lot simpler, choose any color for your car as long as it's black.
I personally prefer an optical viewfinder but wouldn't let that be a
deciding factor.
Dave Cohen

Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

On Thu, 04 Jan 2007 20:23:44 +0000, Bert Hyman wrote:

(ray) wrote in
:

One finding I made that has impacted my choice has been the
resolution of the electronic view finder. They are NOT all the
same. Most EVFs have a resolution of about 110k pixels.

I've pretty much settled on the S3 (or maybe something very much like
it) due to its eye-level LCD viewfinder. I simply can't use the large
LCD on the back of cameras to compose pictures (and they're
unreadable in daylight anyway), and find that the pure optical
viewfinders don't give an accurate representation of the final image.

On the other hand, I don't need a new camera 'til May, so I have the
luxury of waiting a while to see if something better comes along.

In the meantime, I'd suggest you look through one and then look through a
Kodak P series at a local retailer.

Canon - A630, A640, S3 IS and the near future
 

You're getting hung up on mp. I've gotten perfectly good 8x10
from a 2mp canon A40. You don't mention the A710s, that looks
like a nice camera, would like to see the swivel lcd on it but
it is 6x zoom.

In this case, I certainly am. I have a very good 5mp camera, but
get 240 dpi of data or so when I print out 8x10. Works great for
many photos, but I would prefer to have a camera that gives me at
least a full 300 dpi of resolveable detail for some key macro
shots and such.

I understand some people are happy with 8x10's even with cameras
that are 4 megapixels or less, but I'm simply not one of them, at
least not in all situations. I'd say my 5mp is good for about
80% of what I do, but I do want another camera that can give me
the finer detail I crave. If the S3 IS had 8mp or 10mp, I'd be
all over it.

I was not even aware of the A710, and am glad you pointed it out
to me. Thanks for that - I'll give it a look. It may be only
7.1mp, but it seems a good bargain for what you get.

Thanks