Canon S3 report

I've had my Canon S3 IS for about 3 1/2 weeks. Not very impressive. About
200 shots, some for testing purposes in different modes. Since I walk the
smart side of dumb with digital settings, most pic's were on the auto
setting, which I know the S3 is not a camera to be simply left on auto.
What I hate is that on auto, it doesn't tell you what ISO it is, at least I
can't find it. Very few crisp clear shots, even on still objects, and my
kids posing. Pictures of a tree, with a tripod taken on manual at ISO 80 to
the "high setting" look identical and I can't see any noise, I probably have
25 out of 75 legitimate usable pictures. These are not all at full focal
length either, although the zoom is quit nice. fits my hand well, but it
may be too much camera for me. Doesn't seem nearly as good( image wise on
the auto setting) as my Olympus 5050. Shutter speed seems to lag and leads
to blurring on auto setting. Maybe the H5 or Lumix may have been a better
choice for a semi-novice like myself. Very confused.
Scott

SJ wrote:

I've had my Canon S3 IS for about 3 1/2 weeks. Not very impressive.
About 200 shots, some for testing purposes in different modes. Since I
walk the smart side of dumb with digital settings, most pic's were on
the auto setting, which I know the S3 is not a camera to be simply left
on auto. What I hate is that on auto, it doesn't tell you what ISO it
is, at least I can't find it.

**Check the manual. It should tell you what ISO is used in AUTO Mode.
It is probably ISO 80 and cannot be changed by the user.

Very few crisp clear shots, even on still
objects, and my kids posing. Pictures of a tree, with a tripod taken on
manual at ISO 80 to the "high setting" look identical and I can't see
any noise, I probably have 25 out of 75 legitimate usable pictures.
These are not all at full focal length either,

**What do you mean by, "These are not all at full focal length either"?

**Do you have Image Stabilization (IS) selected?
If you are shooting at 12X, even with IS on, you must take pains to hold
the camera as still as possible, especially in low light situations.

**A common problem with novices and their first digital camera is the
slight lag between when you press the shutter and when the image is
actually recorded. Try keeping still for 1 second after you trip the
shutter. see if this helps.

**Be a little more patient. Digital cameras all have their own little
idiosyncrasies and they need getting used to.
Bob Williams

although the zoom is quite
nice. fits my hand well, but it may be too much camera for me. Doesn't
seem nearly as good( image wise on the auto setting) as my Olympus
5050. Shutter speed seems to lag and leads to blurring on auto
setting. Maybe the H5 or Lumix may have been a better choice for a
semi-novice like myself. Very confused.
Scott

(Bob Williams) wrote:

**Check the manual. It should tell you what ISO is used in AUTO Mode.
It is probably ISO 80 and cannot be changed by the user.

I think in full AUTO mode the camera will use ISO to keep speeds and
aperture up. The easiest thing to do is flip it to "P" which gives you
auto everything except ISO.

Andrew McP

**What do you mean by, "These are not all at full focal length either"?
"Bob Williams" wrote in message
news:MeJUg.722$UJ2.422@fed1read07...


These images are not at full zoom, I meant.


SJ wrote:

I've had my Canon S3 IS for about 3 1/2 weeks. Not very impressive.
About 200 shots, some for testing purposes in different modes. Since I
walk the smart side of dumb with digital settings, most pic's were on
the auto setting, which I know the S3 is not a camera to be simply left
on auto. What I hate is that on auto, it doesn't tell you what ISO it
is, at least I can't find it.

**Check the manual. It should tell you what ISO is used in AUTO Mode.
It is probably ISO 80 and cannot be changed by the user.

Very few crisp clear shots, even on still
objects, and my kids posing. Pictures of a tree, with a tripod taken on
manual at ISO 80 to the "high setting" look identical and I can't see
any noise, I probably have 25 out of 75 legitimate usable pictures.
These are not all at full focal length either,

**What do you mean by, "These are not all at full focal length either"?

**Do you have Image Stabilization (IS) selected?
If you are shooting at 12X, even with IS on, you must take pains to hold
the camera as still as possible, especially in low light situations.

**A common problem with novices and their first digital camera is the
slight lag between when you press the shutter and when the image is
actually recorded. Try keeping still for 1 second after you trip the
shutter. see if this helps.

**Be a little more patient. Digital cameras all have their own little
idiosyncrasies and they need getting used to.
Bob Williams

although the zoom is quite
nice. fits my hand well, but it may be too much camera for me. Doesn't
seem nearly as good( image wise on the auto setting) as my Olympus
5050. Shutter speed seems to lag and leads to blurring on auto
setting. Maybe the H5 or Lumix may have been a better choice for a
semi-novice like myself. Very confused.
Scott

In article , SJ
wrote:

I've had my Canon S3 IS for about 3 1/2 weeks. Not very impressive. About
200 shots, some for testing purposes in different modes. Since I walk the
smart side of dumb with digital settings, most pic's were on the auto
setting, which I know the S3 is not a camera to be simply left on auto.
What I hate is that on auto, it doesn't tell you what ISO it is, at least I
can't find it. Very few crisp clear shots, even on still objects, and my
kids posing. Pictures of a tree, with a tripod taken on manual at ISO 80 to
the "high setting" look identical and I can't see any noise, I probably have
25 out of 75 legitimate usable pictures. These are not all at full focal
length either, although the zoom is quit nice. fits my hand well, but it
may be too much camera for me. Doesn't seem nearly as good( image wise on
the auto setting) as my Olympus 5050. Shutter speed seems to lag and leads
to blurring on auto setting. Maybe the H5 or Lumix may have been a better
choice for a semi-novice like myself. Very confused.

My girlfriend has an S2, and I've been very impressed with what it's
capable of. The images are very sharp and generally well-exposed
(within the limits of her photographic knowledge). And the IS works
great.

On Tue, 3 Oct 2006 23:40:35 -0400, "SJ" wrote:

I've had my Canon S3 IS for about 3 1/2 weeks. Not very impressive. About
200 shots, some for testing purposes in different modes. Since I walk the
smart side of dumb with digital settings, most pic's were on the auto
setting, which I know the S3 is not a camera to be simply left on auto.
What I hate is that on auto, it doesn't tell you what ISO it is, at least I
can't find it.

It's on auto; it makes no difference whether it tells you the ISO or
not; you can't do anything about it.
Switch to "P" mode,and learn how to work the camera.
Very few crisp clear shots, even on still objects, and my
kids posing. Pictures of a tree, with a tripod taken on manual at ISO 80 to
the "high setting" look identical and I can't see any noise, I probably have
25 out of 75 legitimate usable pictures.

So it's not noise from high ISO that is a problem.
Is the IS (Image Stabilization) on? Are you holding the camera steady?
These are not all at full focal
length either, although the zoom is quit nice. fits my hand well, but it
may be too much camera for me. Doesn't seem nearly as good( image wise on
the auto setting) as my Olympus 5050. Shutter speed seems to lag and leads
to blurring on auto setting. Maybe the H5 or Lumix may have been a better
choice for a semi-novice like myself. Very confused.
Scott

Read the manual, then read a book on basic photography, to learn how
to use the camera in P or Manual modes. Auto is for people who have no
knowledge about how a camera takes photographs, and it juggles the
ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture to get what most people will accept
as a reasonable picture. But, if you don't hold the camera steady, all
that is for naught.
Your last sentence about shutter lag leading to blurring says you're
not holding the camera steady. This is the leading cause of blurred
shots.
--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"

"SJ" wrote in message
...
I've had my Canon S3 IS for about 3 1/2 weeks. Not very impressive. About
200 shots, some for testing purposes Scott

This cam has serious issues with CA, fringing, blowouts, and as you said
blurriness. Mine got returned. Wish they'd fix all that. Noisy above 100
ISO as well.

Great zoom and IS seems to work well.

I think they're demanding too much from the small sensor.

Bob Williams wrote:
...
**Be a little more patient. Digital cameras all have their own little
idiosyncrasies and they need getting used to.
....

Excellent advice.

Every camera I have used has strengths and weaknesses.
The key to success with it is to learn them so you can
take advantage of the strengths and work around the
weaknesses.

I'm not saying that the S3 is better than, or even as
good as, the other cameras you considered. I have no
idea which is best - though Canon is certainly a
reputable company and all of their products have been
at least competitive in the past. The best way to find
the best camera is to read the reviews by the pros
at dpreview.com and steves-digicams.com.

However I think it likely that, without a great deal of work,
you can learn to make excellent photos with the S3.
99% of taking good photos is in the mind, eye, and
hand of the photographer. Sharpen your skills. It will
pay high dividends.

Alan