CNET Editor's rating: 7.7 out of 10
Reviewed by
Lori Grunin
Review date: 5/3/06
Release date: 5/15/06
The good: Fast and responsive; comfortable design; decent movie capture; flip and twist LCD; fast, high-quality lens with effective optical image stabilization.
The bad: Tiny LCD; lacks raw support; faux wide-screen capture.
The bottom line: A very well-executed megazoom camera, the Canon PowerShot S3 IS reminds you why dSLRs still have competition for photo enthusiasts' hearts.
Description:
The Canon PowerShot S3 is a 6-megapixel, enthusiast's camera.
Compared to other enthusiast's digital cameras on the market, it is midpriced at around $345.
Pros:
Has a 12x optical zoom, which is somewhat more powerful than some similarly priced digital cameras.
This camera also offers control over numerous exposure modes including aperture-priority, shutter-priority, program, and manual mode.
Cons:
None noted, given available product data.
Suitability:
Suited for those who consider image quality and performance more important than ease of use.
A recommended use, based on key features, is framed photos for the home.
The largest recommended print size, estimated from the camera's resolution, is 12x16 or larger.
Value:
Overall, this digital camera's features seem a bit weak for its price, compared to most other digital cameras.
90 out of 100 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 out of 10 - Perfect
face change
I currently own the S2 IS which I bought as soon as it came out last summer for taking pics on... Read more
by joshUNC04 (see profile) -
March 4, 2006
AVI - 640 x 480,
AVI - 320 x 240,
AVI - 640 x 480,
AVI - 320 x 240,
AVI - 320 x 240
Memory / Storage
Flash Memory
16 MB Flash - SD Memory Card
Floppy Drive
None
Image Storage
Super-fine / large JPEG 2816 x 2112 : 4 - With 16MB card - 2.72 MB,
Fine JPEG 2816 x 2112 : 8 - With 16MB card - 1.62 MB,
Normal JPEG 2816 x 2112 : 17 - With 16MB card - 780 KB,
Super-fine JPEG 2816 x 1584 : 6 - With 16MB card - 2.03 MB,
Fine JPEG 2816 x 1584 : 11 - With 16MB card - 1.2 MB,
Normal JPEG 2816 x 1584 : 23 dBi - With 16MB card - 585 KB,
Super-fine JPEG 2272 x 1704 : 6 - With 16MB card - 2 MB,
Fine JPEG 2272 x 1704 : 12 - With 16MB card - 1.12 MB,
Normal JPEG 2272 x 1704 : 24 dBi - With 16MB card - 556 KB,
Super-fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 13 - With 16MB card - 1 MB,
Fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 24 dBi - With 16MB card - 558 KB,
Normal JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 46 - With 16MB card - 278 KB,
Super-fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 52 - With 16MB card - 249 KB,
Fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 80 - With 16MB card - 150 KB,
Normal JPEG 640 x 480 : 127 - With 16MB card - 84 KB
Flash memory
16 MB - SD Memory Card
Supported Flash Memory
MultiMediaCard,
SD Memory Card
Lens System
Type
Zoom lens - 6 mm - 72 mm - F/2.7-3.5
Focal Length
6 mm - 72 mm
Lens Construction
9 group(s) / 11 element(s)
Lens Manufacturer
Canon
Additional Features
Self Timer
Yes
Self Timer Delay
2 sec,
10 sec
Additional Features
AE lock,
AF lock,
FE lock,
DPOF support,
Direct print,
Audio recording,
Auto power save,
Built-in speaker,
Focus bracketing,
Histogram display,
PictBridge support,
USB 2.0 compatibility,
Digital image rotation,
Digital noise reduction,
RGB primary color filter,
Display brightness control,
Camera orientation detection
Camera Flash
Effective Flash Range
1.6 ft - 17 ft
Type
Pop-up flash
Flash Modes
Auto mode,
Slow synchro,
Flash ON mode,
Flash OFF mode,
Red-eye reduction,
Auto mode with red-eye reduction
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