Canon PowerShot S3 IS

usability, performance, image quality, price, zoom

contrast

92% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Swiveling LCD, many control buttons 12X optical zoom, image stabilization

Low battery life

In our lab tests, the S3 IS delivered impressive overall image quality, its best attributes being color and exposure accuracy. The camera's scores for distortion and sharpness, however, were below average. In my informal shots, the S3 IS generally...

No shutter lag. Articulating LCD. Powerful feature set. Very good video.

Smallish 2-inch LCD. Mediocre recycle time. Expensive.

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Good resolution Good color, good exposure, generally accurate focus 12x zoom offers excellent 36-432mm range Image stabilization works well (and can be used in movie mode) Packed with features Very quiet Solid construction and good handling Fast and...

Occasional focus hunting at the telephoto end of the zoom in low light ISO 800 mode is too noisy to be really useful ISO 200 noise reduction too strong No rechargeable batteries supplied in the box Occasional highlight clipping due to over exposure of...

Where the S2 IS offered a huge performance leap over its predecessor, the S3 IS is in reality a minor upgrade, and with good reason; there was a lot less that needed improvement. Aside from the newer sensor, the welcome addition of a direct ISO button,...

The Canon PowerShot S3 IS is not your average digital compact camera with a large zoom range. It is in fact a multimedia device. After all, this camera enables you to do so much more than take photos; you now have the choice of video clips with stereo...

12x zoom with image stabilization ; Useable 4x digital zoom (for 48x scope-like range) ; Auto Hi and ISO 800 sensitivity settings ; Very responsive shutter speed ; Fast startup/shutdown time ; Good color accuracy ; Powerful built-in flash ; Very...

High noise at high sensitivity settings ; Rather contrasty default tone curve ; Higher than average chromatic aberration at all focal lengths ; Fast shutter speeds not available at all apertures, which is not uncommon ; Movie files restricted to 1 GB...

The Canon S3 IS bumps resolution up to 6.0 megapixels (for 2,816 x 2,112 pixel images up from 2,592 x 1,944), increases the sensitivity range to ISO 800, features a slightly larger LCD (2.0 inches vs. 1.8), includes a Movie button available in any...

Very good photo quality; low noise levels for a 6MP camera ; 12X zoom lens with optical image stabilization ; Full manual controls ; Excellent movie mode: VGA resolution (30 fps), stereo sound, zoom ability, wind screen, selectable audio quality/level...

Redeye ; Movie mode file size limit arrives quickly ; Electronic viewfinder resolution could be better ; Plastic tripod mount ; RAW format support would've been nice ; Tiny memory card and throwaway batteries included; lens cap isn't great

Overall, I really like the PowerShot S3, and it earns my enthusiastic recommendation. Yes, it has a few flaws, but doesn't everything? For people wanting a solid and capable ultra zoom camera, this one should be high on your list. If you yearn for a...