| This model the Canon PowerShot S3 IS improves | | | | against the current version's iridescent, dark grey |
| upon its predecessor with a new CCD that is designed | | | | plastic than they did against the previous model's silver |
| to suppress noise and offers ISO sensitivities up to | | | | colouring. As with the S2, there's certainly enough here |
| 800 (a fair amount of noise in landscape photos taken | | | | to keep you busy for a long time, though, and loving |
| just after sunset and in close-ups taken during daylight | | | | every minute of it. |
| in macro mode). While shooting, you can use the zoom | | | | For the Canon PowerShot S3 IS , Canon upped the |
| feature with no added noise to the movie; it’s very | | | | size of the flip-and-twist LCD to two inches from 1.8 . |
| quiet. Image stabilization is still active when shooting a | | | | The company also added a16:9 aspect mode: not only |
| movie. One interesting feature, called movie snap, | | | | does it simply crop and letterbox the standard 4:3 |
| allows you to trigger the shutter to capture stills while | | | | image. Highly useful is the new 320x240 60fps |
| shooting a movie. | | | | movie-capture mode, which produces slick little movies, |
| It’s Fast and responsive, with a comfortable design. | | | | as does the VGA, 30fps mode. |
| The 2-inch LCD screen flips outward and rotates.Very | | | | The Canon PowerShot S3 IS has some great |
| good colour accuracy and saturation, as Canon usually | | | | features: a 12x optical zoom lens to go with its |
| does, including My Color Modes as described in | | | | 6.1-megapixel, 1/2.5-inch CCD and Digic II image |
| previous models. Autofocus occurs quickly for the | | | | processor, also, image stabilization. Just like on the S2, |
| most part, although a sometimes focus hadn’t | | | | the S3’s lens cap seems to come off pretty easily. |
| locked before capture. A cheap dSLR will provide | | | | Digital zoom can be used while shooting the movie and |
| better performance, and a moderately priced one will | | | | sound recorded. The maximum length of the movie is |
| deliver better photo quality. But the Canon PowerShot | | | | either 60 minutes or 1gb of footage. Digital |
| S3 IS’s combination of features, performance and | | | | Photography Interface rates S3 IS 7.2 out of 10 in |
| relatively compact design certainly gives superzoom | | | | overall ratings and concludes that all-in-all, the Canon |
| fans a compelling alternative. | | | | PowerShot S3 IS is a great ultra-zoom with very good |
| The Canon PowerShot S3 IS's aesthetic seems to be | | | | image quality and some unique features. Well, the |
| a cross between those of a classic Volkswagen | | | | Canon S-series ultra-zoom cameras are usually |
| Beetle and a Busy Box. Granted, it's the same body as | | | | known as hybrid cameras because of their superior |
| its predecessor's, but the silver bits stand out more | | | | movie mode. |