Canon PowerShot S3 IS High-end Digital Camera - Black - 1101B001
Canon Powershot S3 Is 6.0 Megapixel Digital Camera

I bought the camera in Nov for my wifes Christmas present. She opened the box and after entering the date the camera died! It was over the 14 day window so Buy would not take a return. My fault for not checking the product in the 14 day return period but sometimes you have to do the right thing over doing what is right but Buy.com would not budge from their policy. Returned the unit to Canon. They were in slow motion for the holidays so it took about 2 weeks to get it back. They fixed the broken camera (power supply module) and did not upgrade or anything which is all they had to do. Even though I was VERY upset with Buy.com they did what they said they would do. Canon service was average because they did what they said they would do too. The repaired camera works fine. Zoom is great. The LCD screen is small compaired to newer more up to date models. Love the AA battery option. I see this model selling out or the price droping way low because of other models available with cooler features.
 
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I love this camera. I did lots of research and decided based on price, features & weight of camera. I do lots of point and shoot and this camera takes great pictures for an amateur such as me! I haven't used the more advanced features but I am pleased with my purchase!
 
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much better than the similar sony cybershot
 
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I've had this camera for about a year now. I was a point and shoot user who grew tired of trying to anticpate pictures because the shutter was slow and inconsistent on my little Kodak EasyShare. I was definitely intimidated by all the custom settings and the manual is no big help in what they mean and why you would use them. It mainly explains the functions and how to set them only. </p> I have since taken an online course with LVSonline to help understand the settings and photo composition. This has helped my picture taking tremendously. </p> Quality: Great quality pictures. High noise level only in digital zoom and low light, but this is a limitation of the sensor. Less noise = DSLR = more money. This is a midrange camera and performs well. </p> Value: I think this was a great investment and I've gotten more than my money's worth with zoom shots and photos of the moon where I can see the craters. Definitely a must have for someone without the money for an SLR, but wants more control than a point and shoot gives you. </p> Shutter Speed: This is the reason I chose this camera....period. It was the fastest shutter on all the midrange cameras I researched and it was only a couple thousandths off the low end DSLR's. A caveat to shutter speed is light...the better the light, the faster the shutter can fire. There's also a high speed continuous setting that has no limits, unlike some other cameras. You can hold it down until your card is filled, if you choose. </p> Video: A bonus. Excellent quality video in proper lighting. Quality declines when there isn't enough light. The one touch capture regardless of the settings is a great feature. WARNING - Canon says that you can take a picture in the middle of taking the video and you can, but it screws up the video, recording the shot and pause. Better to use the software it comes with to extract frames and get your still image from that. </p> Great camera and value!
 
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Great camera for the price. We like the swivel LCD screen
 
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I bought a canon s3 about a month ago. I have taken some 400 pics so far including a trip we took to Glacier National park in MT. I like the 12x zoom most of all. Most cameras you buy have a 3x or 4x lens but in distant pictures so often you can't tell what the picture was taken of. In Glacier Park I took pics of glaciers a mile away, numerous Mt. Goats and Big horn sheep that would of appeared as dots on a camera with no magnification. As far as some of the other features on this camera, I have taken some video which is good quality. I have used auto function mostly and haven't played with too many of the other settings.
 
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I really like this camera! I had been using my Canon Powershot A510 for a couple of years and from that experience I knew what I wanted to be different on my next purchase. I wanted higher resolution, much more zoom, faster recovery time between photos when using flash, and indoor pictures that were acceptable without accessory lighting. Guess what? I got all of these wishes with the Canon Powershot S3 IS, and more!! I have been using it for 6 months and I love this camera. And it only cost me $100.00 more than I paid for my previous camera which was a simple point and shoot that still works fine. I will continue to use my old camera when I need to slip it into a pocket and take occasional snaps. But when I want to take "real" photos of landscapes, animals, people, events, etc., I will insist on this camera. What an exceptional deal at prices around $300.00.
 
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I just upgraded to this model from having the Olympus C5050 for several years. The response time is very good, can take photos very quickly and the zoom is phenomenal. I also really like to do macro/super macro photos, did take a bit to figure out how to do the super macro (can't be on Auto)! Otherwise the camera does what I need it to do outside. I haven't tried it too much indoors, though what I saw was very encouraging. Will be taking a lot of photos of kids, so I am hopeful that it can keep up. One downside is that the camera buttons aren't as intuitive as other models of Canon, those that are made for the regular point-and-shoot crowd such as the A620 was. But, it's a more professional camera, I should expect that things are a little more complicated! The biggest downside is that the LCD is not very accurate as far as reviewing images. I was greatly disappointed in what I saw, not very sharp - it was so bad I thought I'd have really lousy photos until I downloaded them onto my computer. I was pleasantly surprised. I guess just use the LCD for composition only, but realize your photos may or may not be in focus like you expect.
 
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I've had my camera for about 3 weeks now and really like it! I took it on a cruise where many things were off the ship so that the zoom was particularly useful. Another less obvious feature was the ability to use the viewfinder rather than the LCD screen to focus on the scene. You can see the same scene and data on it without interference of ambient light, which I have always had a problem with. E-Jo
 
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Love the camera. This is my 5th digital between one of mine wearing out, one recent Nikon breaking, and two for my daughters that have also had issues. Seems like a lot of them are not very durable these days for daily use without a lot of abuse. So far the S3 is the most complicated digital that I have had. I really would like a smaller form factor, but one has to sacrifice for the features. The zoom / IS combination is incredible. The video is better than stills in low light. Not sure what is up with that other than maybe I need to change a setting. Love it. Ended up trying to save $10 by getting a google payment deal and ended up with two cameras and two bills. I think it is more of a google issue. Didn't send the second one back as my brother-in-law wanted it so sold it to him.
 
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Just returned from vacation and took over 600 shots (I had 2 memory cards) with this being my first time using it. I had to change batteries only once with several of them being flash shots and several short videos taken. Takes a little time to figure out all the options and menu items, but worth the effort. I am really happy with the 12x optical zoom, took some pictures that would have been really grainy with a digital zoom. Get the 2GB memory, you'll be taking so many pictures you'll be glad you did. Took over 350 pictures in the highest res. with 25 short (11 to 35 seconds) videos and still had room for another 150 or so pictures.
 
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In my opinion this camera has the best of both worlds - it can be a very simple point and shoot camera or it can be set for manual operation for maximum control over shots. I recommend reading through the manuals - they have helped me truly understand the powerful functions of this camera. Obviously this camera is larger than most point and shoot camreas but the trade off for me was worth it. Also very well built and great control layout.
 
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Excellence service, reliable and good price. I bought from Buy.com many electronics items and very happy. The cool thing is I don't have to pay tax unlike another website their price look cheap but end up higher with tax and shipping cost. I love Canon S3IS so far, no compaint on anything yet.
 
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First i highly recommend bying from Buy.com because of fast service and shipping.Though i ordered ground shipping, i recieved the product within 2 days and that's amazing!! After taking couple of shots, i feel that the photos come out well..not great though compared to my Sony DSC-F717 model. The photos are kind of grainy when taken indoor in the evening but hey!!I am point and shoot kind of guy..So i will wait and see..
 
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I have been having lots of fun with he new camera. I'm not a shutter bug buff but I do take lots of pictures of my ranch and when I am on horse back. This camera does a great job. The only draw back for me is when it's not on a tripod it is a little hard for me to handle because of where the menu button and other buttons are placed. All in all I'm pleased with it and would recommend this camera to about anyone from beginner on.
 
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That's what a camera is suppose to be about right? Pictures? The S3 IS is an excellent camera for the money . . . and it can indeed be considered a "professional" camera. I wanted an XTI for its lens versatility. But without spending another $400 for the XTI, I'm very satisfied with the S3. I've been taking digital pictures for most of five years. I've owned an Olympus 2100UZ, a Minolta F6, a Fuji S5000 & S5200 and now the Canon S3. There's no doubt that Canon has the better glass and better colour saturation right off of the card. And another thing. . . .six megs and a 12X optical zoom is all anybody will need. And Buy.com sells these cheaper than anyplace on the net.
 
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Quality of this Camera is wonderful its worth the money i paid for. I liked the 12X Optical Zoom feature and also the other features. A must have product
 
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Camera arrived quickly. It is what it is--an excellent super zoom (not an SLR, not a compact P&S). Purchase was made after researching the options and it has fully met our expectations (thusfar--have had it only two weeks). It would have been nice to be able to screw on a UV or skylight filter, but that's a minor quibble.
 
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Some of the reviews here refer to this camera as a digital SLR. Please don't think it is. This type of camera is called a "superzoom". Its one step down from a digital SLR. The Canon S3Is only has the lens that is built into it. But with that lens having a 12x optical zoom, I can't imagine needing to use another lens. It takes photos I'd be proud to have made into an 11x14 and hang on my wall! I used a 35mm SLR for 24 years before purchasing the S3Is. Anyone who's used a modern 35mm SLR for any amount of time will find this Canon camera fairly intuitive to use and master. Having the manual options makes the camera worth the money! I've only had the camera for a month and have taken over 100 photos of all types with only deleting maybe 7 or 8 because the subject moved. The S3Is has only a couple of disappointments I can see. Invest in a couple of sets of NIMH rechargeable batteries, or you'll be throwing away used AA alkalines left and right. Especially if you use the flash. Plus I'm disappointed that its only a 6 megapixel camera when its predecessor the S2Is has 5 megapixels. Plus according to the manual, you have to buy an adapter just so you can use a filter on the lens. And anyone who's owned a 35mm camera knows that you want to put at least a UV filter over the lens to prevent the lens from ever becoming scratched. If you can't afford the $600+ for a true digital SLR, this is the camera to buy!
 
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This is the perfect camera for non-professional, but serious, photographers. The 12x optical zoom will take you places you never thought possible. The image stabilization positively makes great shots possible at that extreme magnification without a tripod. It takes amazing videos with stereo sound – I’m talking videos you will be proud to show to anybody. You have manual control over every camera setting, but if you only shoot with the presets or in auto mode, you’ll still be happy. Most of the functions are controlled by various buttons, so you do not have to page through menu screens. It has a great heft, and the controls are where you’d expect them to be. The optical viewfinder gives you fine control over the framing and formatting of your shots, while the LCD monitor flips out and tilts to allow for every possible camera angle, then stows in a position that keeps it protected. I found the manual focus very hard to master. I would prefer that the zoom control change to the manual focus control when in that mode. The monitor washes out in just medium sunlight (as with most cameras), but so does the viewfinder! It has a whole bunch of pretty silly shooting modes and photo effects that maybe 1 in 1000 people will find useful. The flash must be manually raised – a feature I like but some do not. It’s hard to take low light shots at any level of zoom, even with stabilization – not really a camera fault, but rather a fact of life. This is the best camera I have ever owned for point and shoot photography.
 
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This is an excellent camera with respect to most parameters you would find in a dSLR. However it is a little complicated to use in the sense that you have to carry the little help book / manual around in your packet and consult when you shoot. At the end of the day if you have been playing around with exposure, depth, shutter speed etc on a SLR or an advanced camera this is not going to be new for you. The photographs are good indeed. As most people have commented (and i expected) the LCD display is small and tends to mislead you at times when you are playing around EV. But for those people who prefer the viewfinder this is quite OK. Honestly, I am happy with the purchase and the quality of the photgraphs are great and the bottom line is like most high end camera "if you know to shoot photos then this is a great camera .....And yes the stabilization feature has also helped me extensively.
 
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After using 2 other canon products and not having as good of low light performance that I had hoped for this camera has changed all of that. It has excellent low light performance and although I cannot compare it to other digital SLR's I can compare it to other canon cameras. It has been easy to set up and use without even opening the manual and it appears to have excellent manual controls which I will enjoy. Great product, delivered at a great price and shipped without hassle to a very rural location. Thanks
 
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Great camera with many cool features. Not only does it take great pictures the movie mode is awesome. Records in stereo sound and you can set it on a table with the lens cap on and record just sound---great for recording conversations without the other person knowing. Recorded 3 teachers' speeches on parent teacher night because my wife couldn't make it and the playback was so clear my wife felt like she was sitting in the classroom. auto modes seem to work better than any other camera i've owned, the sports auto mode is excelllent all my girls play soccer and i've taken some incredible action shots. You're also getting a video camera because this will shoot fantastic movies in great stereo sound and the 12x optical zoom can be used in movie mode also, not like my fuji which locks the zoom in movie mode. SD memory cards are incredibly cheap nowadays i bought 4 GB (2gb + 1gb +1gb) for less than $40 and the AA batteries mean you'll never get stuck with a dead camera. Doesn't "feel" as good as my fuji while holding it but still is very comfortable. Image stabilization works very well at full zoom. Haven't begun to play with the manual settings yet but if they work as well as the auto settings i should be thrilled.
 
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I had been looking at a Digital SLR to replace/update my old film camera. I went to a local high-class photo store, where I learned my old SLR lenses would not work, but also that the S3-IS had no macro mode (I photograph a lot of flowers, rocks, even bugs). However, I found a review on the WEB that suggested the Canon S3-IS DID have a macro capability, so I bought it. The third photo I took was a closeup of something the lens was touching! The wide-angle is wider and the telephoto longer than my selection of lenses for the SLR, the sensitivity is good enough to take many indoor pictures without flash (and even a deer at dusk in a nearby forest), and it weighs a lot less, and is much more convenient. I LOVE it!
 
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I bought this camera last week and took some great pictures with it. I am not very happy with the night shots.
 
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This is a great camera. Size is nice and compact, generous 12x zoom is handy, and the creativity features make this one of the most flexible cameras I've ever used. The picture quality is excellent. The best feature is image stabilization... I'll never use a camera again without it... plus, it's essential for the full telephoto position to get clear photos. The power-up is fast, shot-to-shot time is phenomenally quick, and the zoom is the fastest I've ever used. It has lots of goofy features that you'll probably seldom used, but which could be great for those once-in-awhile bursts of creativity. If you need it, this camera has it. Even an intervalometer feature to shoot those time-lapse movies! Have fun!
 
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I've used the camera for a couple weeks now and I have really enjoyed it. The image stabilization is very nice. The only drawback that I have noticed so far is that the camera lens creates a shadow when using the flash while shooting macro. Not a big deal but the issue is there. The quick release bayonet is very nice, I was able to pick up a 52mm adapter from lensmate so now I can use filters and other lenses which is a very nice feature. I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for something more than a simple point and shoot but not at the SLR level.
 
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My wife and I bought this camera instead of a digital SLR. It takes great pictures. They are incredible. I have used the camera in its base settings and taken fabulous pictures. We have had it for 2 months now and my wife, the scrapbooker, is just starting to experiment with other settings. We are completely satisfied. The only knock on this camera is that it burns up batteries fast. We have purchased the more expensive lithium AA's and they have lasted for 4 outings so far. The alkaline AA's will only last for one outing before they need replacing.
 
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My wife bought this camera to replace a 4megapixel Sony. I was skeptical. She was leaning toward a digital SLR but chose this instead because of the optical zoom and lower price. She has begun taking pictures and we are hooked. She took a picture of my son sitting on the couch. She thought she could see a speck on his check in the photo, so she digitally zoomed in after downloading to our PC and found an eyelash. Unreal!!!!!! She took a picture of him holding a penny (science project) and zoomed in digitally on the picture after downloading. We could see bumps and contours of his skin on his finger clearly.
 
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This is a great camera with nice stable zoom, I was wondering it would have come with recharable battery. Else I am happy to own this camera.
 
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This camera has it all. Easy to use, all the features you would need and with 12x Optical zoom it's like having 3 interchangeable lenses without the expense. Personally I have a problem with my hands shaking and with my last digital camera some of the shots came out blurry, not the case with this one. With the Image stabilization I have not had one bad picture. I am in love with photography again!! If you don't buy this camera you will regret it until you do. So don't mess around buy the Cannon S3 IS now!!!
 
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I recently bought this camera to replace a pathetic toshiba I was using to shoot beach volleyball tournaments. The Canon is taking magazine quality images with no arm or ball blur. The pictures are so incredible. Feel free to look for yourself: http://www.MissionBeachVolleyball.com/ Go to the photo gallery page. Any gallery above or including "CBVA Mission Beach 7/15/2006" in the drop down is taken with the Canon. I am so stoked on this camera.
 
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I also bought this camera as soon as it came out in May. I am a scrapbooker...and along with that comes wanting great pictures. I Minolta DiMage Z1 digital before this and it served us well, but just didn't allow me the freedom I wanted with cropping, etc. (it was only 3 megapixels). I LOVE my new canon!! Most of the basics I figured out without even having to read the book...as I'm learning some of the more complicated features, I am consulting my book and it is a great resource. I'm not one to manually set everything (at least not yet), so I LOVE all the preset modes.
 
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I recently (May '06) bought this camera with a buy.com coupon that made it very affordable. I have enjoyed this camera, but my wife is having problems with it. I love the optical zoom! Also, it is the quickess digital camera that I have ever had. It is ready to take the next shot immediately after taking a shot. I haven't used all of the features on it yet, but so far I am very happy with it.
 
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Electronics > Canon Digital Camera & Camcorder Blowout