Picture Quality / Size Options

While the Canon S3 IS may attract enthusiasts, it still only shoots in JPEG format. Images sizes, available in the Function menu, are: 640 x 480 (small), 1600 x 1200 (medium 2), 2272 x 1704 (medium 1), 2816 x 2112 (large), and 2816 x 1584 (widescreen). The last choice has a new 16:9 ratio made for the big-screen televisions, but the rest of the choices are 4:3-formatted. This means that there are no image sizes for perfectly cropped 4 x 6-inch prints. When users are checking out the size options in the menu, pushing the Set button shows the compression settings: Normal, Fine, and SuperFine. The finest – or shall I say SuperFinest – resolution in the top 4:3-formatted image size can take 4 pictures on the included memory card. Because photographers will probably want to shoot around a little more, they’ll need much more memory to support different file sizes.

 

The Canon PowerShot digital cameras are quickly becoming known for their interesting picture effects. The S3’s scene mode selection includes two: Color Accent and Color Swap.  Previous models included these in the My Colors section, but the S3 only uses them for recording in the scene modes. The Color Accent mode lets users pick a color within the frame to highlight, so Aunt Mary’s red lipstick will show up even redder. The Color Swap mode lets users change Aunt Mary’s lipstick into any other color in the frame.