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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.
Picture Effects Mode
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.
On Canon PowerShot cameras released prior to 2006, the My Colors mode was only available in recording, but now it can be used in playback as well. The following modes are available: Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, and Custom Color. The sepia looks a bit too orange and the black and white could use some more contrast, but the effects are otherwise decent and quite fun to play with. The custom color mode allows users to adjust the Contrast, Skin Tone, Blue, Green, Red, Saturation, and Sharpness parameters with +/- 2 scales in whole steps. The Canon PowerShot S3 IS has a Stitch Assist mode on the dial; this shows an overlay of the previous shot so users can easily line it up with the next shot. The camera doesn’t stitch the pictures together, though: to do this, users will need the included software.
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