Canon Powershot S3 IS

Value
The Canon PowerShot S3 IS will retail for $499 in May. This isn’t an amazing bargain, but is still competitively priced with the rest of the ultra zoom digital cameras this year. For having a 12x zoom lens and an optical image stabilization system, the price tag isn’t bad at all. Sure, Canon skimped on the 16 MB of memory so consumers will have to drop another fifty bucks or so for media, but they’d probably have to do that for any camera.

Comparison to the Canon PowerShot S2 IS
The Canon PowerShot S2 IS was popular in the ultra zoom market in 2005 with its 5 megapixels and 12x zoom lens. The lens is the exact same one as the new S3, and so is the accompanying image stabilization system. Still, the S3 adds a megapixel, increased sensitivity, and a few features here and there. The two PowerShots have the same body with the exception of the slight proportional difference of the LCD monitor on the back. The Canon S2 IS has a 1.8-inch LCD screen with 115,000 pixels that flips just like all the other vari-angle screens on the PowerShots. The S2 has the same movie mode with the simple editing and MovieSnap functions. The new model has an ISO 800 setting, while the S2’s range only reached to 400. When tested in the lab, the Canon S2 produced noisy images and average color reproduction, but did well in low light and had a decent burst mode. The burst shoots 2 frames per second and does so for a very long time. Its impressive endurance lasted a hundred shots at full resolution. The S3’s burst goes a few tenths of a second faster and also has good endurance. The Canon PowerShot S2 IS was introduced at the same $499 price point, but can be found for a lot less now.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters – The Canon PowerShot S3 IS isn’t the easiest camera to use and does way more than point and shoot. This model is an option for users who are stepping into more creative areas of digital photography.

Budget Consumers – At $499, the S3 is priced similarly to other ultra zoom digital cameras. With its functional image stabilization system and 12x zoom lens, the 6 megapixel S3 IS has a good foundation for a good camera. It tops that off with interesting features like the My Colors modes and the intervalometer.

Gadget Freaks – Gadget freaks could get a kick out of the aforementioned intervalometer and may enjoy playing with the image stabilization system. The Color Swap mode could also prove very entertaining. The S3 doesn’t have anything jaw-dropping, though.

Manual Control Freaks – The Canon PowerShot S3 IS has a whole list of manual and automatic modes and options. There is a manual mode with the traditional shutter speed and aperture adjustments. Users can also customize and save their most frequently used settings to the ‘C’ position on the mode dial.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists – This crowd may not be so impressed with the S3’s guts; they are the exact same as the skinny SD700 IS with the 6 megapixel CCD and DIGIC II image processor. However, it could still serve as a camera to tote on vacation or throw in the bag in case of a massive catastrophe with camera number one.