Canon PowerShot S3 IS

Reviewed August 2006

Introduction

The Canon PowerShot S3 IS, this year's new version of the PowerShot S2 IS, brings the inevitable increase in resolution, adding another million pixels that makes the S3 IS a 6-megapixel camera, but has only minor changes otherwise.

The image stabilized Ultrasonic 12 X zoom lens is identical to last year's S2 IS, and so are most of the other components. Indeed, externally, the only change is a slightly beefier monitor hinge.

The PowerShot S3 IS offers a good ergonomic design, providing a deep grip with a non-skid surface on the inside where the fingertips rest, while the stubby lens barrel allows cradling the camera in the left hand.

The grip supports the two-stage shutter release at the front, and the zoom control. In Playback the zoom control serves, as usual, to view thumbnails of the images (9 per screen) when pushed towards , or zoom into an image up to 10X when pulled towards .

A small button, , located behind the shutter release, controls the selection of Continuous mode or the Self-timer. Two Continuous modes are available:

• Standard Continuous Mode captures 1.5 images per second using the Large Fine image format.
• High-Speed Continuous Mode captures images at 2.3 frames per second.

While the Self-timer can be set for a 10-second delay, or a 2-second delay, or a Custom delay time that can be from 0 through 30 seconds and for up to 10 shots.

One of very few external differences between the S2 and the S3 can be found on its Mode Dial. The dial, which Canon "divides" into the Creative Zone, above the green Auto mode, and the Image Zone, below the Auto mode, sees the addition of the Sports mode directly on the dial.

Starting with the Auto Mode, the Mode Dial has a total of 13 positions:

turns the PowerShot S3 into a point and shoot camera, and all critical photographic settings are decided by the camera.

Although the Image Zone has only 7 positions, including the Movie and Stitch Assist (panorama) modes, it actually contains a total of 12 Scene modes:

	Portrait blurs the background behind the subject by using a wide aperture which shortens the depth of field.
	Landscape gives preference to a small aperture to extend the depth of field, which can entail a low shutter speed.
	Night Scene is intended to capture a subject against an evening night scene. Flash is used in slow synchro mode and the shutter speed is low so as to capture both foreground and background.
	Sports mode gives preference to a high shutter speed, increasing the CCD sensitivity to maintain a high shutter speed, and uses the Continuous mode.
	Special Scene is an access to 6 additional scene modes, which are selected with the right and left arrows of the Omni controller, the 4-direction button on the back of the camera: Foliage enhances colour saturation to capture subjects such as autumn leaves or blossoms. Snow compensates the exposure so that people are correctly exposed against a bright snow backdrop. Beach also compensates the exposure for a highly reflective environment such as water and sand. Fireworks sets the shutter speed to 2 seconds and the focus to infinity to capture a fireworks display (the use of a tripod is necessary). Colour Accent makes it possible to have only a colour selected on the LCD monitor, remain in the final image while all others have been transformed to black and white. Colour Swap makes it possible to pick a colour on the LCD monitor, and swap it for another colour. Night Snapshot is designed to capture people in front of twilight or night background and reduce the effect of camera shake, even without the use of a tripod, by increasing sensitivity. Indoor adjusts the white balance so that images can be shot with accurate colour under either fluorescent or tungsten (incandescent) lighting.
	Stitch Assist serves to capture a series of frames that overlap slightly so that they can be assembled into a larger image later using the software included with the camera. Photos can be captured from left to right, right to left, top to bottom or bottom to top, or even in a clockwise motion.

The last Mode Dial position is for the Movie Mode:

As it was with the S2 IS, movies are recorded with stereo sound, limited to 1 hour or a 1 GB file, whichever comes first. Five movie formats are available, all of them with a 4:3 aspect ratio: 640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps (7 min. 52 sec. with a 1 GB card). 640 x 480 pixels at 15 fps (14 min. 27 sec. with a 1 GB card). 320 x 240 pixels at 60 fps (10 min. 57 sec. with a 1 GB card). 320 x 240 pixels at 30 fps (19 min. 16 sec. with a 1 GB card). 320 x 240 pixels at 15 fps (31 min. 32 sec. with a 1 GB card). During recording, the optical zoom remains available as the motor is silent. Moreover, the zoom control is gradual, its speed increasing as the zoom control is pushed farther towards T or W. Moreover the quality of the sound recording can be controlled in the Setup section of the menu. Sound sampling can be set to: 44 kHz, 22 kHz, or 11 kHz; a wind filter can be enabled or disabled; and the level of the microphones can be adjusted over 5 levels. Finally, the S3 IS allows capturing a full resolution still image simply by pressing the shutter release while the camera is recording a movie.

The top left side of the PowerShot S3 IS supports two more controls. First is a small button that has two different roles, depending on the camera's mode:

	Flash modes: Auto or Forced On. In addition red-eye reduction, slow synch and first or second curtain can be enabled in the menu.
	In playback, a sound annotation up to 60 seconds can be added to a photo that is currently displayed on the monitor. (Note that the S3 IS also offers a sound recorder function which is accessed through the Playback menu.)

The other control is the dioptre corrector, embedded on the left side of the viewfinder's rubber-wrapped exit pupil. The dioptre allows adjusting the electronic viewfinder's image. The viewfinder is unchanged from the S2 and has an average resolution, its pixels clearly visible, and while it is useable, it is unable to show any small detail.

The top part of the viewfinder's housing supports the pop-up flash. The flash is manually opened, simply by lifting it into its open position.

The camera manual indicates the flash distances as from 50 cm to 5.2 m (1.6 to 17 ft) when the sensitivity is set to Auto. Regrettably, Canon does not specify the precise range used by its Auto ISO mode, which can lead to noise in the image; nor does it list the precise sensitivity of the HI sensitivity.

Two other buttons are positioned on the left side of the camera, but on the lens barrel. Both of these control focusing:

Switches the camera from auto focus to Manual Focus. Manual focusing is done using the up and down arrows of the Omni controller, and if the MF button is held down while adjusting the focus, the camera magnifies the central portion of the display to help make sure the image is sharp.

A large chromed button with a red dot in the middle, positioned near the EVF, is called the Movie button. Whatever the camera's current mode, pressing the button starts recording a movie.

Next is the Omni Controller, embedded on a pod that places the control directly under the thumb when the camera is in use. The Omni Controller serves to navigate menus and highlight options; or, when the camera is set to the Playback mode, go from one photo to another.

In addition, the Omni controller also serves to select apertures and shutter speeds in the modes that allow it, and to adjust the position of the focus point in the frame.

The next buttons are aligned along a gentle curve, on the right side of the monitor.

The top one, FUNC. displays the Function menu on either the EVF or the LCD monitor. The Function menu contains many of the most commonly accessed settings (exposure compensation, white balance, etc.) and is a standard feature of Canon compact digital cameras. (See the Characteristics section of the review for details about the contents of the Function menu.)

And when the S3 IS is in Playback mode, the button serves to delete () unwanted photos.

The ISO button serves to select the CCD sensitivity. Each time the button is pressed it displays the sensitivity setting on the monitor/EVF, and when pressed again it steps through each of the available sensitivities: 80, 100, 200, 400, 800 ISO, Auto and HI. Moreover, the button also doubles as an AE-Lock (Auto Exposure), or an FE-Lock (Flash Exposure) when the flash is in use.

And in Playback the button serves to JUMP () groups of images: 10 images at a time, 100 images at a time, to a specific shot date, to a movie, or to a folder.

The third button is only labelled by symbols and :

Shortcut: makes it possible, using the REC. menu, to configure the button to act as a instant access to: • Still Image Resolution (default) • White Balance • Movie Recording Size/Frame Rate • AF Lock • Metering System • Image Stabilizer mode • My Colours • Create New Folder • AE Lock • Display Off Once a shortcut is assigned, the button can be used to cycle through each of the function's options using the icons shown on the monitor or EVF.

Print/Share: in Playback the button serves to immediately download all the images that have been selected for Auto Transfer. In addition, the button also serves to connect the camera to a PictBridge compliant photo printer, or a Canon SELPHY CP card photo printer, or a Canon Bubble Jet printer (PIXMA or SELPHY DS series).

The SET and MENU buttons are positioned close together below the Omni Controller, as their functions are often tied. While the MENU button calls up the main menu for either the recording or the playback modes (see the Characteristics section of the review for more details), the SET button serves to confirm menu selections.

The DISP. button is last, embedded in a hollow at the lower right of the monitor. The DISP. button is used to switch back and forth between monitor and EVF, and to control the amount of information superimposed on the monitor during recording and playback.

With the S3 IS set to a capture mode, the display can be configured using an option found in the REC. menu, which makes it possible to customize the display for shooting information, grid lines, and histogram.

The Playback mode cycles through three possible views of an image. The first view, and the default, superimposes basic information about the image under review, the button also provides a histogram view of an image under review, showing the image's position within the folder, its size and quality, the date and time at which it was captured, and the image's file name.

Pressing the DISP. button once displays the image in the top left quadrant of the monitor, making potentially overexposed areas blink, and adds its shooting data in the top right, its histogram in the lower left, and the image size and file size in the lower right. A second press of the button removes all superimposed information.