Aside from some minor changes
in the order in which options are presented in the menus,
and the swapping the metering mode button for an ISO button,
there are no serious differences between the PowerShot S3's
user interface and that of the S2 IS. Indeed, in some ways
the S3 represents a number of missed opportunities when it
comes to the way the camera "interacts" with the
user. The S3 would have benefited from a better and sharper
EVF, as well as a bigger monitor — not just an increase
from 1.8 to 2-inches — a feature that Canon has added
to a number of its other compact cameras.
Still, just like its predecessor, the S3 benefits from a
good and very useable interface that makes understanding camera
functions relatively easy, and which to some extent has been
rationalized. For instance, the complex My Colour modes of
the S2 IS have been simplified, and combined into a single
option. Less positive, the ISO selection option has been moved
to an external button, while the more commonly used —
in our opinion — metering function has been transferred
to the Function menu.
Aside from this, the S3 continues the Canon system of providing
an access to the Setup menu, whether the camera is
set to a capture mode, or the playback mode. The Setup menu
contains some basic options:
Mute: On or Off, turns off all camera sounds.
Volume: allows adjusting the volume over 5 increments
for:
the Start-up sound,
the Operation sound,
the Self-timer sound,
the Shutter sound,
and the Playback volume.
Audio provides three options:
Mic level: adjusts the sensitivity of the microphones
over 5 levels.
Wind Filter: On or Off. Lessens the interference
caused by air moving past the microphones.
Time Zone: allows setting a Home time and a World
time, which makes it possible to record images using the
local time instead of the Home time.
Date/Time: to set the S3 IS's internal clock/calendar
and choose the date format.
Format: formats the memory card and displays the
card capacity.
File Number: decides whether file numbering returns
to 1 when a new or freshly formatted card is used (Auto
Reset), or is incremented continuously (Continuous).
Create Folder: Serves to create a new folder into
which image and movie files will be stored. Two sub-options
are available: Create New Folder and Auto Create, which
creates a new folder automatically daily, or by week day,
or by month.
Auto Rotate: On or Off. When On, the camera uses
a sensor to keep track of its orientation while a photo
is taken, and accordingly rotates the image upon playback.
Distance Units: sets the units to be used for the
Manual Focus mode (ft/in. or m/cm).
Language sets the language for the interface: English,
German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finish, Italian, Norwegian,
Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Portuguese,
Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Traditional Chinese,
Korean, Thai, Arabic and Japanese.
Video System: selects the video output signal,
either NTSC or PAL.
Print Method controls the USB connection: Auto
for normal circumstances, allowing the camera to determine
which protocol is best, and PictBridge protocol used with
a printer, either Auto, or PictBridge, necessary to print
W (16:9) photos on a SELPHY CP710/CP510 Canon Compact
Photo Printer.
Reset All: returns the PowerShot S3 IS to its factory
defaults.
Canon provides a clear and concise printed manual with the
PowerShot S3. Explanations are given for all the camera's
functions, and all of its controls. In addition, the manual
includes detailed diagrams of the camera, identifying each
part and control and links it to the relevant pages in the
manual.
Software
A single CD is included with
the Canon PowerShot S3 IS. The disc, entitled Canon Digital
Camera Solution version 28.2, offers a revised interface
over previous versions, and allows the software to be installed
in either of two ways: Easy or Custom. The disk contains three
primary programs:
ZoomBrowser EX version 5.6, a program for loading,
organizing, and printing images shot by a Canon camera.
PhotoStitch 3.1, an application that merges a series
of overlapping images into a single seamless panorama.
EOS Utility 1.0, software for Canon cameras that
allows downloading images to a computer, specify camera
settings, and shooting photos remotely.
ZoomBrowser EX is an image browser
that also serves to launch a group of utility programs that
are installed at the same time as ZoomBrowser.
ZoomBrowser can be
used to download images directly from the camera while it
is connected through USB to the computer, or access images
and videos already on the computer. Photos can be viewed using
a number of different presentations — including one
that includes a histogram for the image and the shooting data
— or even as a slide show.
The program also allows some corrections to be made to an
image, providing means to adjust red-eye, brightness, saturation,
contrast, and RGB components.
Moreover, images can be printed
directly, or integrated into a photo album and then the pages
printed, or burned to CD.
The program also accesses the Remote Capture utility
which allows the S3 to be controlled from the computer while
the camera is connected to a USB port. All the camera parameters
for shooting mode, aperture, shutter speed, zoom, flash, white
balance, etc., can be set directly from the computer, and
once the shutter is released images are transferred automatically
to the computer.
Still another function, MovieEdit,
allows assembling video clips, adding sound effects and transition
effects.
Similarly, PhotoStitch, a program designed to assemble
series of images captured using the Stitch Assist mode into
panoramic images, can be launched directly from ZoomBrowser.
PhotoRecord is yet another application that can be
launched from ZoomBrowser. The program serves to organize
images and create photo albums, offering the possibility to
add frames to the photos, or backgrounds to the album pages.
Compare Prices for Canon TC-DC58B Tele Converter Lens for S3 IS & S2 IS Digital Camera
Interface & Software
