Compare Prices : Canon PowerShot S3 IS - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Last year we did a Sony H1 / Canon S2 side-by-side review. We've now reviewed their successors, both 12x zoom digital cameras that can fulfill the wishes of even the most demanding amateur. Both cameras prove to be very potent and capable contenders ...

Review summary: The family-oriented Canon PowerShot S3 IS is a feature-packed six-megapixel hybrid digital camera that is equally at home with photo enthusiasts and digital diehards as it is in the hands of the point-and-shoot "where do I press?" set.

Pros: 12X zoom with optical image stabilization, 16:9 widescreen shooting mode, DV quality video mode, Class leading battery life, 2.0 inch Vari-Angle LCD screen, Uses AA batteries

Cons: Lens cap not very secure, A joke of a SD card

Verdict: & RatingThe long-zoom category of digital camera has become very popular over the last few years - with multiple manufacturers producing a number of excellent models. However, the longer the telephoto, the more the lens magnifies any little jiggles ...

Review summary: The new Canon Powershot S3 IS is the successor to Canon's best selling Powershot S1 IS and S2 IS digital cameras.

Pros: Excellent image quality, 12X USM Image Stabilized zoom, full manual controls.

Cons: No RAW mode, no hot shoe for external flash units, small LCD screen

Verdict: The best in class S3 IS provides serious photographers with a no-nonsense mix of creative capability, technical versatility, and intuitive usability. Sports, action, and nature photographers will benefit most from the extra reach of the S3's long zoom ...

Review summary: The PowerShot S3 IS is Canon's third generation 'super zoom' compact digital camera. Successor to the popular PowerShot S2 IS, the 6-Megapixel camera features the same 12x optical zoom but boosts the sensitivity range up to ISO 800, ...

Pros: Well build ; feature rich ; 12x optical zoom ; image stabiliser ; good still & video quality

Cons: Doesn't support RAW ; no manual focus ring ; images can be too soft

Verdict: Class-leading features & good image quality make the S3 IS a solid choice

Review summary: The Canon Powershot S3 IS is a good camera with some small improvements over its predecessor, the . It is a very capable camera with full manual controls, a good super-macro mode and a truly superb movie mode.

Pros: Low image noise at low ISO, Great 0 cm super-macro mode, Takes pictures during movie recording, Stereo sound recording with wind filter, Effective stabilization, Fast and responsive, Excellent battery life, Powerful flash

Cons: Poor automatic white-balance in artificial light, Reduced detail at ISO 200 and above, Excessive noise at ISO 800, Occasional exposure problems, Cchromatic aberrations, Slow to focus at telephoto end, Poor LCD and EVF visibility, Low-resolution EVF