Compare Prices : Canon PowerShot S3 IS - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Going grey is a sign of ageing but the PowerShot S3 IS wears it very well

Pros: Build quality and design are very good , Logical and intuitive menu and control system , Fun, Excellent optical image stabiliser

Cons: Viewfinder is a little small

Verdict: The reasonably fast f/2.7 to f/3.5 maximum aperture means that you can, to some extent, isolate objects against blurred backgrounds by using a fairly narrow depth of field. However, as with other compact super-zoom cameras, it doesn't hold a candle to ...

Award: Highly Recommended!

Review summary: Like the S2 IS before it (and for that matter the original S1 IS), the latest version of Canon's flagship Image stabilized Ultra zoom PowerShot has been one of the most popular cameras on dpreview (measured by clicks) since the day it was announced. ...

Pros: Good resolution, Good color, good exposure, generally accurate focus, 12x zoom offers excellent 36-432mm range, Image stabilization works well (and can be used in movie mode), Packed with features, Very quiet, Solid construction and good handling, ...

Cons: Occasional focus hunting at the telephoto end of the zoom in low light, ISO 800 mode is too noisy to be really useful, ISO 200 noise reduction too strong, No rechargeable batteries supplied in the box, Occasional highlight clipping due to over ...

Verdict: Where the S2 IS offered a huge performance leap over its predecessor, the S3 IS is in reality a minor upgrade, and with good reason; there was a lot less that needed improvement.

Review summary: The Canon PowerShot S2 IS is succeeded by the PowerShot S3 IS, and the S3 comes in a package that offers quite the fair bit of functionality at a relatively low price. It boasts an impressive 12x optical zoom and the built-in image stabilizer does a ...

Pros: Fast and responsive ; comfortable design ; decent movie capture ; flip and twist LCD ; fast, high-quality lens with effective optical image stabilisation

Cons: Tiny LCD ; lacks raw support ; faux wide-screen capture

Verdict: A very well-executed superzoom camera, the Canon PowerShot S3 IS reminds you why dSLRs still have competition for photo enthusiasts' hearts

Pros: Fast and responsive ; comfortable design ; decent movie capture ; flip and twist LCD ; fast, high-quality lens with effective optical image stabilization

Cons: Tiny LCD ; lacks raw support ; faux wide-screen capture

Verdict: A very well-executed megazoom camera, the Canon PowerShot S3 IS reminds you why dSLRs still have competition for photo enthusiasts' hearts.