Canon Powershot S3 IS

[Pic Courtesy dpreview]

I finally upgraded my A510 and became the owner of a Canon Powershot S3 IS yesterday. Longtime readers will remember that the last time I was shopping around for a camera, I had picked the Powershot S2 IS as my dream camera. So it was natural that the S3 IS, Canon's upgrade(relatively minor one though) to the S2 IS, was my dream pick this time around. I eventually ended up buying the A510 last time due to budget restrictions but this time, the dream became real and the S3 IS is now in my hands.

Unlike the last time, the selection process was pretty short this time. Having decided on the "ultra-zoom, compact" category, there weren't as many entries to consider as the last time. Based on the reviews, the only real competition to the S3 IS came from Sony's DSC-H2 and Panasonic's DMZ-FZ7. I didn't consider the latter much but the former has gotten great reviews and since it is cheaper, uses only 2 AA batteries and comes with rechargeable batteries and a charger, it provides more bang for the buck. But the A510 has made me wary of cameras using only 2 AAs since the flash takes a while to recharge and I had to wait a frustrating 4-5 seconds between shots when using the flash (this was a huge pain any time I had to pictures indoors). And my partiality to Canon when it comes to cameras finally made me go with the S3 IS.

The S3 IS is no D-SLR but comes pretty close. It has 6 MP resolution and a huge 12X optical zoom. Unlike the S2 IS, which came only in silver, the S3 IS also comes in black. It has image stabilization, which is crucial when using the large zoom, and its 'super' macro mode allows macro shots at distances of 0cm! Ofcourse it has all the usual bells and whistles like full manual controls, preset modes for fireworks, snow, etc., an AF-assist lamp and a flip-out LCD. There are also some 'cool' features like the ability to snap a photo with only 1 color(all other colors show up as black & white) or take a photo with 1 color swapped with another. Improvements over the S2 IS also include a live histrogram when taking pictures. I pretty much never use the movie mode on cameras but the one on this camera is supposed to be the best in the business.

Let the clicking begin!