Has anyone had any experience with this cam?

[LevelSevenCivic]

So, my birthday is right around the corner and my parents are willing to get me a new camera. My current cam is a Canon PowerShot A80. I've loved this camera from day one and my parents want to take it off my hands as well. I was looking at the current cameras out there and there's one that really catches my eye. Just want to get some opinions on it.

Canon PowerShot S3 IS
New Egg seems to have a really nice deal for 370 dollars. Comes with the camera (obviously), 1GB SD card, tripod, cleaning kit, case, multi-card reader, and battery charger(with 4 extra batteries)

Here's the link to the camera on Newegg.com - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16830120043

Specs (copy paste > me):

General
Brand Canon
Model S3 IS
Series PowerShot S Series
Color Black
Weight 14.5 oz. (410g) camera body only
Dimensions 4.46" x 3.07" x 2.97" (113.4 x 78.0 x 75.5mm)
Type SLR-like
Image Sensor
Image Sensor 1/2.5" CCD
Gross Pixels 6.2 MP
Effective Pixels 6.0 MP
Sensitivity Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80/100/200/400/800 equivalent
Resolution 2,816 x 2,112
Functions
Image Stabilization Optical Image Stabilizer
Lens
Optical Zoom 12X
Digital Zoom 4X
Focal Length 6.0-72.0mm (35mm film equivalent: 36-432mm)
Aperture f/2.7 (W) - f/3.5 (T)
Shutter Speed 15s - 1/3200s (settable in Tv or M)
Focus
Focus Type TTL Autofocus (continuous/single)
Auto Focus Yes
Normal Focus Range 1.6 ft./50cm - infinity (WIDE), 3.0 ft./90cm - infinity (TELE)
Macro Focus Range 3.9 in. - 1.6 ft./10 - 50cm (WIDE)
Super Macro: 0 - 3.9 in./0 - 10cm (WIDE)
Flash
Flash Mode Auto, Auto w/ Red-Eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On w/ Red-Eye Reduction, Flash Off
Flash Range Normal: 1.6 - 17 ft./50cm - 5.2m (W), 3.0 - 13 ft./90cm - 4.0m (T)
Macro: 1.0 - 1.6 ft./30 - 50cm (W) (when sensitivity is set to ISO Auto
Exposure
Exposure Control Program AE, Shutter Speed-Priority AE, Aperture-Priority AE, Manual; AE Lock is available
Exposure Compensation -2 EV to +2 EV in 1/3 steps
Metering System Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot (Metering frame is fixed to the center or linked to the AF frame)
Functions
White Balance Auto, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash), Custom
File Formats JPEG (EXIF 2.2)
Continuous Drive High-speed: approx. 2.3 fps,
Normal: approx. 1.5 fps
Tripod Mount Supported
Self-timer 2s/10s/Custom
Shooting Modes Auto; Creative: P, Av, Tv, M, C; Image: Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Sports, Special Scene (Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Indoor, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, Color Swap), My Colors, Stitch Assist, Movie
Viewfinder Low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color viewfinder
LCD 2.0" 115K
Movie
Movie Format AVI (Image: Motion JPEG; Audio: WAVE (Stereo))
Movie Recording 640 x 480 @ 30 fps/15 fps, 320 x 240 @ 60 fps/30 fps/15 fps available up to 1GB
Recording Media
Storage Media SD / MMC Card
Interface
USB USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (mini-B jack)
A/V Out Yes
Mic Yes
Battery
Battery Type 1. AA-size Alkaline Battery (x4)
2. Rechargeable AA-size Ni-MH Battery (x4)
Battery Life approx. 110 shots (AA-size Alkaline Battery), approx. 550 shots (AA-size Ni-MH Battery)
Packaging
Package Contents PowerShot S3 IS Body
AA-size Alkaline Battery (x4)
SD Memory Card SDC-16MB
Lens Cap
Neck Strap NS-DC4
Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM
USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU
Stereo Video Cable STV-250N



If you've had any experience at all with this camera, please, let me know what you think of it

[SuperAkuma]

Generally you can't go wrong with a Canon Camera. That IS3 is a great all around camera if you don't mind the size of it. Also because it has such a high optical zoom Image Stablization is imporant and this camera has it.

Also another thing that I liked about this camera is the LCD is able to swing out. It really helps when you are shooting at a odd angle or doing macro shots. If you do videos, this is the only super zoom camera that is able to zoom while you are filming which is another plus.

If you are buying it from newegg.com I don't think they come with the recharable AA battery. It only listed that you CAN USE recharable AA battery. You might want to double check on that. I think it only comes with 4 alkaline AA battery which is worthless. I would highly recommond you buy recharable battery if it does not come with it.

[ekkkk]

Its a nice camera indeeed. It will probably be cheaper though cause they just announced the S5 IS .. new model for the S3 so the S3 should drop in price once the S5 is released ...

Unless you wanna go for the S5

Manufacturer: Canon USA, Inc.
Model name: PowerShot S5 IS
Date announced: 2007-05-07
MSRP: $499
Official site:

Max resolution: 3264 x 2448 (8 Megapixel)
Zoom capability: 12X optical + 4X digital
Focal length (35mm equiv.): 36mm - 432mm
Max. Aperture: F2.7 - F3.5
Supports conversion lenses: Yes
Auto focus: Yes
AF-assist lamp: Yes
Optical image stabilization: Yes
Macro (min. distance): Yes (0 cm)
LCD display: Yes/2.5"
Built-in flash: Yes
External flash support: Yes

Manual controls: Exposure compensation, shutter speed, aperture, white balance, focus
ISO sensitivity: 80/100/200/400/800/1600
Movie mode (format): Yes (AVI)
Movie resolutions (recording limit): 640 x 480
Sound recording: Yes
RAW/TIFF mode: No
PictBridge support: Yes

Storage method: SD/SDHC/MMC card (32MB card included) Buy more memory now!
Storage capacity (w/included card):

Video out: Yes
USB support: Yes (2.0)
Batteries used: AA (4) Buy batteries now!
Computer supported: Mac/PC
Dimensions (W x H x D): 116.8 x 81.3 x 78.7 mm / 4.6 x 3.2 x 3.1 in
Weight (empty): 450 g / 15.9 oz
Bundled software: Canon Digital Camera Solutions

Misc. notes: LCD can flip out to the side and rotate 270 degrees. Stereo sound recording.