Canon Power Shot Pro Series S3 IS offers its users the performance of a SLR camera and digital capabilities of the Power Shots, both rolled into one. The grip is handy and the outer body of Pro Series S3 is stylishly done in gunmetal gray. The image quality is very sharp both for upfront and far objects assisted by an extra long nearly soundless zoom that takes up little physical space coupled with the generous wide angle. The Pro Series S3 IS lens incorporates the leading technology of the Canon professional EF lenses. The ultra low dispersion lens element dramatically reduces chromatic aberration in telephoto images. The movie mode is even more easily accessible with the press of a button and is packed with advanced features that can give an average camcorder a run for its money. It is equipped with a quality sound recorder and noise filter. There is a lot of flexibility of customization with manual adjustments with Pro Series S3, a welcome relief for advanced photographers. The Canon S3 supports both the disposable alkaline and the rechargeable battery options. The control menus have been laid out to allow easy access for most important photographic controls. There is also a user customizable button that can be assigned functions that are repetitively used.
The Pro Series S3 lacks the battery indicator for power consumption. The LCD screen is relatively small though with high resolution. The movie-recording mode supports only the JPG format that takes up a lot of storage space on the memory card. The default color setting is a little towards the red that may cause some fringing and requires manual adjustments. Though Pro Series S3 is a multipurpose camera with great image quality it certainly is not the best fit for sports and wildlife photographers.
The Canon Power Shot Pro Series S3 can easily be labeled as the pocket digicam given its small size and long zoom.
Product Description
The sleek Power Shot S3 IS digital camera offers you high resolution, an extra-long 12x zoom, advanced yet easy-to-use movie functions plus great new shooting options. The exclusive “MovieSnap” feature allows you to take a full 6 Megapixel still image at any time while you are recording a movie. Also, with Image Stabilizer technology, images and movies taken with the S3 IS are sharp and smooth, even when the camera gets jostled. It’s everything you need to capture the fun, excitement and beauty of your active life – wherever it takes you! Shooting Specs – 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; Self-Timer – 2-sec/10-sec, Custom; Continuous Shooting at up to 2.3fps Built-in Flash controls – Auto, Auto w/ Red-Eye Reduction, Flash On, Flash On w/ Red-Eye Reduction, Flash Off SD/MMC Memory card slot A 16MB SD Card is included, however we suggest purchasing an Optional 1GB memory card. It will allow you to store a lot more video and images, as well as take advantage of the camera’s high Resolution abilities. Interfaces – USB 2.0, A/V output (NTSC/PAL) Print directly to Canon CP/SELPHY Compact and PIXMA Photo Printers as well as PictBridge compatible printers via the included USB 2.0 cable with the need for a computer! Approximate Unit Dimensions – (WxHxD) 4.46 x 3.07 2.97; Unit Weight – 14.5 oz. (Body without battery and memory card)
Technical Details
6.0-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 14 x 19-inch prints
12x optical zoom lens with USM and UD lens element; 2.0-inch vari-angle LCD display
20 shooting modes and My Colors photo effects
DIGIC II, iSAPS, and Flexizone AF/AE for fast, precise results; 2.3-frame-per-second continuous shooting performance
Powered by 4 AA-size batteries (alkaline batteries supplied); stores images on SD memory cards (16 MB card included)
