Canon PowerShot S3 IS Review

Overall Rating

Best digital camera for the money

none

Canon put all their knowledge in the Powershot S2 to
make it a very fast digital compact camera. It is very responsive and
2.4 fps in continuous mode without limit is a unique feature for this
type of camera. Auto focus is fast, also in low-light conditions.
Zooming from full wide-angle to full tele AF will take some time.


The camera is very responsive and reacts instantaneous. Exposure
and parameters such as ISO, white balance and exposure compensation are set intuitively with the main mode dial and the function button.


The Powershot S2 is also positioned as a movie camera. Quality
(640x480 resolution, 30 fps) and features (stereo sound and zoom) are very good. The only limitation is the maximum file size of 1 GB. During movie recording one can take stills at high resolution. The movie mode will be interrupted for a moment.


Though video isn't a main feature on this kind of still cameras,
the quality of the avi-movies of the Power shot S2 is stunning and
therefore a very good plus. It is suitable for beginners and more
advanced photographers and are extremely useful for candids, nature-and travel photography, as well as taking pictures at concerts and indoor events


Color and exposure:

The Power shot S2 delivers good colors and white balance tends to
make them a bit warm and saturated. This can be modified in-camera.

Exposure is progressive, delivering bright pictures, but keeping the
highlights within range.


Sharpness:

Hand held pictures at 432 mm are razor-sharp. In the rest of the
zoom- and aperture range sharpness is acceptable with signs of over sharpening. The in-camera setting can solve this problem.


Lens distortion:

A zoom lens of this focus range can suffer from many deviations:
chromatic aberration, distortions, vignette and unsharpness. The
Powershot S2 handles all these problems at a very acceptable level and seldom one of those issues is unacceptable manifest.


Noise:

Canon seems to keep noise reduction very modest. Noise is therefore noticeable above ISO 100, but detail is maintained. With a noise filter one can reduce noise in the post-processing. At ISO 400 all pictures are usable for prints of 8" x 6" or smaller.