Canon PowerShot S3 IS takes real movies? got one? how do you like it?

[ahhaa]

I need a better digital still camera, and due to locals ads for the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, I read up on it and found its quite a camera- not the least in that:

it takes full frame AVI movies with stereo sound & up to 30fps,
it has a 12X glass lens that works with image stabilization,
power system is based on AA batteries, not proprietary ones.

The reviews I found were all '1st look' types, and none went into issues that might arise after you've owned one a while. The sale price right now is about $350 which includes a 1G SD card.

On the still side, my initial questions are about the 6 meg max; I do a lot of B&W and am wondering what that output looks like, and if the LCD viewfinder (not the LCD screen) is OK in low light.

Also, it can be time-lapse controlled from the computer, but no discussion of that (useful for animation) or any other software function (like the movies) has been covered.

The software is an issue for me, my computer is very tempermental about conflicts; I'm also wondering about how that works in practice too. And as always, is there something with a better bang for the buck?

Thanks in advance!

[creakndale]

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/S3IS/S3ISA.HTM
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/s3is.html
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons3is/

[ahhaa]

thanks creak, but I've got most of the reviews from when the camera came out... preciate the effort tho!
They don't cover how the camera works out in practice- only gotten from a user after some time has passed- stuff like do the buttons start to stick, or the lens cap always fall off, or (like JVC) have a recallable fault.

afterthought: In the video world, an example would be the famous Ilo DVR... first look reviews were enthusiastic, then its gone from Malwarts, then Lite-On itself withdraws from consumer electronics.

[tekkieman]

Another member here (Dr. DOS) sent me samples from his S2. They were pretty impressive, so I bought the S3. I've had it for over a year now and love it. I find myself using the 320x240 mode only because it is "good enough" without eating SD cards every few minutes. The video is as acceptable, if not better than the old Hi-8 it replaced.

It does eat through batteries though.

[Conquest10]

They don't cover how the camera works out in practice-

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/canon-s3-review.shtml

[redwudz]

You might also look into the Nikons. I recently purchased one for one of our superintendents. He wanted a good zoom capability and I needed a camera that would work with AA cells. The cameras are for evidence and also everyday use and a rechargeable battery was not a viable option. I only played with it a little, and very little with the video function. http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25550

From what I have seen on most still cameras that also do video, it's not a great compromise. The video is often jerky and nowhere near in quality that I would expect from even a low end DV camcorder. It's OK in a pinch, but that's about it. This Nikon can also not zoom in video mode. I would check to see if the Canon has that ability, as it limits it's use for video. But it is a great still camera. The superintendent (And I) were really surprised with the zoom capabilities in still mode. I have a older Canon S400 (4 mega pixel) and it blows it away for image quality. 6 - 8 mega pixel is a huge improvement.

And yes, these cameras eat batteries. But you can find a AA battery most anywhere, just keep some spares.

And I would also recommend a good camera pouch. I use Lowe Pro: http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Camera_Pouches/designed_digital/

They have allowed several of our cameras to survive a 4 foot drop to the ground with no damage. Very compact also. And with a compact camera, it all has to be small enough to carry all the time, then you will use it more.

[tekkieman]

The S3 does allow zoom during movie capture. It was one feature I insisted on before purchasing.

[SingSing]

At a few outings taht I did not brought my miniDv cam. I used the canon camera A700 to shoot the video with a 2GB card. The result is very good.

Note : you need an encoeder like to TMPGENC to convert the video to play on DVD players.

[ahhaa]

Thanks guys- that's more like it!
C10: great review! thanks, that duck photo is impressive~!
tekkieman: how is the software that comes with? or do you use it? I'm an old darkroom type & really miss B&W grain etc; plus I'm wondering about just waiting for the HDTV thing to settle out & get a camcorder that takes stills!:]
I know about eating batteries and feel a bit guilty about not using rechargables, but the S3 supposedly works OK on'em (but what about when they aren't brand new?)
red: I'd prefer a Nikon really, or the Sony Alpha... but the S3 caught my eye because it has a 12X image stabilized zoom !

[ahhaa]

yknow... with cameras converging like they are (even being used as audio recorders), mebbe we could use a new section here?

[ahhaa]

heh heh... just found this at C10's review link:
If you've ever used other super-zoom digicams, whose lenses extend when zoomed as if they'd been given a heavy dose of Viagra

[redwudz]

Yes, they have made vast improvements in those little digital cameras in the last couple of years. The Canon S400 I have was one of the first of that model imported into the US. I am amazed at the picture quality of the 7+ megapixel cameras on the market these days. You are right about the telephoto mode extending out, sometimes 2 - 3 inches.

I still have a full size 35MM Canon system in my closet. All the way from 28mm to 500mm lenses. Big and bulky, but takes great photos. My digital fits in my pocket, I take it everywhere and I use it all the time. That's the big difference.

Most cameras that use AA cells can also use rechargeable. The camera usually has a internal selector to set it for the battery type used. Our cameras tend to stay in a glove box for up to a month without use. That's one major reason for using disposable batteries.

We've discussed a still camera section for our site, but there are plenty of other forums on the web that already cover that in detail.

If you have any thoughts of using any small camera for video, get a tripod. Either that or will you will get motion sickness trying to watch it. They are very hard to hold and produce a smooth looking video.

I would also pick up a SD, or whatever format used, card reader. It will save a lot of time. Most use the USB port.

Get a few extra cards and you should be good to go.

[Conquest10]

At a few outings taht I did not brought my miniDv cam. I used the canon camera A700 to shoot the video with a 2GB card. The result is very good.

Note : you need an encoeder like to TMPGENC to convert the video to play on DVD players.

Yes, digicam video can be very good. One of the good things is that the video is mostly (if not all) shot progressive. Most budget dv cams do not do that. The bad part is that you only get about 7-10 minutes video on a 1 gig card.

[trhouse]

Nikons do a digital zoom for video. Here is a short clip from a Nikon Coolpix L6. It is a Quicktime .mov file. About 1 MB/sec. With a 2 GB SD card, about 1/2 hour of video at 640 by 480 at 30 frames/sec.



dscn0204.mov

[redwudz]

trhouse, I had just tried the regular zoom, not the digital part. I'll have to check into that. I don't use those Nikon cameras myself, I have my own. I just bought them, set them up, then passed them out.

[trhouse]

Redwudz,

I am not sure how the L5 works but the L6 zoom controls automaticallly go to digital zoom in movie mode. While zooming it is completely silent and the lens does not move in/out.

One of the L6 drawbacks is that autofocus cannot be turned off. The sound of it focusing gets recorded in movie mode. I suspect that is why digital zoom is used, because the optical zoom noise is pretty noticeable.

[ahhaa]

Red: sounds like you know your stuff!:]
My thought for VH was just that these extra vid features are rarely covered in depth- either in still forums or by manufacturers manuals.
Regarding the S3, it apparently has an ultrasonic drive, so the 12X optical is dead silent & usable while filming. Sound is stereo, but no aux jack.
But... the camera is an updated S2 & seems pricey for a 6 meg model.

[trhouse]

I set my Nikon L6 on a window sill and let it run in 640 x 480, 30 fps until it ran out of memory and shut down.

Here are a few notes.

1. It used 1.51 GB of memory in 25 minutes and 51 seconds ( there were still photos in the SD, 2 GB memory card already ) or about 961 KB/sec for video.

2. It took almost as long to transfer the data file into the computer, so the USB transfer rate is about 8 Mbits/sec.

3. I started with two, charged NIMH, 2,500 mAh batteries but the low battery indicator was on after the 26 minutes of video.

USB2 has three implementations. Low speed ( 1.5 Mbits/sec ), Full speed ( 12 Mbits/sec ), and High speed ( up to 480 Mbits/sec ). These are the limits, in practice the speeds will not be as high. It seems that the Nikon is a Full speed implementation.

One of "creakndales" references indicates the Canon creates an AVI file of 37.3 MB in 19 seconds or 1.96 MB/sec or about 16 Mbits/sec. The Canon will need a High speed implementation of USB to get the video out in a reasonable time or it might not matter much since the same reference says the video is limited to 1 GB which is about eight minutes.

[redwudz]

trhouse, was that transfer time over the USB cable from the camera? I haven't timed it, but transfers using the SD or CF card in a card reader with USB access seem faster. Also easier on the camera batteries.

[trhouse]

It took 25 minutes to transfer from the Nikon L6 to the computer. I tested the transfer using a Sandisk SD card reader & writer. It took seven minutes to download the same file to the computer using the reader.

I am a bit annoyed however. This was supposed to be X60 memory which means it should have downloaded in about three minutes. The next step is to determine if it is the reader, the memory, or something else limiting the speed since X60 memory should transfer at 9 MB/sec.

Do not forget that garden variety SD memory is not great in the speed. Typical of standard SD memory is 5 MB/sec read and only 1.5 MB/sec write so a Canon with 1.96 MB/sec output to video may choke.

[ahhaa]

Thanks, TR; this is vital info for me, as the current 'deal' is $350 for the S3 & an unnamed 1G SD card.

[RabidDog]

AFAIK regarding USB the three versions you refer to are low speed (usb1.0) not used at all, full speed (usb1.1) older, hi-speed usb2.0 newer. The speed monikers are there to deliberately fool people. And of course you never get the quoted speeds. I was interested in the computer control detail??

[trhouse]

I was interested in the computer control detail??

I am not sure to what you are referring.

[ahhaa]

well... off I went (an hours drive thru construction) to do a hands on with the S3 deal at Circuit City.
Nice camera in every way, but there was this Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7K which was $204 instead of the $350 for the S3
Larger viewfinder, but proprietary battery; Leica lens but noisier high ISOs (per reviews); 12X optical zoom like the S3 but only a 90 day warranty?

both 6 megapixels... didn't buy, back to the reviews... so confused over sensor size vs rated pixels , hard to check things out when you can't take a snap!

Will try to check that warranty length tomorrow, that $150 might go a ways towards a 10-12 meg camera in the future, butr dang! the Canon is a solid little beauty!

RD- I read a single phrase in one of the S3 reviews about its software doing that- they never review the software capabilities... another thing it could do was stitch panoramas and also the 1G videos together. You could perhaps find out more dl'ing the manual...