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Beginner canon


kimd

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Hi, first time here. I have a question about my camera. I bought it new in 2007 and haven't touched it since 2008. Its a canon powershot s3. is this still a camera that will take decent shots? Its still like new and works perfect. Just wondering if its worth dusting it off and using it until i can save up for something newer, just bite the bullet and buy a new one or if this will be enough for a while. Thank you for any input.
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canon powershot s3. is this still a camera that will take decent shots?

 

For sure.

Here are the specs on your S3

PowerShot S3 IS is a more advanced model succeeding the PowerShot S2 IS with a high-powered lens and enhanced movie taking functions.This camera is equipped with an approximately 6.0 million camera effective pixel 1/2.5-inch Charge Coupled Device (CCD). Also, with DIGIC II, higher resolution and high-speed processing were achieved and the startup time and response time were shortened. This camera is equipped with a 12x optical zoom lens, which covers a 35mm film equivalent focal length ranging from 36 mm (Wide Angle) to 432 mm (Telephoto), and has an f/2.7 (Wide Angle) – f/3.5 (Telephoto) aperture. By incorporating a UD (Ultra Low Dispersion) lens into the lens element, the chromatic aberration has been reduced. This model incorporates an image stabilizer, which reduces the effects of camera shake while shooting. In addition, the zoom lens’s super-smooth, super-fast ultra sonic motor (USM) provides all the zooming speed you need.

 

Marketed February 2006

PowerShot S3 IS - Canon Camera Museum

 

Its "shortcoming" is the 6 MP effective resolution, but there are enough "pixies" there to do a decent job.

 

If you do want to go for the advantages of a digital Single Lens Reflex with interchangeable lenses, there are lots of older , used EOS cameras that sell on eBay for cheap and generally are more "advanced" than the S3.

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You can get good prints with 6 megapixels. Your Max resolution: 2816 x 2112 pixels. At 300 dpi (just divide the resoulution by 300) you could print images up to 9.38 inches x 7.4 incches, and if you drop the dpi to 150 the print might look a little soft but could go 18.76 inches x 14.8 inches.

 

That is more resolution than the average person needs printing at the local drug store kios. You also can fill the average laptop computer screen or view images on a wide screen TV. It is more than enough res for social networks and on the web.

 

It is still good for the class of camera it is. Unless you are wanting a lot more from your photography in resolution for larger prints or serious cropping for usable crops with good resolution, moving toward pro-sumer and professional gear, you are still good for the average consumer.

Cheers, Mark
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is this still a camera that will take decent shots?
I don't know it personally, but, yes, why not? Today every old digital camera is either still the same as it used to be or starting to fall apart. The P&Ss I have laying around here are similar vintage as your Powershot or even older. - They have their limitations, I got them for dirt cheap but they are doing their job pretty well.

I doubt that enough camera development magic happened to shout for a blindfolded upgrade. Take what you have out and shoot it until you feel "hitting a wall" with it. - Your AF might be slower than a contemporary camera's and low light performance could be comparably bad too.

If my primary intention was to shoot either birds in flight or sports, I'd probably upgrade from what you have. But if you intend to shoot everything and the kitchen sink for blogging e-mailing or tablet screen presentation, whenever you stumble across a nice view your camera should manage the majority of all imaginable situations.

 

Take what you have. - Figure out what it does well and stick to that kind of photography for now. Also use your endless zoom range to determine what kind of lens you might like or need on a next camera.

Good pictures usually primary consist of a pleasant composition in appropriate light. There is a lot of stuff you can shoot.

There might have been a wee bit of progress in the field of in camera image processing somewhere but post processing isn't dead yet. - Learn and just do it.

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6mp's is perfect for 8x10's. I started my Canon digital adventure with a Canon Digital Rebel which is a 6mp camera, it included an 18-55 lens which is what I got started on and once I decided what lenses I wanted or thought I needed I starting adding lenses to my kit. No longer have the camera but still own most of the lenses which were all L lenses.
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Thanks everyone! Ill take it out and play with it a bit. I really want to get into photography more now. Not really sure where to start when looking at new cameras but i do know i love taking pictures so I will just start playing around with what i have. :) again thank you for your input.
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Thanks everyone! Ill take it out and play with it a bit. I really want to get into photography more now. Not really sure where to start when looking at new cameras but i do know i love taking pictures so I will just start playing around with what i have. :) again thank you for your input.

 

The place to start looking at new cameras is when you want to do something with your S3 and it can't take the photo you want. When that happens several times, you start looking for a camera that can meet those needs. Buying randomly without knowing why can be a frustrating experience, not to mention costly.

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Thanks everyone! Ill take it out and play with it a bit. I really want to get into photography more now. Not really sure where to start when looking at new cameras but i do know i love taking pictures so I will just start playing around with what i have. :) again thank you for your input.

 

Having a dedicated camera to take pictures with is only half of the creative process when doing digital photography (and, in modern times, can often be replaced with a capable cellphone). Your camera, as limited as it may be compared to modern P&Ss, or DSLRs, is still going to be able to write Jpegs (digital image files) which represent what was coming through the viewfinder, and has the capability to zoom optically (I recommend turning off any 'digital zoom' features if possible - as that usually simply crops the image), and has built in IS. Once you have those Jpegs on a computer, you can download software (free and otherwise) which will allow you to manipulate those images substantially. Modern digital photography, as a hobby (or as a profession), is as much about the creative process behind a computer screen as it is about the creative process behind the camera. Learning to manipulate the images with software is often as satisfying to the creative process as capturing an image 'in camera' which is as beautiful - and can yield imagery which is quite striking even with relatively 'primitive' digital cameras...

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