New S3 IS!!!!!

[Aray_Of_Art]

I'm just so excited, my order S3 IS just came, and I have to share a test shot :lol:
I feel like I'm going to send a rock to the moon with all the shiny buttens I now have. But I can't wait to see what they all do. :D

....so thanks for humoring me.

"http://www.picturehosting.org/images/Rayes/firstpicfroms3is.jpg"

[Sittingshooter]

Congrats on the camera as well as your first shot. The S3IS id a great camera, and you will love it....

[spur]

I would say your test shot gets an A+. When you learn all the buttons your going to be dangerous.:) Moving from an A95 to the S3 should be super easy for you. You already know the terminology and most of what each button does. Your going to love the S3.
You have some great shots in your gallery. Did you take any of the courses over there or are you an artist?

[Aray_Of_Art]

You have some great shots in your gallery. Did you take any of the courses over there or are you an artist?

Thanks for the complement! :cool: I'm still learning...and boy is there lots to learn! ;) I am not quite sure how to answer your question; I have not taken any courses from BetterPhoto, at the moment I'm just trying to find my style, etc.
And as for "artist"...well, I hope I am photography wise. I am most definitely am an artist; watercolor, pen & ink respect.

And thanks for the encouragement Sittingshooter! I can't wait to learn all those buttons!

[Canon Guy]

Have fun. I moved from an A80 to the S3 and am finding new things to do with it every day.

[Aray_Of_Art]

Thanks Canon Guy! I am just being blown away at all the stuff I have to use now! Can't wait to get out there and start shooting :)

[Broadway53]

I bought my S3 about three weeks ago and LOVE it! Read and re-read the instruction manual, download the basic guide from canon.com and print it, and then have fun. I've been playing with the Super Macro and can't believe the quality of the shots. It's going to be a while before I get tired of playing with my new toy!

[snowrdr]

Thanks Canon Guy! I am just being blown away at all the stuff I have to use now! Can't wait to get out there and start shooting :)

Ha ha, you sound like me when I switched from an A95 to my S2IS! :mrgreen:

Have fun and enjoy your new S3. :D

[Aray_Of_Art]

Thanks everyone for your comments :D

And Snowrdr, you have got a BEAUTIFUL shot of that Kestrel, the details are lovely!

[russj100]

I bought my S3 about three weeks ago and LOVE it! Read and re-read the instruction manual, download the basic guide from canon.com and print it, and then have fun. I've been playing with the Super Macro and can't believe the quality of the shots. It's going to be a while before I get tired of playing with my new toy!

Hi Broadway,

Could you or someone be a little more specific as to how I can find the "basic guide" you refer to....please?

Thanks!

[mplavnik]

Hey guys,
I can't believe you are so excited about your S3 IS. I can't seem to be able to get great shots out of it. Today was a sunny day and I took a bunch of pictures of my daughter - they came out grainy and not quite in focus. PLEASE HELP! I'm almost thinking about returning it and trying Sony's H5. Please see the attached photo. Here's exif info:

File Name IMG_0330_1.jpg
Camera Model Name Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Shooting Date/Time 7/16/2006 2:40:00 AM
Shooting Mode Program AE
My Colors Mode Off
Tv (Shutter Speed) 1/60
Av (Aperture Value) 2.7
Light Metering Evaluative
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed Auto
Lens 6.0 - 72.0 mm
Focal Length 6.0 mm
Digital Zoom None
IS Mode Shoot Only
Image Size 2112x2816
Image Quality Superfine
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation 0
Red-eye On
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain
White Balance Auto
AF Mode Continuous AF
Parameters Contrast Normal
Sharpness Normal
Saturation Normal
Color Space sRGB
File Size 843 KB
Drive Mode Single-frame shooting

[Broadway53]

The Basic Guide for the Canon S3 can be downloaded in Adobe using the following link:

http://alpha03u.c-wss.com/inc/ApplServlet?SV=WWUCA900

After downloading mine I wondered why Canon didn't include it in the box. It's a small handy reference.

[spur]

The Basic Guide for the Canon S3 can be downloaded in Adobe using the following link:

http://alpha03u.c-wss.com/inc/ApplServlet?SV=WWUCA900

After downloading mine I wondered why Canon didn't include it in the box. It's a small handy reference.

That Basic Guide came in the box for my S3. It's the one your supposed to read first. What I like about the Guides in PDF is that you can search with them and enlarge them for easier reading.

The link does not work for me, it says page can't be found. Try: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=SupportDetailAct&fcategoryid=223&modelid=13077. Then under downloads select Product/Software Manuals will take you there. There are alot of useful links on the page above if you have an S3 IS. It would be handy to have in your favorites incase you have a question you want a quick answer to.

[Aray_Of_Art]

Hey guys,
I can't believe you are so excited about your S3 IS. I can't seem to be able to get great shots out of it. Today was a sunny day and I took a bunch of pictures of my daughter - they came out grainy and not quite in focus. PLEASE HELP! I'm almost thinking about returning it and trying Sony's H5. Please see the attached photo. Here's exif info:

File Name IMG_0330_1.jpg
Camera Model Name Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Shooting Date/Time 7/16/2006 2:40:00 AM
Shooting Mode Program AE
My Colors Mode Off
Tv (Shutter Speed) 1/60
Av (Aperture Value) 2.7
Light Metering Evaluative
Exposure Compensation 0
ISO Speed Auto
Lens 6.0 - 72.0 mm
Focal Length 6.0 mm
Digital Zoom None
IS Mode Shoot Only
Image Size 2112x2816
Image Quality Superfine
Flash On
Flash Type Built-In Flash
Flash Exposure Compensation 0
Red-eye On
Shutter curtain sync 1st-curtain
White Balance Auto
AF Mode Continuous AF
Parameters Contrast Normal
Sharpness Normal
Saturation Normal
Color Space sRGB
File Size 843 KB
Drive Mode Single-frame shooting


I am not expert, but looking at your shooting info there are a few things that occur to me;
1. I can't tell exactly what mode you shot in, I understand it to be shutter speed priority(Tv). I might have shot in in Av, and had a deep DOF(Try 8 or 11).
2. The Auto ISO might have jumped too high, I can't tell from your shooting info. It shouldn't seeing as all the light you had. (Out doors with a flash. Right?) If it did that might make your pic grainy.
3. Useing "Light Metering Evaluate" might be the wrong lighting setting for how you where shooting.
4. As much as I hate to say it, you might have needed to try a tripod.

Again, I'm not an expert. But I might try playing around with the settings and learn the DOF/speed for those settings, just to find where about the "sweet spot" is. And my best guess for your pics being grainy/soft would be the DOF was off, and maybe a jump up in the Auto ISO. Hope this helps, at least a little. :)

[mplavnik]

THANK YOU SO MUCH. most people suggested ISO and DOF could be an issue. i'll try it out tonight...

Though, I didn't understand you comment:
Useing "Light Metering Evaluate" might be the wrong lighting setting for how you where shooting.

What should I use instead?

Thanks again

[Aray_Of_Art]

THANK YOU SO MUCH. most people suggested ISO and DOF could be an issue. i'll try it out tonight...

Though, I didn't understand you comment:
Useing "Light Metering Evaluate" might be the wrong lighting setting for how you where shooting.

What should I use instead?

Thanks again

I was unsure about the amout of light and where it was from, in your shot. That one you will have to look into. It's in the Advanced Camera User Guide on page 73. Depending on the light and where it comes from, will influence how the camera interprets it and then shoots accordingly.

[mplavnik]

It was pretty much natural light in my living room around 1 p.m... It was a sunny day, but I may have gotten a shadow. However, I forced the flash - didn't seem to help?!

[tracy]

hi aray, glad you like your new camera. where did you order it from? i have been thinking of getting a new camera but kind of shy away from mail order.

[tracy]

hi aray, i'm glad you likw your new s3. where did you order it from ? i was think of up grading from the s1 which i like very much. thanks

[Aray_Of_Art]

hi aray, glad you like your new camera. where did you order it from? i have been thinking of getting a new camera but kind of shy away from mail order.

I ordered mine from Amazon.com, they have the opiton of ordering from them or from another seller. Which can be cheaper. My camera I got for about $416, but you can get it on Amazon.com right now for $406.
As to ordering on line, Amazon.com has a pretty good return policy and most of their sellers have at least a 90% satisfaction rating. I've ordered a lot from Amazon and have as yet had no problems with them.

[Aray_Of_Art]

It was pretty much natural light in my living room around 1 p.m... It was a sunny day, but I may have gotten a shadow. However, I forced the flash - didn't seem to help?!

Then it may have been partly a metering problem. You have to make sure your light metering is right or the exposure will be off. Since you were set to "Evaluative" the user guide says it takes light from the whole view and meters for that. For the portrait you might have wanted Center-Weighted, that way the camera is working with the light from the whole view but puts the most importance on the center where the subject is.

I hope this will help. For me I have really learned and benefited from the book; "Understanding Exposure". (Revised Edition) It is very helpful in understanding the relationship between ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. And Bryan Pettrson puts things in a very easy to understand way.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817463003/sr=8-1/qid=1153173993/ref=sr_1_1/102-9137141-9548918?ie=UTF8

[mplavnik]

Thanks Aray of Art... Great suggestion. However, I forced the flash, so would it still matter? The flash fires regardless of the situation...

[Chris1le]

Though, I didn't understand you comment:
Useing "Light Metering Evaluate" might be the wrong lighting setting for how you where shooting.Thanks again

Try using spot metering. Evaluative measures everything in the viewfinder. Spot will meter a smaller area where your autofocus point is. Now that I think about it. What focus mode are you using? If it is on continuous switch it to single. Also set your ISO to 50. For some reason Canon does not tell you which ISO the camera used when in auto ISO.

[Aray_Of_Art]

Thanks Aray of Art... Great suggestion. However, I forced the flash, so would it still matter? The flash fires regardless of the situation...

I'm not quite sure what your question is. Metering is the camera reading the amout of light you have and then picking the exposure. So if you use the wrong metering option it doesn't mater if the flash fires or not, because the camera is reading the area of light wrong in the first place.
Just a suggestion, I would pick a spot for your pic that has plenty of light and not worry about using the flash. At least for right now.

[Aray_Of_Art]

I was just looking around and found these great tutorials on the web, and thought I'd share.
This one has great images and simple explanations.
http://www.photoxels.com/tutorial_aperture.html

...and this having to do more with film cameras, but the principles still apply.

http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/clickit/search?r_aid=6D3F0F2E0AF0409E927FAA167514FCF0&r_eop=7&r_sacop=18&r_spf=0&r_cop=main-title&r_snpp=12&r_spp=6&qqn=vmsYj7tw&r_coid=239138&rawto=http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/fototech/apershutter/aperture.htm