Received my new S3 IS and have a few questions....

[Mr. Bone88]

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum! :D I received my new S3 IS a few days ago and have been playing around with it. I have a question about pictures taken with the 12x optical zoom maxed out. I notice when I zoom in all the way and take a picture that it's soft or looks blurry and every picture I've taken this way has always been soft or blurry. Is this normal? The pictures I took were using max optical zoom, max resolution in the (P) mode at ISO 80. I have the digital zoom set to off so that's not what's doing it. I have set the settings to the following:

Menu Settings:

Flash Sync: 1st-curtain
Slow Synchro: Off
Red-Eye: On
Cont. Shooting: The squares without the "H"
Self-timer: 10
Spot AE Point: Center
MF-Point Zoom: On
AF Mode: Single
AF-assist Beam: On
Tally Lamp: On
Digital Zoom: Off
Review: 2 sec
Reverse Disp: On
IS Mode: Shoot Only
Converter: Off

Function Settings:

Exp: -1/3
AWB: Auto
My Colors: Off
BKT: Off
Flash: 0
Evaluative
Res: (L) 2816x2112 Also Superfine

Here are four of pictures that I took so you can see them. They are straight from the camera with nothing done to them. Please allow time for them to load since they are large in file size:

Pic #1 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6329.JPG)
Pic #2 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6334.JPG)
Pic #3 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6342.JPG)
Pic #4 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6346.JPG)

Notice how they are soft and blurry? Why is this happening? I have IS on so you would think that would help with camera shake. Is it that my shutter speed is too slow? Is there something wrong with my new camera?

If I use the max zoom and shoot a picture of something that isn't as far away it looks better and sharper. So, it seems to have a problem taking sharp pictures of something that is of far distance. Have and ideas why this is happening? Thanks in advance for your help! :)

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

[tommykjensen]

Welcome to the forum.

What was the shutterspeeds? And at what aperture?

A general rule (without IS) is that the shutter should be minimum 1/focallength. So if focallength is 400 mm shutterspeed should be minimum 1/400 without IS. With IS you should be able to use slower shutterspeeds.

[Mr. Bone88]

Welcome to the forum.

What was the shutterspeeds? And at what aperture?

A general rule (without IS) is that the shutter should be minimum 1/focallength. So if focallength is 400 mm shutterspeed should be minimum 1/400 without IS. With IS you should be able to use slower shutterspeeds.
Hi Tommy,

Thanks for the welcome and info! :) Here's the EXIF data for each picture:

Picture #1:

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Image Date: 2006:09:15 18:12:05
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 72.0mm
CCD Width: 5.71mm
Exposure Time: 0.0040 s (1/250)
Aperture: f/3.5
Exposure Bias: -0.33
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure Mode: Manual

Picture #2:

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Image Date: 2006:09:15 18:12:51
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 72.0mm
CCD Width: 5.71mm
Exposure Time: 0.0040 s (1/250)
Aperture: f/3.5
Exposure Bias: -0.33
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure Mode: Manual

Picture #3:

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Image Date: 2006:09:15 18:14:30
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 72.0mm
CCD Width: 5.71mm
Exposure Time: 0.0031 s (1/320)
Aperture: f/3.5
Exposure Bias: -0.33
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure Mode: Manual

Picture #4:

Camera Make: Canon
Camera Model: Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Image Date: 2006:09:15 18:15:11
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 72.0mm
CCD Width: 5.71mm
Exposure Time: 0.0025 s (1/400)
Aperture: f/3.5
Exposure Bias: -0.33
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure Mode: Manual

I'm just wondering if my camera is having a focusing problem. I notice that sometimes when the camera beeps twice and gives me the green box and I snap the picture it's blurry. So I'll push the button down again and it will focus again but this time give me a single beep with an orange box and then I try again and it gives me the green box again and will focus perfect. It's like my camera struggles to focus at times. When I had my A610 it would focus fast and hardly ever give me focusing problems. What do you think about my pictures and what might be the problem?

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

[DavidW]

EXIF is embedded, Tommy - the files look to be straight out of the camera.

It's not a shutter speed issue - particularly with IS engaged, the shutter speed is acceptable. Part of the problem is that you've forced the camera to f/3.5, which means you show the lens at its worst. Even worse, you have limited depth of field - DoFMaster (http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html) suggests that the hyperfocal distance for the S3 IS at 72mm (maximum zoom) at f/3.5 is 291 metres - in other words, you have to be focussed at infinity for infinity to be in focus. There's an argument that DoFMaster probably applies an unreasonably small CoC, but even so the lesson holds - even though we're used to small sensors having limited ability for selective focus, at the telephoto end of a superzoom, you can't forget depth of field considerations.

However, I can't find sharp focus anywhere in your pictures either - did you get an AF lock? What happens if you manually focus the camera on infinity?


I think this is more a technique error than a camera error. Drop to something like f/5.6 or even the minimum f/8 (though diffraction may well be a problem at f/8) and ideally use a tripod. Though higher ISO and IS may do the job in routine use, for testing, it's best to eliminate the possibility of camera shake - so use a tripod and fire the camera using the timer. Ensure you have an AF lock, and I'd also experiment with manual focus on infinity.


Your follow-up post (which came in just when I was about to post this) indicates AF lock issues, as I suspected. The autofocus system on cameras like the S3 IS relies on contrast to perform as it's a contrast optimisation system - there's no phase detection such as is found on DSLRs (though even DSLR focus systems can fail to work if there's insufficient contrast at the focus point). Find an area with contrast to focus on, or manually focus on infinity.


I don't own a superzoom - but hopefully this will give you a start.



David

[SaNdMaN82]

Hi there...

I own an s2, so i'm close enough :P

I think there's is a problem with your technique. Let's try some thing out, so we can discard (or not) if your cam has a problem:

At 6x, for instance... Are all the pics blurry?. Does the problem appear when you are near the 12x?. If this is a yes, maybe you're pushing the button, and shakin' a bit the camera (at 12x, it's noticable each movement).
Set the camera at AUTO (so it'll "take alll the decisions")... Again, point and shoot at 12x. Any luck?
Put the camera on a chair, or table... Or a window (be carefull now :P) (of course, if you've a tripod, that'd be ideal). Set the 2 sec timmer, and take a pic at 12x. What about now?, did the photo come out as it should be?
What these test are lookin' for, is to eliminate the hand shake problem... It requires a special technique to avoid shaking the camera when pressin' the button... I've no problem taking 12x photos, they come out sharp (have no sample right now).

And, an importan thing. I don't know about the s3, but my s2 something (just sometimes), at 12x, needs 2 or 3 pre-focus attempts to get the focus right... I've read somewhere, that it's normal....

But, if your wide angle shots are ok, maybe your camera isn't faulty....

[Heist]

i think one of the biggest problems is that you're shooting at 12x (72mm). However I some how got a great shot of Andy Pettite warming up in the bullpen even WITH digital zoom.... guess my hand was really steady... LOL

I've noticed that the camera isnt all that great at that focal length compared to shorter zooms

also as sandman says above... get the camera on a tripod and a set the 2sec timer... that should eliminate most of the problems right there!

Looks like you're in Palmdale or some other windswept arid area of southern california, how close am I?

[Jon]

The other thing I'd guess is that you're holding the camera out so you can see the back LCD; try using the EVF instead; you'll have a steadier hold that way.

[3drcpilot]

I'm totally new to this also to a degree. When I saw your pics I though ' M mode, increase the f/, set shutter for exposure, and set the focus on spot, IS in 'shoot only and 2 sec delay timer'.
That distance, focus, many objects game was a great learning experience for me. Finding what to turn the box green on took a little practice at 12x. Manual focus was also played with and figured out soon enough. It will work, justs takes time, which was the fun part for me anyways. JMHO

[Mr. Bone88]

Hi everyone,

I would like to thank you all for your help! :) I'm not really sure what's going on with my camera. I tested it out again today and ended up with the same soft blurry pictures. I didn't use a tripod although I have one sitting here that I'll try tomorrow. I shot pictures today in full auto mode and they came out the same way. I shot some on TV mode and manual mode and the same. I just thinking that my camera might have a problem focusing when using the max optical zoom. I can shoot subjects that like 5 feet to maybe 15 feet with max zoom fine and the pictures are nice. To have the camera do the same thing in full auto mode is strange. Who knows, maybe it is me moving while shooting the pictures. But if I were moving then why are my closer shots with max zoom nice?

This camera is so different than the A610 I had. My A610 would focus fast and take nice sharp pictures with max zoom and everything. And it didn't even have the IS either. When I bought this camera I thought that it was going to be a lot better than the A610, but I'm starting to think differently now. It just seems that my S3 takes longer to focus and sometimes it seems to be struggling to focus. One thing I did notice is that with my A610 I was able to aim at the hills way in the distance and it would focus and give me the beeps and green box giving me the ok to shoot. When I aim on those same hills in the distance about 95% of the time it can't focus on the hills and gives me the orange box and isn't focused that well. Why is this? How is it that my S3 camera is a newer camera than the A610 I had and not able to even keep up with the it? Anyhow, I'll try shooting tomorrow with my tripod and see what happens. I would really hate to take my tripod with me everywhere I go to get a good shot in. I didn't have to do that with my other camera. Thanks again for all your help!

Take care,
-Mr. Bone88

[tommykjensen]

What you have to remember is when zooming to max any movement of the camera is magnified. So when shooting in wide mode the movements will have much less effect than when zoomed to max.

Later today I will try and take a testshot with my S3IS.

[SaNdMaN82]

Mmm.... i really don't know why if you're using the 12x at closer subjetcs, the pics come out right, and if you try to focus on distant things, they turn to be blury... But, this can be because of the distance it self... I mean, if your handshake (let's be simple, i'll say 1 degree) swings up-down the camera about 1 degree, that 1 degree at 5 meters, represents a certain distance of deflection... At, i don't know... Let's say 150 meters, or even more, that 1 degree, over 150 meters'd cause the image to be completely blurry because the deflection is even greater... I'd think that's why you're getting good results on focusin' on closer objetcs, but bad ones when focusin' on distant objects....

But, you have to keep something in mind. You are comparing the a610 with the s3, and that's a mistake. I mean, you are putting right side by side, a 4x optical non-IS and a 12x IS camera.... The hand shake is incredibly less noticable at 4x than 12x (that's why most superzoom cameras have IS).

And, i've read somewhere, the explanation for the focusing delay at max zoom. But, as i said before, i've an s2, and have no problem at all at shooting distant objetcs... I've no sample right now, but you can take my word. What i do notice, is that the more zoom you use, the higher % chances of getting the orange box... But, i've noticed that's also due to light conditions...

You don't need a tripod to test this... Just place the camera on some firm surface, such as a table or chair.... Use the 2sec delay, and see what happens. If, with no handshake, pics are still coming out blurry, i'd think it's your camera, not your handshake....

[RossW]

Your pictures linked in the first post may be somewhat soft due to a lack of contrast and/or sharp edges in the subjects. That sort of image often confuses auto focus systems... they like brightly lit objects with edges and contrast to focus upon. Were your better shots more like that? It's also possible the multi focus aspect of the camera was wandering a bit... can the S3 be set to use a single focus point instead? There are some complaints about DSLR focusing being better with a single point instead of multi.

[jlake1234]

Hi
I have almost exactly the same problem - occasionally i get a reasonably sharp photo out of the camera, but most times i have to apply an unsharp mask in photoshop.
Post your "best" photo just so we have an idea of the range of your camera.
Post a closeup and a macro. Still life is fine.
I have an S3 and have the same complaints. The noise and artifacting in your pics are similar to mine.
thnx
c

[Mr. Bone88]

Hi
I have almost exactly the same problem - occasionally i get a reasonably sharp photo out of the camera, but most times i have to apply an unsharp mask in photoshop.
Post your "best" photo just so we have an idea of the range of your camera.
Post a closeup and a macro. Still life is fine.
I have an S3 and have the same complaints. The noise and artifacting in your pics are similar to mine.
thnx
c
Hi c,

Sorry to hear that you're going through the same thing. I'm wondering if there was a bad batch of S3 IS cameras shipped out. I wonder if Canon knows about this and that's why the sharp price drop for the S3 IS. I really don't know, but now that makes two of us with pretty much the same problem.

I would like to thank you all again for your help! :) Well, today I took some more shots and guess what? Yep, the same problem! All shots were taken with my camera on a tripod at max optical zoom. I shot in full auto mode, P mode, with IS and without IS and all were soft and blurry except for shooting at max optical zoom at subjects that were about 8 to 12 feet. Like I said before, the camera seems to do good using max zoom on subjects that are maybe 8 to 15 feet away from the camera and that's max. Anything farther than that will look soft and blurry. Here are some of my test pictures from today while on a tripod. Please allow time for the pictures to load:

Pic #1 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6915.JPG)
Pic #2 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6919.JPG)
Pic #3 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6920.JPG)
Pic #4 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6922.JPG)
Pic #5 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6923.JPG)
Pic #6 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6928.JPG)

See how they look soft and blurry? Now here are two shots using the tripod with the subject closer and you will see they came out nice. The lamp post is about 12 feet away from the camera and the tire is about 8 feet away from the camera. Both using the max optical zoom:

Pic #7 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6950.JPG)
Pic #8 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6976.JPG)

What do you all think is going on with my camera? I can now rule out camera shake. Is it a sensor problem? Should I RMA my camera back to where I bought it for an exchange? Is there anyone else here with the same problem?

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

[strmrdr]

I'm a little out dated but something that strikes me from my manual camera days is set the f stop to a higher numbered f-stop.. f4 and under is nuts for those shots.
Is it set to shutter priority to kick the shutter speed up?

[spur]

Even the # 7 & # 8 pics are not as good as you should expect from an S3. If there is a Best Buy, Circuit City or camera shop near you take in your SD card and see if they will let you take some test shots. The S3 works just fine at full zoom. It may not be as sharp as a $3000 lens on a $1500 body but it is way better than any of your pics. I think there is probably something misaligned on your camera. It may have been damaged in shippment. Good luck.

[3drcpilot]

It looks like everything up close is sharp to me. Up the f/ and set the focus on spot and focus it half on the mountain half sky. brace the camera and use 2 sec timer. I did that with my local hill and if fell right on.

How far away are them dar hills anyways?

Then I did it with a palm tree a 1/8th mile away. Worked better setting it manually to a tad under infinity and Bang there was a pigeon sitting in that tree clear as a bell at 48x.

Hopefully it is a solvable problem either through the learning curve or a returned defective camera. Your issue I had for three days. It was learning curve in my case.

[jlake1234]

hi
can u post a couple pics that are straight from the cam?
i'm curious as to the quality - i have the same prob as the orig. poster.
thnx

[jlake1234]

Hi c,

Sorry to hear that you're going through the same thing. I'm wondering if there was a bad batch of S3 IS cameras shipped out. I wonder if Canon knows about this and that's why the sharp price drop for the S3 IS. I really don't know, but now that makes two of us with pretty much the same problem.

I would like to thank you all again for your help! :) Well, today I took some more shots and guess what? Yep, the same problem! All shots were taken with my camera on a tripod at max optical zoom. I shot in full auto mode, P mode, with IS and without IS and all were soft and blurry except for shooting at max optical zoom at subjects that were about 8 to 12 feet. Like I said before, the camera seems to do good using max zoom on subjects that are maybe 8 to 15 feet away from the camera and that's max. Anything farther than that will look soft and blurry. Here are some of my test pictures from today while on a tripod. Please allow time for the pictures to load:

Pic #1 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6915.JPG)
Pic #2 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6919.JPG)
Pic #3 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6920.JPG)
Pic #4 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6922.JPG)
Pic #5 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6923.JPG)
Pic #6 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6928.JPG)

See how they look soft and blurry? Now here are two shots using the tripod with the subject closer and you will see they came out nice. The lamp post is about 12 feet away from the camera and the tire is about 8 feet away from the camera. Both using the max optical zoom:

Pic #7 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6950.JPG)
Pic #8 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6976.JPG)

What do you all think is going on with my camera? I can now rule out camera shake. Is it a sensor problem? Should I RMA my camera back to where I bought it for an exchange? Is there anyone else here with the same problem?

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

well
i bought mine back in may
took it in to a local pro shop and the person said that the problems i was having were common to P&S cams.
sent some pics into canon - they said the cam was within spec from just looking at the pics but i could send it in anyway.
it can take decent pics when it wants to though! :)
BTW, I thought you weren't supposed to use compact fluorescents in enclosed lamps? :)
those two pics are about the same as I could get.
same level and kind of noise even in bright daylight
i'll post some pics that i think represent the best from my cam.
c

[jlake1234]

Here's one pic that is reasonable:
http://cs-personalblog.blogspot.com/

I'll post a couple others, some that are ok, some that aren't

c

[Mr. Bone88]

I'm a little out dated but something that strikes me from my manual camera days is set the f stop to a higher numbered f-stop.. f4 and under is nuts for those shots. Is it set to shutter priority to kick the shutter speed up?
Hi strmrdr,

I've tried lots of different settings including Auto, P, AV, TV, and M and I get the same results every time. You would think that the Auto mode would make all the correct settings I need, but still soft and blurry.

Even the # 7 & # 8 pics are not as good as you should expect from an S3. If there is a Best Buy, Circuit City or camera shop near you take in your SD card and see if they will let you take some test shots. The S3 works just fine at full zoom. It may not be as sharp as a $3000 lens on a $1500 body but it is way better than any of your pics. I think there is probably something misaligned on your camera. It may have been damaged in shippment. Good luck.

Hi spur,

Well, they sure look better than my long shots, lol! Thanks for letting me know that my close subject pictures aren't up to par with what the S3 is supposed to do. Makes me think more and more that I have a defective camera. You're right, it could have been damaged in shipment. Maybe I'll go to a Best Buy or Circuit City to test out their S3 IS camera. Thanks for wishing me luck.

It looks like everything up close is sharp to me. Up the f/ and set the focus on spot and focus it half on the mountain half sky. brace the camera and use 2 sec timer. I did that with my local hill and if fell right on. How far away are them dar hills anyways? Then I did it with a palm tree a 1/8th mile away. Worked better setting it manually to a tad under infinity and Bang there was a pigeon sitting in that tree clear as a bell at 48x. Hopefully it is a solvable problem either through the learning curve or a returned defective camera. Your issue I had for three days. It was learning curve in my case.
Hi 3drcpilot,

Yeah, close shots seem to be somewhat nice. I think it's just the long shots with the problem. I could understand that I could get soft and blurry pictures using some of the custom modes, but when I do full auto you would think the camera would produce better looking pictures than I'm getting when using the optical zoom. Can you please post some of your pictures using the full optical zoom straight from your camera without any PP so I can compare them to mine? I'm not really sure how far the hills are, but they are pretty far away.

well i bought mine back in may took it in to a local pro shop and the person said that the problems i was having were common to P&S cams. sent some pics into canon - they said the cam was within spec from just looking at the pics but i could send it in anyway. it can take decent pics when it wants to though! :) BTW, I thought you weren't supposed to use compact fluorescents in enclosed lamps? :) those two pics are about the same as I could get. same level and kind of noise even in bright daylight i'll post some pics that i think represent the best from my cam. c
Hi c,

Maybe you should send your camera to canon to have them look at it. I'm really thinking about sending my camera back to where I bought it for an exchange. I've been searching the web and there have been others that have the same problem as us. I guess there are others that have no problem with their camera. I'm not really sure what's wrong with my camera, but my A610 had better image quality than this S3. I thought I was getting a better camera when I got this one, but I don't know about that now, hehe. I'm not really sure if compact fluorescents are supposed to be used in enclosed lamps or not. The manager of my complex takes care of all that. Thanks for posting your picture. Yep, looks like you have the "soft & blurry" problem too. Please do post more of your pictures so I can compare.

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

[SaNdMaN82]

well, i'm afraid it's pretty definitve :(
If even using a tripod, you aren't able to take sharp images at distant objects, then i'm startin' to think there's really something wrong with your cam....

as said before, you should go and test some other model on the show-room... But to me, i'd bet there's something wrong with your cam... i own an s2, a previous model, and don't have that kind of problem...

good luck!

[Jon]

All the distant shots you're posting have one thing in common - the best contrasty subject is in the foreground, and seems to be what's focussed on. Try getting several hundred feet away from a house, so you fill the screen at max. zoom with it, and take a couple of shots. If those come out good, work out from there. If you're letting the camera pick the focus point it won't necessarily be what you expect.

[3drcpilot]

Ok, I went out and did the test shots. my mountains are about 5-7 mile away. I took the shot at M2 Auto, lap shot, setting and only reduced it to 800x??? in PS to fit on the servers site.
Full wide (http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d15/66tbird/mountwide.jpg)
12x Zoom (http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d15/66tbird/mount12x.jpg)
48X zoom (http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d15/66tbird/mount48x.jpg)

In manual I got about the same.

[Mr. Bone88]

Hi all,

Thank you for your help and pictures to compare. :) I shot a few more pictures and the same problem. All pictures were taken on a tripod and on subjects and not the open hills. Pictures were the same with and without my UV filter on so I can rule that out. Please allow time for the pictures to load:

Palm tree about 100 yards away:


Pic #1 - Full auto with max optical zoom (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_7148.JPG)

Pic #2 - AV mode at f4.5 with max optical zoom (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_7152.JPG)

Pic #3 - AV mode at f5.6 with max optical zoom (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_7155.JPG)


House on the hill about a 1/2 mile or less away:


Pic #1 - Full auto with max optical zoom (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_7168.JPG)

Pic #2 - AV mode at f4.5 with max optical zoom (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_7160.JPG)

Pic #3 - AV mode at f5.6 with max optical zoom (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_7165.JPG)

As you can see they are still soft and blurry. My batteries died and I'm now recharging them so I wasn't able to try any other settings. I'm pretty sure that I've already tried them though. Everything I try has the same results. I think there is something wrong with my camera. All of my shots had the green focus square and everything. I have my camera set to focus only where the square (center) is and I always get the same results. I'm thinking about sending this camera back for an exchange. Maybe it was damaged during the shipping process or I just got a bad camera. Seems like others are having great success with their camera except for a few that seem to have this same problem.

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

[Jon]

Looks like the palm tree trunks are pretty good. But you've got a subject there that'll be hard to tell what the camera was focussing on. The other shot looks like it focussed on the foreground, and heat haze won't help any either. That's why I suggested that you try filling the frame with a house first off.

[RossW]

In the house pictures, focus is clearly on the rocks and scrub in the foreground at the bottom of the frame... in the f/5.6 shot you can even read the print on the plastic bag caught on the brush! Otherwise, I second Jon's comments.

[Mr. Bone88]

Well, with the palm tree shots I had the top green part of the tree in my focus box so I'm not really sure why the trunk was more in focus. And the house was in my focus box and I'm not sure why the foreground was more in focus. I guess my camera doesn't want to focus where it's supposed to focus at with the max optical zoom.

Thanks,
-Mr. Bone88

[spur]

That's why I think something got knocked out of allingment in shipping or someplace. Did you ever get to try some shots from one in the showroom? That way you have something to compare to.

[dale500]

Here goes my two cents worth. Turn on the camera and hold down the menu button for about 5 seconds. A screen will pop up asking if you want to reset all the camera settings to default. Choose yes. Then try a couple of shots with the camera in landscape mode and compare those with your others. I would also try a couple of shots in AV mode at f8.0 and a couple of shots at f8.0 at about half zoom and see how they come out.

Dale

[jlake1234]

<snip>

Hi c,

Maybe you should send your camera to canon to have them look at it. I'm really thinking about sending my camera back to where I bought it for an exchange. I've been searching the web and there have been others that have the same problem as us. I guess there are others that have no problem with their camera. I'm not really sure what's wrong with my camera, but my A610 had better image quality than this S3. I thought I was getting a better camera when I got this one, but I don't know about that now, hehe. I'm not really sure if compact fluorescents are supposed to be used in enclosed lamps or not. The manager of my complex takes care of all that. Thanks for posting your picture. Yep, looks like you have the "soft & blurry" problem too. Please do post more of your pictures so I can compare.

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

Check: http://cs-personalblog.blogspot.com/
I've posted one more pic there.
The daisy pic was actually one of the better shots. The bird pic is one that isn't so good.

I may send the camera back to canon, but then i'm gonna do without for 6 weeks minimum!
oh well ... good luck
c

[Mr. Bone88]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your help! :) My shots in the beginning were done hand held and I had the soft and blurry problem. I've since been taking pictures with my tripod and the same thing. I have tried shooting in all modes and got the same results. I've shot the pics with IS and without IS and tired changing the settings and still had the same results. I've reset my camera 4 times so far and still have the problem. As far as the weather goes it's been in the low 90's which isn't that hot. The pictures from today that I posted earlier were shot with the sky being clear and I didn't see much haze. Here are two pics of roughly the same area. One shot with my A610 and the other with my S3 IS.:

Pic #1 - A610 pic taken on a 117F day! (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_3931.JPG)

Pic #2 - S3 IS pic taken on a low 90F day! (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6928.JPG)

I think I have a defective camera. I hope the next one I get works like it supposed too.

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

P.S - c, your bird pic looks better than anything I can get on my camera at max optical zoom. Yeah, being 6 weeks without a camera would be tough for me. I ship mine off tomorrow and hope I get it back soon.

spur, I haven't had a chance to get to a store to check out their S3 IS demo camera. I live in a small town and would have to drive to Las Vegas to get to a Best Buy or Circuit City.

[jlake1234]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for your help! :) My shots in the beginning were done hand held and I had the soft and blurry problem. I've since been taking pictures with my tripod and the same thing. I have tried shooting in all modes and got the same results. I've shot the pics with IS and without IS and tired changing the settings and still had the same results. I've reset my camera 4 times so far and still have the problem. As far as the weather goes it's been in the low 90's which isn't that hot. The pictures from today that I posted earlier were shot with the sky being clear and I didn't see much haze. Here are two pics of roughly the same area. One shot with my A610 and the other with my S3 IS.:

Pic #1 - A610 pic taken on a 117F day! (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_3931.JPG)

Pic #2 - S3 IS pic taken on a low 90F day! (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_6928.JPG)

I think I have a defective camera. I hope the next one I get works like it supposed too.

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

P.S - c, your bird pic looks better than anything I can get on my camera at max optical zoom. Yeah, being 6 weeks without a camera would be tough for me. I ship mine off tomorrow and hope I get it back soon.

spur, I haven't had a chance to get to a store to check out their S3 IS demo camera. I live in a small town and would have to drive to Las Vegas to get to a Best Buy or Circuit City.

Well, good luck. When you get your new camera, please update us.
I may in fact send mine back, but i'll take some more pics and see how they turn out.

c

[patroclox]

Hi, i've notice that in all your pictures you have a bad pixel.... look at the left bottom of the images (you can find better if you look at the dark ones).
i think it's better for you to talk to the seller...

[jlake1234]

Hi, i've notice that in all your pictures you have a bad pixel.... look at the left bottom of the images (you can find better if you look at the dark ones).
i think it's better for you to talk to the seller...

Hi
Are you referring to the original poster or me (jlake1234)?

thanks

c

[patroclox]

Sorry.... i was referring to the first post of Mr. Bone88.
here you can find as attachment the first pics of Mr. Bone88, in the lower-left i draw a red ring in which i noticed the bad pixel....
if you look at all the photos... there are always this pixel.
Have a good day

[jlake1234]

Sorry.... i was referring to the first post of Mr. Bone88.
here you can find as attachment the first pics of Mr. Bone88, in the lower-left i draw a red ring in which i noticed the bad pixel....
if you look at all the photos... there are always this pixel.
Have a good day

Wow,

How did you find this? It is well-hidden!!
I'll have to check my pics too.

I have similar problems as Mr. Bone88, but not as bad.

thnx
c

[brantfordbandit]

please don't take this as sarcastic but other than the california smog is your lense clean

[Mr. Bone88]

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all your help with my S3 IS camera. I have sent the camera back to the online store where I bought it and have received another S3 IS that seems to work really good. One thing I notice with this camera is that the zoom is nice and quiet where as my other camera was more noisy. I think I had a bad sensor, zoom or lens in the original camera. I tool some pictures of the same areas in the desert as I did with my other camera and you'll see that everything looks much sharper and better. I tried looking for bad pixels on this new camera and didn't see any which I'm glad. :) Here's some of the pics I took yesterday. Please allow time for them to load as they are large in file size:

Pic #1 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0303.JPG)
Pic #2 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0306.JPG)
Pic #3 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0319.JPG)
Pic #4 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0320.JPG)
Pic #5 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0325.JPG)
Pic #6 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0375.JPG)
Pic #7 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0395.JPG)
Pic #8 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0529.JPG)
Pic #9 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0573.JPG)

What do you think? All shots were done handheld. Thanks again for your help, I really do appreciate it! :)

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

[jlake1234]

Hi everyone,

Thanks again for all your help with my S3 IS camera. I have sent the camera back to the online store where I bought it and have received another S3 IS that seems to work really good. One thing I notice with this camera is that the zoom is nice and quiet where as my other camera was more noisy. I think I had a bad sensor, zoom or lens in the original camera. I tool some pictures of the same areas in the desert as I did with my other camera and you'll see that everything looks much sharper and better. I tried looking for bad pixels on this new camera and didn't see any which I'm glad. :) Here's some of the pics I took yesterday. Please allow time for them to load as they are large in file size:

Pic #1 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0303.JPG)
Pic #2 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0306.JPG)
Pic #3 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0319.JPG)
Pic #4 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0320.JPG)
Pic #5 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0325.JPG)
Pic #6 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0375.JPG)
Pic #7 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0395.JPG)
Pic #8 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0529.JPG)
Pic #9 (http://www.photovids.com/IMG_0573.JPG)

What do you think? All shots were done handheld. Thanks again for your help, I really do appreciate it! :)

Thanks again,
-Mr. Bone88

Yeah, they're better. Still fuzzy at 100% though. I assume these are straight from the camera without any resizing or retouching?

S3IS is a strange camera for this. But, have fun with it. With some PP, some decent shots can be had.

c

[aretzios]

Hi everyone,

I would like to thank you all for your help! :) I'm not really sure what's going on with my camera. I tested it out again today and ended up with the same soft blurry pictures. .......
.....When I aim on those same hills in the distance about 95% of the time it can't focus on the hills and gives me the orange box and isn't focused that well. Why is this? How is it that my S3 camera is a newer camera than the A610 I had and not able to even keep up with the it? Anyhow, I'll try shooting tomorrow with my tripod and see what happens. I would really hate to take my tripod with me everywhere I go to get a good shot in. I didn't have to do that with my other camera. Thanks again for all your help!

Take care,
-Mr. Bone88

I do not know what is going on with your camera. It may be defective. I have no problem taking sharp photographs at the far end of the zoom. The camera focuses really fast with no perceptible delay (mostly in good or medium lighting conditions) even with a zoom extender. When operating the zoom, I use the EVF for greater stability. I wonder if, by mistake, you have disabled the IS. Check it out.

[totalz]

Mr. Bone88,

I bought my S3 IS 3 days ago, haven't really tested it for anything. After reading this thread, I think I better test mine tonite. Can you repost the photos on your 1st post, cause they are all 404!! I would love to use those as a reference!!

[Mr. Bone88]

please don't take this as sarcastic but other than the california smog is your lense clean
Hi brantfordbandit,

You're right, smog can play a role in the outcome of my pictures. I'm in a part of Cali where there is less smog than other places like the LA area. Yes, I keep my lens very clean. :)

Yeah, they're better. Still fuzzy at 100% though. I assume these are straight from the camera without any resizing or retouching?

S3IS is a strange camera for this. But, have fun with it. With some PP, some decent shots can be had.

c
Hi c,

They may still look a little fuzzy, but I live in the desert and have to deal with dust and dirt blowing around. But my original S3 definitely had a problem and my new S3 takes much better pictures even in the dusty conditions than my original S3. Yes, the pictures were straight from the camera without any PP. :D

I do not know what is going on with your camera. It may be defective. I have no problem taking sharp photographs at the far end of the zoom. The camera focuses really fast with no perceptible delay (mostly in good or medium lighting conditions) even with a zoom extender. When operating the zoom, I use the EVF for greater stability. I wonder if, by mistake, you have disabled the IS. Check it out.
Hi aretzios,

The problem I had was with my original S3 camera which I sent back. I have since received another new S3 that seems to work great! I use the EVF for pretty much all shots. I don't have the best conditions for shooting an open desert with dirt all around me, hehe. :)

Mr. Bone88,

I bought my S3 IS 3 days ago, haven't really tested it for anything. After reading this thread, I think I better test mine tonite. Can you repost the photos on your 1st post, cause they are all 404!! I would love to use those as a reference!!
Hi totalz,

Sorry about that! All the links to my pictures should be working now. I changed servers and forgot to upload them back to the server. I wish you the best with your new S3 IS! :) Please let me know what you find out when you test it. I'm really thinking that there was a batch of defective S3 IS cameras shipped out from Canon. I'm not 100% sure of this, but I wasn't the only person with the blurry problem.


Here's a pic of the moon that I took early evening on Sept 29th.

First pic straight from the camera and cropped:

http://www.photovids.com/moona.jpg

Second pic after a little PP and cropped:

http://www.photovids.com/moonb.jpg

I'm pretty happy with the results. :)

Thanks everyone!
-Mr. Bone88

[totalz]

Hi Mr. Bone88,

nice moon :) & Thanks for the fix.

I have taken a few shots @ 12x in Tv mode near where I work. Unfortunately I don't have a vast scenery like you... just want to know if the following pictures can determine my s3 is fine!?

#PIC1 (http://144.214.54.102:8080/oth_day/IMG_0091.JPG)
#PIC2 (http://144.214.54.102:8080/oth_day/IMG_0102.JPG)
#PIC3 (http://144.214.54.102:8080/oth_day/IMG_0103.JPG)

just a macro on the way (http://144.214.54.102:8080/oth_day/IMG_0101.JPG)