Proud New Owner of S3 IS, Few Questions..

[Torx]

Im new here and have been lurking the forums today and from what ive searched so far ive learned quite a bit already. Im impressed by the community here with the homebuilt accessories, firmware hacking, and getting the most out of the S3. Im very new to photography so right now im only piddling around with different exposures and ISO settings.. nothing major. I'll try to keep my questions down and search as much as i can..

From 2 days use, im pretty impressed with it so far.. The build quality, onboard software, and quality of pictures ive taken so far in auto and minor tweaked manual settings, and canon's own photo software.

One thing im noticing thats kinda irking me, which im sure is an easy fix.. The red tinge of color on some furthest away objects.. This is when zoomed or not. This effect reminds me of a rear projection tv that needs to be calibrated..

Right now ive only gotten 15 pictures on a new set of rechageable duracells (2400mAh), im hoping as i use them and recharge them more i'll get better longevity. Hows your battery life and what batteries are you using? While the USB is plugged into the camera its not recharging them is it?

Accessories.. Can someone give me a list of accessories thats a MUST buy for this camera? Bag, lenses(if applicable), other stuff.. Or if homemade things can be made feel free to update me on the latest tutorials.

I love macro shooting and i understand not owning an dslr wont yield me great results like some of the setups ive seen here(extremely impressed, lost of money spent) Any tips on macro shooting with this camera or accessories i should get?

Thanks for the time and help

[ceriltheblade]

Hi there. Welcome to the club.
You'll find that there are almost no "have-to-have" aceesories (although a bag does seem to come close) but once you decide on a type of thing, everyone has an opinion! :)
I use GP 2700 NiMH rechargeables and get a good 150-250 pictures (depends on how often I turn the unit on and off and the amount of zoom motor use (and I use the LCD screen as my primary view finder)
I have nothing to add about the color in your pictures, as I am neither an expert in color nor does that phenomenon happen to me
In regards to the macro stuff. There is a lot of stuff out there and in here! I have the raynox cm3500 set of macro lenses (37mm - need a lens adapter and step down ring) which are nice, though I am learning around the diffculties with each lens. You can reverse a nice 35mm 18-50 lens as well. Just to say "macro work" is to open a huge area. What kind of stuff are *YOU* interested in within macro work? entymology? flowers? micro? day? night? etc etc etc

Have fun learning...I know that I am!

[noodyn]

One thing im noticing thats kinda irking me, which im sure is an easy fix.. The red tinge of color on some furthest away objects.. This is when zoomed or not. This effect reminds me of a rear projection tv that needs to be calibrated..
Can't tell you much about that problem without a sample picture. I guess it is the "normal color fringing" around dark objects in front of a bright background.

Right now ive only gotten 15 pictures on a new set of rechageable duracells (2400mAh), im hoping as i use them and recharge them more i'll get better longevity. Hows your battery life and what batteries are you using? While the USB is plugged into the camera its not recharging them is it?
I use the Canon 2500mAh rechargables with the original Canon recharger. They recharge in only 4-5h. And with one set i can take around 400-500 Pictures.

Accessories.. Can someone give me a list of accessories thats a MUST buy for this camera? Bag, lenses(if applicable), other stuff.. Or if homemade things can be made feel free to update me on the latest tutorials.
I bought the Lowepro Rezo 140 AW Bag. It is a good solution if you want to take all your Accessories with you. A MUST buy surely is the Lens-Adapter LA-DC58E.

I love macro shooting and i understand not owning an dslr wont yield me great results like some of the setups ive seen here(extremely impressed, lost of money spent) Any tips on macro shooting with this camera or accessories i should get?
If you love macro shooting, you will want to marry the Canon Closeup-Lens 500D (58mm). With that Lens you can stay away about 2 feet from your object of interest, but you will have nearly the same size like Superzoom, but (because of the distance) you will have your object in the sun. You won't throw a shadow on it. Even the Flash works well with that lens.

Thanks for the time and help
You're welcome :D , you can take a look at my pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/norgefan/ (all taken with Canon S3IS)

[Torx]

Some beautiful photos youve taken.. and makes me realize what this little cam is capable of...

Okay, So i can buy the lensmate 58mm adapter and the 500d 58mm lens for a good macro combination. do i need to buy any filters or anything?

any other lenses i should look into for landscape for more quality or better zoom quality?

I also plan to buy a nice telescope(still researching) and i'd like to use this camera to take pictures.. will i be able to? Or will i need to buy a special adapter for the telescope? Maybe the lens adapter will help with this?

[noodyn]

Thanks.
You can think of buying a circular polarizer and a UV-Filter. I have both, but i don't really use them. The cam is just perfect.

I'm not really into telescopes. There are different teleconverters to double the zoom, but they have lot of vignetting. The outlines of objects get really soft towards the imageborder. I don't have it, I don't want it, I don't use it. But if you are planning to buy a "real" telescope you will surely need the Adapter Tube. The S3 itself has no possibility to connect a filter or other accessory.

Some unsolved problem: Rain. I still don't have a solution to this, but because of the prices of out-of-the-box solutions i think i will build a waterproof bag by myself. Some kind of plastic bag and a clear filter or two should do it.

[Torx]

Okay, im looking on ebay at several "canon s3 is lens kit" results..
are all the lenses pretty much the same quality or should i be looking for a specific brand?

I figured i can do some ebay buying, buy a complete kit, and be done with it.. filters, adapter, telephoto, wide angle, etc...

about the bag.. yes thanks for reminding me to look for a waterproof bag.. but of course those will probably be more expensive.. in the mean time you could probably spray it down with a waterproof spray guard of some sorts..

[noodyn]

I don't care a lot about brands. But you should buy lenses with Multi-Coating to reduce the reflections from that lens. Don't buy the most expensive if you don't want to. Mid-price will do a fine job too. (e.g. a HMC-Coated UV-filter 58mm for ~15$) You can take a look at the explanations at Hoyafilters.com http://www.hoyafilter.com/products/hoya/hoya-02.html

[ProtoPhoto]

Hi Torx, congrats on the new S3 and the way you are diving into your new hobby! I love my S3 and I hope you have many happy hours!

If I could offer just a bit of advice though -- forget the kit, the hacks and the add-ons. Learn to use your camera and the basics of photography first. When you've read that whole manual several times over the next six months, and you understand shutter speed / aperture / ISO inside out, confidently select P / Av / Tv and M for the situation, can customize your flash control for the situation, and you know how to fine tune your manual focus while in that macro mode... then is a good time for accessories.

Diving into everything else before you ever learn the basics is like jumping in the deep end of the pool before learning to dog paddle, just a recipe for frustration.

All just IMHO, of course... Good luck!

[JustShootin']

.... forget the kit, the hacks and the add-ons. Learn to use your camera and the basics of photography first. When you've read that whole manual several times over the next six months, and you understand shutter speed / aperture / ISO inside out, confidently select P / Av / Tv and M for the situation, can customize your flash control for the situation, and you know how to fine tune your manual focus while in that macro mode... then is a good time for accessories.

Diving into everything else before you ever learn the basics is like jumping in the deep end of the pool before learning to dog paddle, just a recipe for frustration.

All just IMHO, of course... Good luck!
I agee 100% with ProtoPhoto. All those accessories will just be a set back for you at this time. Learn the camera first, then get the accessories. Like ProtoPhoto, it's just my opinion.

[_aravena]

Macro is killer on that thing. I love doing macro with it and it works real well too. As for the batteries, I have Engerizer Lithiums in mine since february and it's still going over 600pics and at least 7 vids later. Idk...but I think Energizer is living up to it's name that it keeps going and going and going and going and going...

[Torx]

guys, thats excellent information.. and good to hear so i can save some money for a while, lol.. And yes, i have a few macro shots lined up for the "macro forum" for critique..

are those energizer lithiums rechargeable?
I was able to take 83 pictures today using different tweaks, lcd, non lcd, and kept superfine and 1600x1200 on most pictures.. using these duracell batteries.. but im still open for opinions..

[_aravena]

no, not rechargeable, just last forever and a day.

[retexan599]

I have had my S3IS for about a month now and really enjoying it as my first digital camera. I am the old fashioned type who reads every page in the manual while trying out each feature as I come to it, and am up to page 30, with many skip aheads.

My only add-on so far is the Canon PowerShot S Series Accessory Kit 3. This package has the (properly sized) carrying case plus the Battery Charger CB-4AH. It came with four NiMH rechargeable 2300mAh AA batteries. I am still on the first charge with probably 250 photos plus some short movie clips. Probably my next add-on will be a tripod. I also recently bought the Philips 7FF1M4/37 digital picture frame so I can show off my nice new photos and it is a treat also.