Customer Rating: 
Summary: Widespread lens error makes S2/S3/S5 a bad buy.
Comment: Search the Web a little for "Canon S3 lens error". What you will find is that thousands (40,000+) owners of Canon cameras have experienced a peculiar error "E18 - lens error. restart camera" and that Canon will charge you $250 to repair it. DO NOT BUY ANY CANON DIGITAL CAMERA UNTIL/UNLESS THEY CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. Otherwise, 12-15 months from now you can expect to be shopping for a new camera.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great for Sunny Days
Comment: I love the S3, it's a great camera but......the only issue (in my opinion) with the S3 is that it does not do well in low light and the pictures are a little too soft for my liking. I love the IS feature but even that doesn't prevent a few blurry ones from time to time. The IS dosen't do so well with Super Zoom or slow shutter speeds, You should still have a tripod. In sunny conditions it's a great camera but if it's overcast then I'm reaching for another camera. I initially wanted the S5 IS but after reading a lot of reviews about high noise I went with the S3. I was really disappointed when I noticed levels of noise that I didn't expect. I was also expecting the photos to be a little sharper. I have a bad habit of comparing a camera's sharpness to the Fuji FinePix S-series. I have seen some really stunning photos from the S3 and I have taken a few exceptional ones myself. I do recommend it but just think about the type of photos you want to take. I really did want to give this at least 4-5 stars but Low Light ability is a big one in my book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: next best thing
Comment: wanting to try my skill on a dslr, i did some research and this was the next best thing to a dslr without the dslr price.
i actually didn't buy this for me, but i boutght for my dad, who was very happy with it.
not as bulky, not as pricy and has enough enough manual setting to capture moments according to your preference. its zoom lense if far better than the lense that comes with a dslr kit that i bought.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Disgruntled with Canon
Comment: I purchased the S2 in 2006 and 16 months later, the zoom lense stopped coming out.
I called Canon to ask for their suggestions, knowing it was out of warranty, and they suggested the upgrade to the S3 for $185. So this is how the S3 came into my possession. Except for an increase in the pixels, there are no upgrades. However, it seemed to me that the diameter of the lens is smaller--I noticed this when looking through view finder. However, I just measured it and it seems that it not the lens itself, just the lens casing, and perhaps the greater difficulty I had in looking through the view finder is due to to my imagination or vision. Initially, I saw it as a downgrade and decided to return it, in combination with my annoyance that a product would break just after the warranty expired.
However, I agree with others that the video was good in the other one, and I imagine that it is therefore good in this one--did enjoy that. So I am reconsidering sending it back as my husband likes it, and I liked the 12X zoom, the stabilizer, and the video....
On the other hand, I just wonder how long this one will last.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great camera, amazing portability for the features
Comment: I've had this camera for about four months now, and as someone making the transition from point-and-shoots to serious cameras, I love it. The technical reviews on the main page tell you everything you need to know about the camera's features, but I'd just like to add a couple of points relevant to new photographers. This is a great camera full stop, but particularly useful if you are:
a) thinking of moving up to a DSLR but not quite sure you're ready to justify the expense of multiple lenses;
b) looking for a serious, flexible camera that's also light enough to carry around for hours in a backpack or large purse. This is NOT a tiny portable, but neither is it the sort of camera you can use for light weight training. If you like to carry a serious camera when you're hiking, and you do not have a bodybuilder's upper body strength, this camera will work for you.
Other good stuff: the zoom is awesome and will give you a sense of real creative control; you frame shots based not on the camera's limitations but on what part of your visual field you find interesting. The controls are easy to learn and use -- more buttons make a camera *easier*, not harder! Beginners can start by letting the camera control almost everything and graduate rapidly and relatively painlessly to great pictures with customized settings.
Biggest peeve: the lens cap, as many other people have said. Watch that thing like a hawk, particularly when you're putting the camera back in a case. The lens cap flies off at the least provocation and without any telltale noises to let you know your lens is facing the world unprotected.
Apart from that, a great camera well worth the price (erm, particularly now that the price has dropped since I bought it).
Summary: Widespread lens error makes S2/S3/S5 a bad buy.
Comment: Search the Web a little for "Canon S3 lens error". What you will find is that thousands (40,000+) owners of Canon cameras have experienced a peculiar error "E18 - lens error. restart camera" and that Canon will charge you $250 to repair it. DO NOT BUY ANY CANON DIGITAL CAMERA UNTIL/UNLESS THEY CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. Otherwise, 12-15 months from now you can expect to be shopping for a new camera.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great for Sunny Days
Comment: I love the S3, it's a great camera but......the only issue (in my opinion) with the S3 is that it does not do well in low light and the pictures are a little too soft for my liking. I love the IS feature but even that doesn't prevent a few blurry ones from time to time. The IS dosen't do so well with Super Zoom or slow shutter speeds, You should still have a tripod. In sunny conditions it's a great camera but if it's overcast then I'm reaching for another camera. I initially wanted the S5 IS but after reading a lot of reviews about high noise I went with the S3. I was really disappointed when I noticed levels of noise that I didn't expect. I was also expecting the photos to be a little sharper. I have a bad habit of comparing a camera's sharpness to the Fuji FinePix S-series. I have seen some really stunning photos from the S3 and I have taken a few exceptional ones myself. I do recommend it but just think about the type of photos you want to take. I really did want to give this at least 4-5 stars but Low Light ability is a big one in my book.
Customer Rating:
Summary: next best thing
Comment: wanting to try my skill on a dslr, i did some research and this was the next best thing to a dslr without the dslr price.
i actually didn't buy this for me, but i boutght for my dad, who was very happy with it.
not as bulky, not as pricy and has enough enough manual setting to capture moments according to your preference. its zoom lense if far better than the lense that comes with a dslr kit that i bought.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Disgruntled with Canon
Comment: I purchased the S2 in 2006 and 16 months later, the zoom lense stopped coming out.
I called Canon to ask for their suggestions, knowing it was out of warranty, and they suggested the upgrade to the S3 for $185. So this is how the S3 came into my possession. Except for an increase in the pixels, there are no upgrades. However, it seemed to me that the diameter of the lens is smaller--I noticed this when looking through view finder. However, I just measured it and it seems that it not the lens itself, just the lens casing, and perhaps the greater difficulty I had in looking through the view finder is due to to my imagination or vision. Initially, I saw it as a downgrade and decided to return it, in combination with my annoyance that a product would break just after the warranty expired.
However, I agree with others that the video was good in the other one, and I imagine that it is therefore good in this one--did enjoy that. So I am reconsidering sending it back as my husband likes it, and I liked the 12X zoom, the stabilizer, and the video....
On the other hand, I just wonder how long this one will last.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great camera, amazing portability for the features
Comment: I've had this camera for about four months now, and as someone making the transition from point-and-shoots to serious cameras, I love it. The technical reviews on the main page tell you everything you need to know about the camera's features, but I'd just like to add a couple of points relevant to new photographers. This is a great camera full stop, but particularly useful if you are:
a) thinking of moving up to a DSLR but not quite sure you're ready to justify the expense of multiple lenses;
b) looking for a serious, flexible camera that's also light enough to carry around for hours in a backpack or large purse. This is NOT a tiny portable, but neither is it the sort of camera you can use for light weight training. If you like to carry a serious camera when you're hiking, and you do not have a bodybuilder's upper body strength, this camera will work for you.
Other good stuff: the zoom is awesome and will give you a sense of real creative control; you frame shots based not on the camera's limitations but on what part of your visual field you find interesting. The controls are easy to learn and use -- more buttons make a camera *easier*, not harder! Beginners can start by letting the camera control almost everything and graduate rapidly and relatively painlessly to great pictures with customized settings.
Biggest peeve: the lens cap, as many other people have said. Watch that thing like a hawk, particularly when you're putting the camera back in a case. The lens cap flies off at the least provocation and without any telltale noises to let you know your lens is facing the world unprotected.
Apart from that, a great camera well worth the price (erm, particularly now that the price has dropped since I bought it).
Canon PowerShot Pro Series S3 IS 6MP with 12x Image Stabilized Zoom Reviews: Page 4 of 107
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