Canon PowerShot A710 IS OR S3 IS?

[nybarbiedoll]

I bought the Panasonic DMC - FZ30 and SOLD it! I didn't like it at all. The pictures were absolutely wonderful but the camera was very difficult to use.

I am a "point and shoot" kind of girl and totally got lost in the menus. Half the time, I could not figure what settings I had and how to get out of them. Very difficult to use! Plus, it did not have a remote control capabilty which I loved with my old digital Olympus camera. That was a great accessory.

I am now looking to replace the Panasonic with either the Canon S3 IS or the A710 IS. Are these as easy to use as my old manual film Canon Rebel XT? That was so easy and I always got great shots. I'm looking at the Canon hoping that these are just as easy to use as that old manual film Rebel camera.

I want:
1. really high quality, great looking pictures
2. remote control accessory for those family portraits
3. some zoom capabilities
4. image stabilization
5. and ease of use

Another thing, I really like the "Portrait" mode of my old Rebel where the subject was focused and the background was fuzzy. And I don't seem to get that with my digital cameras. What do I do wrong? I selected "Portrait" mode and my Kodak V550 doesn't seem to give me that fuzzy background. Will the Canon do this?

I do not use manual controls at all at this time so that is not an important feature.

OK, I finally know what I REALLY want in features, now that I have owned 3 digital cameras! (Olympus, Panasonic, Kodak) Any other suggestions? Maybe Fuji?

thanks,
Barb

[Riley]

Another thing, I really like the "Portrait" mode of my old Rebel where the subject was focused and the background was fuzzy. And I don't seem to get that with my digital cameras. What do I do wrong? I selected "Portrait" mode and my Kodak V550 doesn't seem to give me that fuzzy background. Will the Canon do this?

thanks,
Barb

I think what you are reffering to is a narrow depth of field (DOF) which smaller sensor cameras are not particularly good at. If you seek this feature start looking at larger sensor cameras right off

Riley

[coldrain]

Unless you tell what is so difficult, it is hard to tell if the S3 IS is easier to use. It has the same capabilities. Easiest to use (because they have less options) are the Canon SD series, like the SD 700 IS.

And yes, if you want the same style of blurry background you need to either go for a Digital Rebel XT/XTi or a Sony R1 all in one. But again, that Sony R1 may also be not easy to use for you.

[nybarbiedoll]

Have you used the Panasonic? When you hit the menu button, there are a ton of options! And trying to get back out of a menu is so difficult. There seems to be no back button or cancel so you get into areas that you may not want to be. It's not very user friendly and I have to tote the manual with me, read it, set up my shot, take the shot, and read the manual on how to get back to start, which was many steps!

It is not "intuitive" either. You can just pick this camera up and start using it. You have to read the manual to find out how to use those menus which is very, very, very extensive.

For example, when you start the camera, it wants you to "set the clock" I don't care about the clock. I want to shoot a picture. You have to read the manual to figure out how to get out of this and get to picture mode.

OK, with my other cameras (Kodak, Olympus, film Canon rebel), it was so easy just to start using them. VERY intuitive and user friendly.

And the most disappointing thing was that it did not have a wireless remote control! I love having a wireless remote control but I guess that the Canon cameras don't have this either. Do any of the newer cameras have this anymore?

I bought it a Wolf Camera so the salesman just me how to use it to and it looked so easy. When I got home, I was lost, LOL!!!

Does this make more sense?

I've read a lot of reviews from buyers that state that the S3 IS is really so easy that you can just point and shoot. Is that not the case and should I avoid this one too?

Barb

[bascom]

Fill out the questionaire so we can best help you.

[Riley]

strange how I have had quite a different experience, my own Oly has a bewildering option list, and I tire from navigating the menus that are barely laid out with any logic. Its timer is a pain to negotiate for instance.

And I find that Canon dSLRs have menus that are difficult to read in full sun, quite unlike the larger D70s menus.

P&S Canons are much better to use, having less options, and a logical layout that is a lead pipe cinch to remember.

Riley

[nybarbiedoll]

Budget
Up to $700

Size
Something Smaller and lighter than the Panasonic DMZ FC30 or the Canon DSLR. It does not have to be pocket size. I have one of those. Top quality pictures take priority over size.

Features

*How many megapixels will suffice for you?
N/A

* What optical zoom will you need?
More than standard 3x or 4x would be nice. 10x to 12x would be lovely but not necessary.


* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)

8 to 10

* Do you care for manual controls?
No

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Kids, vacations, family portraits

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Max size will be 8 x 10

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Yes

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Yes

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
I dislike Panasonic.

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Canon S3 IS or Canon A710 IS

Do you need any of the following special features?
Must have Image Stabilization!
I would like a wireless Remote Control for our Family portraits.

[bascom]

Both the S3 and A710 are simpler than the PAN FZ30. To see which you prefer read the reviews here and try them in stores. Both should be good for most kids, vacations, family portraits. But for great sports and/or action photos you need a dSLR. And for great indoor photos or low light photos you need one with high ISO like the Fuji F30/F31 or S6000 but neither of them have IS. Here are the major differences:

S3 - 12x zoom, swivel 2.0" LCD, bigger and heavier, EVF
A710 - 6x zoom, 2'5" LCD, small and light, optical VF

Which do you prefer, smaller size or more zoom? Bigger LCD or swivel? Optical or EVF?

[nybarbiedoll]

Is it easy to set the ISO with the Fuji or are there a gazillion menus? I have heard so many great things about the Fuji and it's ISO capabilities.

Thanks

[bascom]

Which Fuji? F30/F31? S6000? Both? I don't think any of these Fuji's or Canon's have remote control but most digicams have a timer. Is a 10 second timer good enough for family portraits?

[Luscinia]

The Powershot A710 can become almost a S3 by adding a tele conversion lens. Am I right?

[downtrodden]

Hey.. the Fuji F30 is a pocketable 3x zoom camera. It does not have IS, but it has awesome ISO performance. The ISO is a snap to change- just press the "F" button and the menu pops up. the first option is "ISO" select your ISO and exit the menu by pressing the "F" button once more. here's the review. i suggest reading it all the way through.. it has example pictures of the noise levels at different ISOs.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_f30-review/

but with the S3 there is a dedicated ISO button. just press the buttonb and it will cycle through your ISO ratings. Problem is, being an older camera than the F30- it has poorer high ISO performance. here's the review:
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s3-review/

I don't know of many newer cameras that have remote controls. However, the S3 does allow ou to use your computer as the lcd and camera controller, so you can remote capture pictures. This is limited by your USB cable however.

Also, there are tricks you can learn to get you a blurry background:
http://static.flickr.com/91/233373055_569cfe965e.jpg

And while you can take great action shots with the S3, it is very capable, they will be somewhat hit or miss. You have to learn tricks to get the shots you want:
http://static.flickr.com/85/237361113_26a58cc3b6.jpg


This is a problem you'll have with ANY point and shoot camera and the only real way to remedy this is to either deal with hit or miss on action shots OR go DSLR, but that is more expensive and a bit more complicated. I can't speak on DSLRs though. maybe someone else could suggest an easy to use DSLR.

at any rate, goodluck! And if you do go S3, hop down to the Canon forum and post some stuff there, we'd be glad to have more pix in the S3 pix thread!

~Cory

[nybarbiedoll]

Gee thanks for so much information Cory and I LOVE your pictures! I've seen them before and was very impressed. That was one reason I thought that I would like the S3 - Because your pictures looked so good. But it does help to have such a cute subject to shoot too!

Thanks again,
Barb