s3 as a camcorder

[Raoofat]

Dear reader
I have a powershot A40 canon camera with medium features. i want to buy a camcorder and if i can combine it to a good camera such as canon S3 IS, it is so good.

what is ur opinions about its memory usage in movie mode?
1)what does mean high speed SD card? (?X speed)
2) i read that ignoring the card Size, after 1 GB capturing, it will stop to save the movie, if it is so, what time will spend to become ready to capture the next part?
if we reduce the quality to 320*240, do we have an acceptable movie in comparison with LP mode?

[jonalta]

Dear reader
I have a powershot A40 canon camera with medium features. i want to buy a camcorder and if i can combine it to a good camera such as canon S3 IS, it is so good.

what is ur opinions about its memory usage in movie mode?
1)what does mean high speed SD card? (?X speed)
2) i read that ignoring the card Size, after 1 GB capturing, it will stop to save the movie, if it is so, what time will spend to become ready to capture the next part?
if we reduce the quality to 320*240, do we have an acceptable movie in comparison with LP mode?

I am quite pleased with the video feature of the S3. Especially the dedicated video record button that lets you instantly capture videos without the need to change the mode dial.
In terms of quality, you have the options of 15fps and 30 fps upto 640 size. 60fps is also available for 320. The quality is fair but cannot compare with standalone camcorder.
I dont notice difference between my 80x and 150x SD cards. I usually use my 150x 4Gb SD and dont notice much lag between video captures. although i never really took 1 GB videos.
If your priority is still photography and just want an emergency cam for some video clips, the S3 is right for you. But if you are strict with video quality, you may find the S3 video to be a bit unfavorable. And you may also need a video editing software to compress the large AVI files.

[David Metsky]

For this camera, it appears that 60x is more then enough to capture video. The video, while quite excellent quality at 640x480 30fps, isn't too demanding on the memory card. My basic speed Sandisk card can keep up with it. I haven't tried the 320x240 60fps with that card in this camera, but the same combination works on my SD300 with the same video mode.

I like the video from the S3, but it's not really a substitute for a video camera if you are intent on shooting a lot of video. The ergonomics are not really great for extended video shooting, although better then most still cameras. You're limited to 1 G files size, which is 8-9 minutes of video in a single shot. But the camera supports high capacity (4 and 8 G) so you can get a good amount of video on a single card.

-dave-

[GaryS]

I too use my S2 as a camcorder for most of my trips with the kids. DVDs made from the video clips look great. And the 8 minute limit is not a big one for me, cause most clips are less than 1 minute anyway.

But its not for every situation. People singing Happy Birthday to my kids is one thing, but for a Christmas concert, I'm still using my proper camcorder with the external, long reach, directional microphone!

[leyo04]

S3 IS is a good camcorder. Previously, I carry my digi cam + camcorder. On my daughter's graduation, I only carried my S3 + 2 xtra SD cards. All I can say is *thumbs up*. Travel lite.

If somebody would be reviving mcgyver, I'd imagine him carrying a swiss army knife and an S3 IS. hahaha......

[lathe]

I can't speak for the S3, but I found the A640 do do a decent job also. The main limitations are (on the A640):

You can't change the zoom once you start shooting video.
You have a 1GB limit. This comes out to ~9 minutes at highest quality video, but you should get more time if you drop the quality.
Audio isn't so great. You only get 8Hz Mono recorded through the small microphone in the camera. It sounds ok but not great. Human voices sound fine but music isn't as good because it can't capture the dynamic range.


In a nutshell, if you want to shoot great video, get a camcorder because that is what it is built for. However, if you're just shooting friends and family on rare occasions, the S3 or A640 will do fine for your needs (and save you lot's of $).

[David Metsky]

The S3 allows for optical zoom while filming and takes stereo sound.