Which should I buy? The S3IS or the A710 IS

[jercarol]

I've been debating between these 2 cameras and like what I see for the most part on both of them.
A negative with the A710 that I've heard mentioned a few times is the flash cycle time is pretty long. As for the S3 some don't like the manual flash. I don't know if the flash issue would bother me or not. I've never had a camera with a completely manual flash before, so it's hard for me to say.
I will be taking both indoor and outdoor photos. At this point in my life, the majority of my photos are of my 11 month twins and 9 year old.
I appreciate any input I can get. Thank you in advance! :)

~ Carol

[leyo04]

I've been debating between these 2 cameras and like what I see for the most part on both of them.
A negative with the A710 that I've heard mentioned a few times is the flash cycle time is pretty long. As for the S3 some don't like the manual flash. I don't know if the flash issue would bother me or not. I've never had a camera with a completely manual flash before, so it's hard for me to say.
I will be taking both indoor and outdoor photos. At this point in my life, the majority of my photos are of my 11 month twins and 9 year old.
I appreciate any input I can get. Thank you in advance! :)

~ Carol

the s3is manual flash... some see it as a problem, some see it as a feature. the only diff I see with the models you said is the size. The s3is is a bit on the bulky side. The s3is has a good video quality and can be zoomed while taking video. HTH. Let's just wait for a710 users to give their comment. :)

[Visual Reality]

All the "manual flash" means is you have to flip it up yourself. What's the big deal? Isn't it supposed to be that way?

I vote S3, especially if you intend to shoot video or need that 12x zoom.

[spants]

I have both. The S3 is my baby. It does so much more than the A710IS could ever dream of, namely because of the lens. It has well over 100 focusing stops, where the A710IS has only a handful. If you're interested in growing as a photographer, I recommend the S3. The A710IS has lots of cool little details, but nothing that the S3 doesn't have besides being a little smaller. If small is what you want, then I would get the SD800IS as it is even sleeker than the A710 and probably faster, too. The A710IS is basically just a point and shoot with bells and whistles. Still, it takes mighty fine photos with little noise and crisp details. At 100% crop, I actually like the A710's photos better. On the other hand, there is quite a bit of time between shots. This is because the A710 only runs on 2 AA batteries. The large LCD powers down and you just wait and wait and wait. You know what I do with all that time with S3? I take more photos. ;)

If you're willing to deal with the downfalls of the A710IS (slow shot-to-shot time, crappy viewfinder) then you will find yourself with a very fine p&s. (By the way, if you ever want to get fancy, you can buy lens converters for both of these cameras...)

If you want a whole range of lenses in one camera, fast shooting, an awesome electronic viewfinder, a comfortable feel in your hands, and tons of potential for future growth, then the S3 is for you. Plus, the S3 shoots video with stereo sound. You have to weigh the benefits and costs and decide what is most important to you because the difference in price isn't that great.

Or you could just get both:p

Oh, and the manual flash thing isn't a big deal. If your camera needs the flash, it will let you know. It'll flash orange instead of green while you're focusing. If it does that, just flip the flash up. On both cameras you can control the output of the flash, making it stronger or weaker as you need it. If you get the S3, you can learn a lot at a new forum (http://s3users.com) dedicated to it.

[leyo04]

true and s3is has more manual function and that includes the raising of the flash... true to it's word isn't it? :D

[ooverdrive]

Jercarol,I really enjoy the movie rec function in my s3.I shoot videos of my kid and burn it to view in the dvd player.The sound is awesome and the movies@30 frames
/second in 640*480 recording pixels is really great.IMO the twins will be glad to hear their sound in future with such clarity.Also take stills while taking the movies,ie capture their smiles at the glance!!
Good luck

[nbh1]

I was considering the A710IS before choosing the S3 as well. Besides the difference of obvious capabilities I was real afraid of the 710IS because of the shutter lag and the time it took to take the next picture. If you read reviews on Amazon for example you will see real complaints about this. In the end I am sooo happy I bought the S3 with no regrets. You get a whole lot for what you pay.

[David Metsky]

I was real afraid of the 710IS because of the shutter lag and the time it took to take the next picture.
I'm not convinced there is any significant difference between the A710 and the S3 in shutter lag. What makes you think the S3 is better?

-dave-

[nbh1]

I'm not convinced there is any significant difference between the A710 and the S3 in shutter lag. What makes you think the S3 is better?

-dave-

Hmmmmm, you're right. Shutter lag appears to be the same actually.

[spants]

It's not the shutter lag - it's the time between shots where there's a difference.

[David Metsky]

It's not the shutter lag - it's the time between shots where there's a difference.
Again, why do you think that the S3 beats the A710? I have an S3 and an SD300, and I don't notice any significant difference in burst mode or shot-to-shot delay. I'm not saying that there isn't one, but I've never seen anyone claim that up to now.

[raven15]

I am pretty sure the A710 equals the S3 in burst and shot to shot speed. Its continuous shooting mode is very nice, I've been using it more and more lately. It's nice to have a camera that takes pictures at a high rate as long as you have your finger on the button, I will take it off when I don't want to take any more pictures. But I wish it would stay as the default shooting mode, instead of me having to select it every time I turn the camera on.

But, the A710 is definitely slow between pictures with flash. I gave it to a friend who was using the flash to fill the foreground on a sunny day. I got it back and couldn't figure out why I had to wait 5 seconds to take another picture.

I use a 1.5x used Fuji zoom lens I got on eBay for $20 including shipping. It effectively increases my zoom to 9x, and when I'm not using it I take it off and keep the lens in one pocket and the camera in the other. Personally, I recommend the A710 because it is a good compromise between everything. But being good at everything means it doesn't excel at anything.

[David Metsky]

But, the A710 is definitely slow between pictures with flash. I gave it to a friend who was using the flash to fill the foreground on a sunny day. I got it back and couldn't figure out why I had to wait 5 seconds to take another picture.
This is a result of the 2 AA batteries, versus the 4AA in the S3.

[reppans]

I have an A710.... IMHO, the ONLY reason to buy an 710 over an S3 is for size and portability. Of course, size was a HUGE issue for me :D... I tend to carry a camera 99.9% of the time and shoot only 0.1% of the time.

[richardneo]

Hi,

I have a 710IS, and I bought 2 AA Nimh Sanyo 2700mA batteries.
When I bring it to China for vacation I took over 500 pictures on 2 AA batteries, some shots with flash, some without. :p

yes, shots with flash is slow. But the rest of the functions are great. There is even a waterproof casing for this model.

I guess it is not bad for a normal user.