Novice - Need help in S3IS macro modes

[avi]

Hi all,

Until now I have never been much of a photographer, and now I want to get into it more seriously than in the past. I have just bought a Canon S3IS, my first ever digital camera (almost - I bought a "small piece of plastic" a number of years ago), and I just now joined this group.

I need help with the S3IS macro and supermacro modes.

First, I can't find the "S" button (according to the manual) for the supermacro mode.

Next, I am puzzled about what the macro modes actually do. Once I had a film cam with a macro mode, and the viewer displayed a large box, and what ever appeared inside that box -- only -- came out in the photo. With the
S3IS, there is also a box, but when I enter the cam into Macro mode and snap the pic, I see that I have photographed everything in the viewer area.

So, can somebody explain to me what I am doing/thinking wrong.

tia

avi

[anco85]

i am no expert but I will try my best to answer your questions.

First of, The manual is wrong. You have to hold the macro button in for a couple of seconds to enter super macro mode.

what macro does is allow you to focus on objects closer to the lens than normal, super macro even more so, allowing you to take photos of very small objects like insects for example.

Once you get into macro photography, there is no turning back, it is addictive liek you would not believe.

Hope this helps

[griptape]

^Exactly. The camera can focus to 0cm in super macro mode. If you were to try and focus on something that close to the lens without macro, you would simply have a blurry frame. Your old camera probably just did the same thing as digital zoom, and cropped the picture to make your subject bigger. Which isn't macro at all.

This is a relatively poor example compared to some of the macros in the S3 pics thread, but to give you an idea, it can focus on a human hair with relative ease.

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m235/nothingisworking/hairmacro.jpg

[avi]

Thanks guys, for the quick response.

Well you have helped explain the theory, but still having problems with the practice.

I tried holding in the macro button for a couple of seconds, but I don't see an "S" icon appear on the screen. Maybe also that part of the manual is wrong, too. So what am I supposed to see? At what setting am I suposoed to do this? 'Auto' is ok? Or how about 'SCN'? Or what?

I am using the macro mode. Can you use the zoom in this mode? When I get too close I see a blur on the LCD viewer, even though I am above 10cm.

tia

- avi

[GaryS]

You can't use SuperMacro in Auto mode. Turn the dial to P mode, then try holding the macro button for a few seconds again.

In macro mode, you can zoom a little bit, but then the macro mode will disable itself. In supermacro, you cannot zoom at all.

[avi]

Thanks, dustyporch!

'P' is the magic letter! It worked!
Looks like this forum should start writing the user manuals.

And anco85 is right; it's addictive...

Thanks, to all you guys!

- avi