S2 IS or S3 IS for my specific needs

[Belladee]

Hi. I have always used a 35mm rebel and am having a hard time making the digital switch because the cameras seem to take the pictures a while after you hit the button.

I have looked at other posts concerning this S2/S3 comparison but I have specific needs. I mostly take pictures of my child who is always moving. For my price range I have picked the Canon S2 IS but I am wondering if the S3 would take the shot faster then the S2?

I am also wondering if the memory card makes a difference on how fast the picture is taken. Can the card make a difference? If so what card is good?

Thanks for your answers
Lori

 

[PC Wheeler]

Hi. I have always used a 35mm rebel and am having a hard time
making the digital switch because the cameras seem to take the
pictures a while after you hit the button.

If that is absolutely crucial, you need a DSLR .. like the Rebel XTi. Lenses from your 35 mm Rebel will work on it. No digicam will shoot as fast as a Canon DSLR.

I have looked at other posts concerning this S2/S3 comparison but I
have specific needs. I mostly take pictures of my child who is
always moving. For my price range I have picked the Canon S2 IS
but I am wondering if the S3 would take the shot faster then the S2?

I think the S3 is a tad faster, but only a tad (reviews at Dpreview will have that info):

S2 IS here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons2is/page4.asp

S3 IS here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons3is/page4.asp

But there are other small improvements in the S3, as well.

I am also wondering if the memory card makes a difference on how
fast the picture is taken. Can the card make a difference? If so
what card is good?

Well, maybe. I prefer Sandisk Ultra II cards (2 GB will do) with my S3 IS. They are plenty fast .. and needed for continuous shot and movie mode.

Phil

 

[Frank43]

For my price range I have picked the Canon S2 IS
but I am wondering if the S3 would take the shot faster then the S2?

I believe that there is no practical speed difference between the S2 and the S3. The problem is not the shutter speed but the autofocus speed. If your child remains at the same distance, you can keep your finger half pressed and shoot quickly. The after focus speed is less than 0.1 sec, practically as good as DSLR's, I believe. The continuous shooting is excellent also, as long as you do not need to refocus.

If you child really moves a lot, try the movie mode. You can extract low resolution pictures from it. And if your child ever stops, you can shoot a quick still, while you get a chance.

The autofocus speed is much better in good lighting and with moderate zoom. I understand your frustration if you are shooting indoors at full zoom - this is hopeless with any compact.

I am also wondering if the memory card makes a difference on how
fast the picture is taken. Can the card make a difference? If so
what card is good?

The memory comes into play after the shot is taken. It does not affect the shooting speed but it might affect the time between pictures. I do not think that there is any gain in getting anything faster that the Sandisk Ultra II.

Most people would say that there is no point upgrading from an S2 to an S3.

Frank

 

[rick66883]

I used both and the newer chip for s3 seems to do a better job.

 

[bdery]

Hi. I have always used a 35mm rebel and am having a hard time
making the digital switch because the cameras seem to take the
pictures a while after you hit the button.

If you pre-focus before you actually need to take the shot (say, while you're framing) then the actual shutter delay is about the same as with a film camera. The processor does take a few instants to evaluate the scene, meter it, set the white balance, etc. Focus can also take some time, especially with such a lens as the S2/S3 (remember you're using a virtual 432 mm lens! How often did you do that with your SLR?) So good technique calls for a decent time for pre-focus (while the camera does that, it also meters and sets WB), then the actual shutter delay is about 1/10 seconds.

I have looked at other posts concerning this S2/S3 comparison but I
have specific needs. I mostly take pictures of my child who is
always moving. For my price range I have picked the Canon S2 IS
but I am wondering if the S3 would take the shot faster then the S2?

The S3 will not take the shot faster, but you can use one more ISO step, which gives you one more stop for blur-free images.

I am also wondering if the memory card makes a difference on how
fast the picture is taken. Can the card make a difference? If so
what card is good?

No difference. The shot-to-shot speed is affected, thus the burst mode is affected, and the movie mode is affected. But to take a single picture, any card will do.

If you want a fast and reliable card, the most reputed dealers are Lexar, Sandisk, and ATP (I have one Sandisk and two ATP cards, and I prefer the ATP, because they're supposed to be more rugged)

Thanks for your answers
Lori

--
bdery

Québec city, Canada
C A N O N S 2
C O O L P I X S Q
http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n13/bdery/

 

[Belladee]

The S3 will not take the shot faster, but you can use one more ISO
step, which gives you one more stop for blur-free images.

Can you explain in lamen terms, I dont know what a ISO step is. Does that mean that I will get less blury images with the S3?

 

[gail]

I have the S2 and, to me, there are no sigificant improvements that would compel me to upgrade to the S3. Saying that, if I didn't have the S2, I'd buy the S3.

I believe the higher ISO performance (200 and 400) is a tad better than the S2 so it could give some improving speed.

--
gail ~ http://www.pbase.com/gailb
My digital camera BLOGs: Canon SD700, S2 & A510; Panasonic FZ3, Nikon 5400
http://www.digicamhelp.com/digital-camera-blogs/index.htm

 

[MiKelly]

making the digital switch because the cameras seem to take the
pictures a while after you hit the button.

If I were buying a camera to take family pics indoors, I would probably but the Fuji F30. It has a decent lag time and takes good indoor pics. I think that you can buy this camera for less than $250. It is also far easier to carry than the S2/S3.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf30/page4.asp

have specific needs. I mostly take pictures of my child who is
always moving. For my price range I have picked the Canon S2 IS
but I am wondering if the S3 would take the shot faster then the S2?

Do you need the 12X zoom? I have found that my S2 takes really disappointing pics in low light situations. I have had it for 15 months and have tried everything to improve the pics, without much success. The results are good for outside shots with excellent lighting.

Overall, I am disappointed in the S2.

--
Mike Kelly
Houston, Texas
Canon Powershot S2 IS, Olympus C2100UZ

 

[Frank43]

Can you explain in lamen terms, I dont know what a ISO step is.
Does that mean that I will get less blury images with the S3?

ISO is the sensor sensitivity. How much light is needed to take a picture. A higher ISO means more sensitivity. More sensitivity means that you can use a higher shutter speed, say 1/60 instead of 1/30 of a second.

The higher shutter speed will reduce the blur in the image.

The S3 sensor is more sensitive than the S2. So you have a better chance to avoid blur.

The words 'shutter speed' are used to mean two different things:
1) Reaction time to actual start the light capture
2) Duration of the light capture

A slow reaction time means that your child is not where he was when you pressed the shutter, or his beautiful smile is gone.

A long duration produces blurry pictures.

The reaction time of the S2 and S3 are essentially the same.

The duration is better on the S3. Since the S3 has a more sensitive sensor, you can use half the duration that you would use with the S2 (roughly).

Frank

 

[relate22]

One advantage in the S2/S3 and other digi cams is the large depth of field.

If you are taking shots of fast moving kids do some testing and set the camera up to cover a large depth of field and shoot away. With the manual controls set the camera doesn't have to spend time setting focus, exposure etc and it virtually becomes as fast as an instamatic film camera.

If you are taking manly indoor shots most digital cameras struggle with focus and flash output. A slave flash can help but it adds complexity.

One last thing the S2/S3 have a very good burst speed of 2.4 frames per second. This is very good for getting some excellent candid shots. Also remember with a 436mm zoom lens you can get some great shots without having to have the camera in the kids faces.
--
http://www.pbase.com/reelate2
http://www.pbase.com/relate2
Me flying
http://youtube.com/watch?v=hY8VhR4gI3w

 

[threadster]

I own the S3 and it is a fun, easy camera to use. My understanding is that the autofocus is a little faster on the S3. However, more importantly, the LCD is a little bigger.

The movie mode is very good and in my opinion, a must have for a photographer with children. Taking videos becomes convenient and fun, and you can still take a high resolution snapshot in movie mode, while video rolls.

Children and animials are difficult subjects for me, if you absolutely have to have spot-on lightning fast focus, it doesn't get any better than a Canon dSLR...

Ed.

--
Dune Country

 

[Belladee]

I will be taking pictures indoors and out. I do need a big zoom becasue I also love to take pictures really close up.

With all the mixed reviews I feel like maybe I should just stick with my 35mm. It takes amazing pictures that I am so happy with.
I just hate not knowing if I got the shot.

I can not afford a DSLR and they dont even have a video camera option.

Thanks for all the info

 

[Belladee]

I almost bought the S2 last night but then I dove back into looking at the S3. There is a 100$ difference and I cant see that there is a 100$ difference in features. The pictures that the S2 take seem perferct enough

It seems that the bigger/faster? ISO means that I can take better pictures indoors. Is that true?

 

[PC Wheeler]

It seems that the bigger/faster? ISO means that I can take better
pictures indoors. Is that true?

To a small extent. But for $100, get the S3 .. the serious black color alone is worth that ;-)

One new feature I really like is the real-time histogram in the EVF or LCD when composing. It will tell you about exposure, a very valuable thing.

I believe the S2 does not have live histogram, only review (after the shot) histogram.

Phil

 

[geobur]

I have had an S2 since June/05 and just bought an S3 for my Xmas present.

If you use NiMH batteries in the S2 and shoot pictures on an ongoing basis, then it will be OK. If you shoot some pictures, then leave the camera for weeks or a month or so, a lot of S2's (it seems not all) have trouble with a "Change the batteries" message, and even fresh batteries have trouble getting it going again.

I took batteries that were useless in the S2, put them in the S3 and it worked fine with them. The new low self-discharge batteries (e.g. Eneloop) might mitigate this problem, time will tell.

This specific problem has been discussed extensively in previous threads.

Rather than simply upgrading from an S2 to an S3, I did consider whether I wanted to switch brands - Panasonic FZ7, for instance. I think it speaks well of the S2 that I chose to get the S3.

Merry Xmas.
gb

 

[stephaneonline]

One of the biggest advantage of the S3 over the S2 is the movie button unless you never shoot any movie ;-)

--
Stephane

 

[Tom in AR]

How is the movie button different on the S2 than the S3?

 

[Lee Jay]

If that is the problem, get a dSLR like the Rebel XT. The major advantage is AI servo which none of the compacts have. You can do it with an S3, but focus is much more difficult and frustrating on moving subjects, especially in low-light. The flash can freeze them but not if they are OOF.

--
Lee Jay
(see profile for equipment)

 

[stephaneonline]

Sorry, I should have check more carefully, I was sure the dedicated movie button was new to the S3.

--
Stephane

 

[Belladee]

I cant afford the DSLR

Anyway I found a nice list of all the upgrades.

I really dont know what it all means and as many times as a live histogram is explained to me I still dont know what use I would have for it... but I know that I will figure it out.

I think that I am going to go for it. I think that I will also get good use from the sports mode. And from what I read the higher the ISO the better it is for getting good shots indoors..?

I found it for as low as $324 on YellowBeePhoto, but I dont know if it is a good site. I posted another thread about that in the open talk forum

Thanks for all the input!!

Here is the list

Live Histogram
Increased Focus Accuracy*
Larger LCD
Decreased Shutter Lag
Decreased Purple Fringing Levels
Rule of Thirds Grid*
Increased Dynamic Range Control*
Decreased Highlight Clipping*
(Color) Black
Dedicated ISO Button*
Post Editing
16:9 Aspect Ratio
6.3 Mega Pix
Faster Shutters Speeds*
Sports Mode