demonwolf

...about the whole debate above; whether or not this cam is even worth it - and why not just get the Rebel XTI or even the S5IS... WELL like I said this is my first digicam, but it's definetely not going to be my last. So why would I drop like $600 on something I'm not even going to ba able to use till I get better at photography?!@% ..yo... well..ahem.

ANYWAYS bottom line the S3IS is a great (cheap) entry level cam for someone who wants to begin learning about digital photography!

gaaaagets

Erzengel

Then there's the fact that the S series is a bargain for the lens alone. Think about what a 24-432mm IS macro lens would cost for your XTi, and then think about how big it would be. It's a ridiculous bargain.

Oh btw, I realize this post is an ad for Dell, but Amazon is selling the S5 for only about $14 more than Dell is selling the S3...It's definitely worth getting the S5 for that price.

mullingitover

G9 is way better, i agree. i have it, i love it, its 100$ more, pony up and dont regret.

AstroWolf

size, weight, IS out of the box, telephoto zoom out of the box

I'd take the rebel as well though ;)

dell musta been hammered with these, and "marking them down ~50%" or so off of MSRP means they can get rid of them asap without losing much (if any) in revenue

discounteggroll

aelfin

The SX100 IS seems interesting, with 10 x optical zoom in a very small camera. The size is the only thing I don't like about my S3 IS.

TailsNZ

randlsa

liquidsoapdispenser

timec33

But the S3 IS form factor is considerably smaller & lighter than a DSLR, and costs a little less as well. Personally I agree that most people who buy a superzoom would ultimately end up much happier with a DSLR... the superzoom form factor only makes you FEEL like an intermediate photog, minus the great images.

Actually, why are we talking about the S3 IS, when the S5 IS is out right now? This advertisement is 2 generations backward.

dcartist

The market for this camera is as a sort of middle solution between more basic point and shoots and a full DSLR. There are plenty of people I've seen who actually own both an S3 and a DSLR and use them for different scenarios or different needs.

And there's plenty of creative flexibility with a camera like this; especially with some of the very inexpensive lens options. You can see some of the very impressive things people have done with the S3 here: [www.dcresource.com]

Zadillo

I did notice in that same discussion though that people were comparing the image quality between the S3 and S5, and the S5 does seem to be a bit noisier (although whether its significant enough to bother people is another question).

But yeah, I would imagine if one preferred the capabilities of the S5, it would make much more sense to spend $335 to get one than $300 to get an S3.

Zadillo

Bite the bullet and get a DSLR - it's so much better. And then count the days until you realize the XTi is too limiting and you need a 5D or it's successor.

elvindeath

I remember doing a lot of research on the S3 vs. the S5 (back when the S5 first came out, and I was trying to figure out whether I should pay significantly more to get an S5). Is it really correct to say it is a MUCH better camera than the S3? It seems like the general consensus was that the hot shoe was probably the most useful upgrade (if you needed one), along with the better LCD and Digic III; but there seemed to be a fair amount of debate over whether Digic III was much of an improvement or not.

It seems there's plenty of merit still in the S3, all things being equal, depending on the needs of the photographer.

Zadillo

Zadillo

Wouldpkr

picantel

Advertise last years camera, sell at a good margin, PROFIT!

endless

Yea, that's a really sweet DL for the camera.. soo many features, it's crazy.

PlasmaMachine

The S2 had better autofocus than the S3, but the upgrades to the S5 (LCD, hotshoe) are pretty great. Also DigicIII rocks.

SomeAudioGuy

lafond66

Also, you can take RAW by using this: [chdk.wikia.com]

EU_dig

PlasmaMachine