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  nice camera but cannot fire flash automatically

PROS: Good quality pictures

CONS: Cannot find out how to make Flash fire automatically, some say flash has to be popped out manually

OVERALL SCORE:7/10

  I've researched long & hard for the right camera and I know I've found it..GREAT!

PROS: I've read reviews by other people stressing how difficult it was to use the Advance Manual,and that they prefered the condensed version...but I have had no problems with the AM. The camera is very user friendly and takes beautiful pictures. I enjoy all of the options Canon has given the consumer to choose from and the ease to which it can be done. I would recommend the Canon S3 IS to anyone interested in taking great looking pictures that have the look of a professional! I hope to enjoy this camera for quite some time and don't have any plans to upgrade any time soon....Quite happy and satisfied in West Virginia.

CONS: As of yet I don't have anything negative to say about this product and hopefully my opinion will not change!

OVERALL SCORE:9/10

  I love it!

PROS: I love it and use it on a professional level. It was the best I could afford and has served me well to photograph everything I have needed it for. I run a small marketing and graphic design business.

CONS: I want the additional lenses but have to wait for X-mas.

OVERALL SCORE:10/10

  lens shut down

PROS: great sharpness and accuracy. prefered framing shot through lens and got good renditions

CONS: E18 ERROR. lens jams and camera is dead

  Great camera for some purposes

PROS: My evaluation of this camera comes from two different perspectives, each posed by two different requirements: 1.) Is this my last camera? 2.) How well does this camera perform the function for which it was purchased? First though, I want to state that I’ve only had the S3 for ten weeks and have enjoyed both its use and the photos it’s taken. The following are my observations based upon about 2500 images I’ve captured. • The manual focus is clunky and hard to use unless you have three thumbs or a right thumb that is only one inch long. • Uses SD media, subsequently I was not able to leverage existing compact flash media. This increased the cost of ownership. • Speed of image capture, buffering and recording on SD media is fast. (WOW!) • Uses affordable AA batteries. • Image quality is good, but not great. • Manuals are readable and useful and come in basic and advanced “flavors”. • Great photo capture features! • I’m impressed with the (camera) application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) programmed features. • Capture settings contains opportunities for customization. • Menus are intuitive. In summary: For me, cameras serve two functions; to record history and to capture fine art. Sometimes these occur concurrently. I see the S3 as an affordable way to record history with some occasional (concurrent) capture of fine art, for example macro flower art images. I do not see its strength as a fine art camera. (Check with me 10,000 images in the future!) The S3 camera is affordable. This means that I can afford to take it to hazardous environments, loan it to my employees and even my teenager and not worry about it. I would not be devastated by the loss as I would some of my other cameras that I cost me much more than the S3. I bought this camera as a “holiday” camera to take on a three week sailing trip from San Diego, USA to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on a 33 foot boat. I was (mostly) comfortable with carrying the S3 during every

CONS: My "Cons" are wrapped in my "Pro" discussion. This is stupid division of intellect!

OVERALL SCORE:9/10

  Tremendous value and quality.

PROS: Great handling, quality feel, quick access to manual controls, histogram, low noise, Xcellent Video

CONS: manual focusing awkward, autofocus in low light not great, video file time limited to 10 mins

  Probably the last camera most will ever need

PROS: Too many to list. Extremely reliable. Regardless of shake, it consistently takes great pictures. It will make you look like a professional photographer even if you're not!

CONS: perhaps a slightly larger view finder.

OVERALL SCORE:10/10

  Tough decision S3 vs. A640 / A630

PROS: My number one reason for purchasing a new camera was dead pixels on my G2. I’ve had it for four successful years, but got tired of photoshoping all my pics to conceal the dead spots.  The second reason was size. The G2 is a great camera, but kind of a brick. And since I travel a lot, I was looking to reduce the bulk in my travel bags. However, I did not want to lose the full-feature manual controls of the G2. Although I’ve read good reviews of Sony, Panasonic, Nikon, etc., I love the G2 photo quality, and so to make life easier and narrow the search, I decided right off the bat to stick with Canon. I began my research in the PowerShot A series. My next requirement was the swivel LCD. This is such a useful tool for me, especially in crowds where you can raise up the camera and still frame a good shot. Also with kids, you can lower the camera to your knees and compose without bending over backwards or getting in the dirt. With my primary requirements being swivel LCD, full-feature manual controls, and size constraints, it came down to the A640 and A630. I read all the reviews, and was simply trying to decide between the 10M with black housing (very slick!) or the 8M which is plenty for me and my 5x7 or 8x10 prints. I thought that noise would a problem for the 10M A640. However, the test shots on Digital Camera Resource http://dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_a630_a640-review/index.shtml looked like the A640 slightly outperforms at 400 ISO. Maybe Canon is test-marketing a new noise reduction system in the camera? In any case, I really liked the less conspicuous black, and decided on the A640. I went to the camera store (yes, I still prefer to buy from the local shop vs. online) and was disappointed that they don’t keep the A640 in stock. No worries, how about the A630 then. But while handling the A630, I noticed the S3 IS right there with its sleek black housing, and incredible 12x optical zoom. I thought for sure this was a

CONS: Always have to compromise somewhere right? For me, it was the size. But, that's only because I was comparing it to the A640 / A630. Compared to others in its class, size is not an issue.

OVERALL SCORE:9/10

  Excellent Camera with good price & great features

PROS: Powerful flash, fast respond, sharp photo quality, great video, super macro mode, suitable for beginner & pro photography.

CONS: Battery life is to short, too sensitive AF.

OVERALL SCORE:9/10

  First Personal Camera, Long Time Enthusiast!

PROS: Bright built-in flash, 12x zoom, all the buttons you could need, Left and Right stereo in 44.1 sound.

CONS: No accessory shoe, body paint rubs off after a good week's use, No manual zoom, no night shoot, battery life = 2 hours with alkaline.