Good camera or no? Also question regarding battery

canuckythe · Oct 15, 2012

Hey all I'm a super newbie and I'm determined to learn how to take nice pictures. Anyway onto my main point/concern:
I currently have a powershot S3 IS and I have no clue about it. How good of a camera is it (Says it's 6 megapixel and that's it)? What kind of a camera is it? Do I need any other equipment such as extra lenses or whatnot?
Also this thing takes 4 AA batteries. Neither the camera nor the manual told me how much mAh is required for the batteries, but it did talk about batteries in camera accessories and suggested 2500mAh. I was curious as to what are some good batteries for it. I hear eneloops are great rechargeables but I wonder if the 2000mAh is enough. Eneloop xx seems a lot more expensive and only 500 charges, plus they get lower to about 75% of original power after a year... Any suggestions?

Thanks to all those that may be able to help!

Dao · Oct 15, 2012

I do not know too much about the Powershot S3 IS. All I know it is a point and shoot type camera. As for the battery. In general, the higher the mAh the battery rated, the more the power the battery can have. In other words, it let you shoot more photos per charge.

But the problem with most of the NiMH type rechargeable batteries they self-discharge too fast. So they freshly charged batteries may lose half or more of it charge in a relatively short time (when compare with a non-rechargeable battery). So you charge up the batteries and put them in the camera. Couple weeks later you grab the camera and start taking photos. You may find that the batteries die pretty soon. However, it is not the case if you use the Eneloop batteries.

So which one is better? I do not think one is better than the other. It depends on the application. If you want to use it in a TV remote, I am sure the Eneloop is better. If you use them in a flash and planning to use it all day, higher mAh rechargeable maybe better since you can pack more power in one cell. But you just need to make sure you recharge them before the shoot.

canuckythe · Oct 15, 2012

Oh okay so if I don't use flash a lot and just use my camera regularly then I can just go with eneloop? I like them for their longer life.
Also back to the camera, someone told me my powershot s3 is a dslr, now that you say it's a point and shoot I did a little more research and found that it seems to indeed be a point and shoot. What is not in this camera that is in a DSLR that makes the s3 a point and shoot? Also if I want to learn photography seriously should I get a DSLR then? If so then what's a good beginner budget DSLR?

Big Mike · Oct 15, 2012

Welcome to the forum.

The term 'Point & Shoot'...really gets applied to just about any digital camera that isn't an SLR. But there are more than just two categories. I think that yours falls into the 'SLR-Like' or 'Bridge' category. It is shaped similar to a DSLR camera and it has a decent lens built into it...but there are a few big difference.

Firstly, the thing that makes a DSLR a 'single lens reflex' is that there is a mirror and a optical viewfinder system that sees out the lens. In other words, behind the lens is a mirror so that when you look in the viewfinder, you are actually seeing out the lens. When you snap the photo, the mirror flips up and out of the way. With your camera, I believe that the viewfinder is just a little screen that gives you a digital view of what the lens is seeing...not a true live/real time view.
Most DSLR cameras also have a mechanical shutter curtain, while most other cameras just use an electronic shutter system.
In practical terms, this allows the DSLR to have a much better auto focus system and much less shutter lag. One of the biggest issues with a non-DSLR digital cameras (especially older ones) is the delay from when you press the button, to when it snaps the photo.

Next is the lens. You camera has a built in lens that can't be removed. It may be a decent lens, but in order to give you 12x zoom in a small, inexpensive package, there is a lot of compromise to the image quality. On a DSLR, the lens is truly interchangeable so you have a huge selection of different lenses that will work with it. This is a great choice to have, but the downside is that good lenses will often cost as much or more than the camera itself. But on the good side, you can upgrade/change the camera and keep the lenses...you can't do that with you camera.

Lastly, the big internal difference between you camera and a DSLR is the size of the sensor (the digital film). Yours is 1/2.5” while a typical Canon DSLR sensor is 22.3 x 14.9 mm (sorry, you can do the conversion). In other words, a DSLR has a much larger sensor, which translates to better image quality overall but especially at higher ISO levels. This means that a DSLR can usually get away with better low light performance without having to resort to flash.

Yet another difference is the options and features. Most P&S cameras are designed for people who don't know much about photography (at least, they don't need to know). Of course, most DSLR cameras are designed that way too, but they do have the option of full manual control. Manual exposure, true manual focus etc.

So do you need a DSLR? Well, no...you don't need one. But if you want to learn photography on a higher level, a DSLR would be a more useful tool for you to have.
Pretty much any 'entry level' DSLR would be a good choice. Most will say to stick with Canon or Nikon, as they have the biggest selection of cameras, lenses and accessories.

MLeeK · Oct 15, 2012

It's a decent older bridge camera with many of the capabilities of a DSLR. You can learn on it to do nearly anything you can on a DSLR. It does have the ability to use an external flash through a sync cord even though it does not have a hot shoe.
If you are wanting to be serious, yes I would invest in a DSLR. You can get an entry level, current one in about the $500 to $700 range with a kit lens. It will not have the wide to extreme zoom you have with the S3IS. FOr that you pay some big bucks. THe lens it comes with will be about wide angle to normal eye view.
You will quickly want a zoom and an external flash unit for it.

My suggestion to you? Begin to learn about exposure and controlling the image yourself on the camera you have while saving for a good DSLR kit. You'll need something in the range of about a grand to get an entry level body, basic, good consumer lenses and a decent flash.
In the meantime you can learn the things that you need just fine on what you have.
Here are some great tutorials to start your learning curve off: Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials
Make sure you have the manual handy for your camera to learn how to change settings and where things are as you learn. If you have lost the manual you can download it from canon. Just google.

canuckythe · Oct 16, 2012

Thanks everyone you're all so helpful! An experienced photographer will still be able to take a better photo with a point and shoot than I can with a studio camera. Great advice I'm going to start investing in a DSLR but I'll work on my skill first.