Canon PowerShot S3 IS review

Canon's PowerShot S3 IS is the successor to the S2 IS, a high-quality enthusiast's camera that we awarded a Best Buy award last year.

The S3 comes with a predictable boost in specifications. The sensor has risen from five to six megapixels and the LCD screen from 1.8" to 2" in diameter, but its resolution is still 115,000 pixels. There's a dedicated button for changing the ISO setting and a histogram display when composing shots.

The higher-resolution sensor has taken its toll on the Continuous mode, which has fallen from 2.3 to 1.5 frames per second (fps). This is still a respectable figure, though, and the camera is responsive and quick to control. It's a comfortable camera to hold, fitting neatly into the hand.

There's a generous collection of buttons. The four-way navigation pad becomes a direct control for shutter speed and aperture in Manual Exposure mode. Image previews give an accurate prediction of exposure when adjusting settings and the new histogram display helps here, too. Manual focus is available, but despite the assistance of a digitally zoomed picture-in-picture display, the LCD screen and electronic viewfinder's low resolutions make the process tricky.

Image quality is impressive, with crisp detail across all our test shots. The lens is quick to auto-focus and its 12x zoom range is assisted by effective image stabilisation. Most impressive is the Macro mode, which could focus on objects a couple of millimetres from the lens. Strangely, the camera's Auto mode offers a less powerful macro; you need to switch to one of the more advanced modes and hold down the macro button to access the illustrious Super Macro feature. Colour accuracy is dependable, with well-balanced, flattering tones in a wide range of conditions; there's little need to reach for the exposure compensation or white balance controls. Noise performance is reasonable, with passable images at ISO 400. The camera goes up to ISO 800, but we'd recommend using this setting only as a last resort.

If you're a photography enthusiast who wants a large zoom, or you can't afford a digital SLR, this camera is a tempting package. Choosing between this and Panasonic's FZ7 (below), reviewed in What's New, August 2006, is a tough call. The FZ7 has fallen to £239 including VAT and includes a lithium-ion battery; you need to budget for four rechargeable AA batteries if you choose the PowerShot S3 IS. The F27 performs faster and has a larger screen, too. But the PowerShot's tilting screen is more responsive, as is its lens. It's more comfortable to hold and use and it looks smarter. There's nothing between them in terms of image detail and colour accuracy, but we prefer Canon's slightly noisy images at ISO 400 to Panasonic's aggressive noise reduction.