Anyone with a S2 IS?

[thatedeguy]

I just got a S2 IS as a early Christmas present.(I guess my dad wants plenty of pictures of the new grandson ;)) It's early on and I've noticed that a lot of the features are pretty standard. Has anyone got any tips for fun and interesting ways to use it's special features?

[jewels inet]

I just got a S2 IS ... any tips for fun and interesting ways to use it's special features?

I have the Canon PowerShot S1 IS.

Have you tried the panoramic stitching?

[butchyau]

Have an S3 IS just bought recently but I have tried the panoramic stitching and it looks pretty impressive, altho don't try it over water like I did first- derrr. Am pleased with the camera so far- especially like the flip LCD which will be good for my ageing back and inflexible neck !
good luck with it.

[thatedeguy]

I haven't tried the panoramic stitching just yet. I'm still trying to get used to the thing. I have a heck of a time with the focus. It doesn't seem to auto focus until you've pressed the shutter which makes it a little hard to decide on a picture. I did play around with the macro setting a little and it's decent.

[Graham]

I have the Canon PowerShot S1 IS.

Have you tried the panoramic stitching?

I have the S3:
I think the panoramic mode is v good, do you know how to keep the exposure the same on each shot?

[mickey]

I have the S3:
I think the panoramic mode is v good, do you know how to keep the exposure the same on each shot?
have you tried using the presets yet? I just recently got a s3 and really like it
but not too comfortable with it yet,funtion wise.I hardly pick up my REBEL which I also just bought this spriing,it's a fine SLR but I like the IS 3 better.

[icarus4586]

I've got an S2 IS. One of the things that I like is the supermacro mode. You can focus on things ridiculously close-up - like 0cm.
One of the modes lets you play around with color - like pick two colors to swap, or to have one color show up and have everything else B&W.
And of course the old stand-bys, playing with exposure and white balance. I've been pretty happy with the image stabilization, it helps a lot at long zoom and long exposures. I've been able to get sharp shots without a tripod down below 1/10s.

Basically, my advice is to play around with it a lot, and flip through the manual to get an idea of what it can do.

[jimd]

Graham, you asked how to keep the exposure the same on each shot when doing a panoramic. Just hold the button down half-way like you normall would to take the first shot, but after taking the first shot, do not release the button all the way - keep it down half-way after releasing the shutter. Then just keep taking the rest of your pano shots the same way. Then all the exposures will be the same, and you'll end up with a seamless finished pano. Using some good photo stitching software will also help tremendously with this.

[jimd]

Hello fellow S2/S3 owners. Here are some GREAT tips for expanding your camera's capabilities.

- If you didn't know this already, you can attach lenses & filters to your S2/S3. The first piece of equipment you'll need to get is the Lens Adapter Hood set ("LAH-DC20"). It is very cheap, and simply clicks right onto your camera, and has 58mm front threads to accept lenses & filters. To put it on, you'll first need to take off the plastic ring around your lens that is currently there. You just press the little button below the lens, and turn the ring around, and it comes right off. The adaptor tube goes on/off the same way. Search for "Canon LAH-DC20" on ebay or froogle and you'll find it.

- The first thing I'd get are a few simple filters, like a UV, Polorizing, and maybe a couple macro close-up filters. The UV is the most important as it will give you protection for your camera's lens from scratches, dust, and dirt - just leave it on all the time. All these filters are not expensive and widely available on ebay. Just search for "58mm filter" on ebay and you'll get a great selection. You could also get any 58mm lens hood, which helps block unwanted light from entering your lens.

- You could also get a wide-angle or a tele-photo lens for your S2/S3! You could pretty much get any auto-focus lens with 58mm back threads, but here are the two that Canon makes specifically for this camera:
- TC-DC58B (tele-photo, goes for around $100)
- WC-DC58A (wide-angle, goes for around $150)

The only other things I wish I could get for my S3 is an external flash and a remote control. I don't think the S3 supports either of these. Please correct me if I'm wrong!

[kdynamic]

I have had the S2IS for about 2 years (since it first came out) and I love it. My favorite features are probably the flip LCD, supermacro mode (so fun!!), and playing around with long exposures. The IS is also amazing. What other camera lets you take tack-sharp pictures of people jumping on the trampoline while you're also jumping on the trampoline?!

I would suggest you play with Av and Tv mode. Also it tends to overexpose a little so I usually take the exposure down a couple steps. Get out of auto mode!

[Graham]

Yes, but to be honest I have found that shooting in P has given me the best results. Setting the white balance manually has also helped.

[Graham]

Thanks jimd I will try this next time. Graham