Canon S3 IS upgrade

[kickrz22]

I have the S3 and like it but want to get more serious about photography. I was looking at the T3 but not sure if I am on the right path or what. A friend said she just bought a Canon XS or XS IS , not sure which and is happy with it but I am overwhelmed with where to start.

TIA

[inkista]

Well, my standard "a dSLR is not a P&S upgrade" lecture might be one place to start.

The T3 is basically an updated version of the XS. There is no XS IS. On Canon's dSLRs, the IS is in the lenses, not the cameras.

[kickrz22]

WOW thank you so much. What a great lecture

Ok so from reading that I am not sure I am ready for the switch..lol. I am not in for a HUGE expense at this time until I can get a better feel for what I like and what I am good at. My main issue is that I get about 99 crap shots and then every now and then get that 1shot where I am like wow I love that picture. I love how a good picture looks.

So if I stick with a P&S is the Canon S3 ok? I like to take pics of my kids, nature and animals. Budget is pretty flexible as I want something to help me get that great pic and I find the one I have at times delays and can appear grainy...now if that is user error is should get better as I practise. I just want to make sure that I have the right tools to asses if this is the right path for me. Basically I won't know if I am doing well if what I am working with is old crap

[inkista]

Originally Posted by kickrz22

Ok so from reading that I am not sure I am ready for the switch..lol.

Sorry.

I am not in for a HUGE expense at this time...

Well, you don't have to buy everything at once, but there's definitely a factor of sticker shock that comes into things. It's weird, but $300 can be thought of as a "low-cost" item, sometimes in SLR photography.

...until I can get a better feel for what I like and what I am good at. My main issue is that I get about 99 crap shots and then every now and then get that 1shot where I am like wow I love that picture. I love how a good picture looks.

Well, my keeper rate's around 2%, so I know what you mean.

So if I stick with a P&S is the Canon S3 ok?

Yeah, it's still a great camera, as long as you're not disappointed or frustrated by it, and it's not broken, keep it and see. One thing I'd recommend taking a look at, which may also help you decide if you want a dSLR or not, is Bryan Peterson's book, Learning to See Creatively. It's a really basic text on photographic composition, and how to use the exposure settings to get specific effects. Your S3 has a full Manual mode, and you can absolutely control the aperture, shutter speed, and iso. The effects you might get, with a smaller-sensored camera, may not be as extreme as with a dSLR (say, depth-of-field effects with aperture), but a lot will be the same.

And you can still learn post-processing on P&S shots as much as dSLR ones.

I like to take pics of my kids, nature and animals. Budget is pretty flexible as I want something to help me get that great pic and I find the one I have at times delays and can appear grainy...now if that is user error is should get better as I practise.

Actually, those two things really may be camera-related. And it's those kinds of issues that make it worthwhile to move to a dSLR. Being able to time a shot, being able to manually focus, responsiveness, and the better high iso noise performance of larger sensors can all help you out.

But you should also consider if maybe a newer P&S can help, too. I have the Canon Powershot S90 as my current P&S. Its noise performance is much better than my old Canon S30's.


Canon Powershot S90. @6mm. iso 1600. f/2. 1/125s. Handheld. Available light (no flash).
Full-size.

But even with my "old crap" Powershot S30 (a 3MP camera that came out in 2001), it's not like it stopped me from taking a decent shot every now and then:


Canon Powershot S30. @12.3mm. iso 80. f/3.5. 2/5s. Ultrapod (travel tripod) and timer.

[kickrz22]

LOVE the bottom pic...the crisp is so crisp!

I have been doing some looking and thinking...uh-oh
I have narrowed it down I think to either leaving myself the S3...for now and just playing with it more, tweaking me a bit first to see if I can get more of what I want. I have 3 choices. I was leaning toward the CANON REBEL T3 W/18-55 DC III for $600, it is about $150 more then the CANON SX30 IS BLACK 14.1MP. I like both but if I am going to purchase one I figured spend a little extra to get the dslr. But the Canon SX30 sounds more my speed at this moment.

I appreciate the help! I posted a pic here: Canadian Babies :)

That picture is what really made me want to do more. My sister has a Nikon D90 and her pics seem to outshine mine 9 times out of 10.