Canon S3 IS

[Fred_Bopp]

Based on Michael Riechman's review on the Luminous Landscape, I gave it a try.
Everything Michael praised about it is true. I have been able to print up to A3 photos without any problem. I wish it had a RAWcapability but the JPG works OK.
The lens is surprisingly fast from 2.7 to 3.5 and the range is great to over 400mm. I now take it along on events where I use my 1Dmk2N with a 24-70 and use the S3 for those long shots. The only thing I found was the flash is a little weak so I use the Canon flash made for point and shoots. It has a lot more power and does the job.
Don't be afraid to try this camera. You will get hooked like I did.

Regards,
Fred

[Walter_Kimmel]

I want a pocket camera (maybe a big coat pocket ,) for the many days that I don't want to lug the 1D MkII and the heavy glass around. The S3 is just about the largest I would consider. However, the Panasonic FZ50 has some additional features I consider important, such as RAW shooting, a zoom ring and, if I remember correctly, real manual focus with a ring on the lens, as well. It is only slightly larger than the S3.

Has anybody here compared the two cameras? What was Canon thinking when they eliminated RAW from the S3? And optical viewfinders seem to have disappeared from their smaller cameras, along with the 3rd point (your forehead) that I depend on for greater stability of the camera, IS or not.