Photography: Canon PowerShot Pro S3 IS

I can never be still when I take a photograph, especially when I am taking macros. Mostly I manage to come out with great pics because I set my camera to fast-shutter. All I need for my photos to look great is an Image Stabilizer (IS).

On Canon's IS technology Amazon.com says,

"Canon's optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology counteracts camera shake to reduce image blur when shooting stills or recording video, essential for handheld shots at longer focal lengths. IS allows photographers to shoot at shutter speeds up to 3 stops slower for reliable flash-free photography in low light conditions."

The Canon IS series was introduced to me by one of my photography-crazy friend. My fiancée had already gifted me the super-cool Canon Powershot A80 (which I am currently shooting with) and it is a great camera in the 4.0 MP range. And that's the only feature that outdoes the Canon S2 IS. The S2 IS had a 2.0 megapixel CCD.

The plus point in the IS series is the IS (Image Stabilizer) itself. The S2 IS, the predecessor to the All-New S3 IS also had a 10x zoom, which is good by any standards. It's falldown, for me, was the 2.0 megapixel CCD.

The sleek black Canon S3 IS makes an able sucessor to S2 IS. Apart from the IS technology, it brings together a 6.0 megapixel CCD, 2" LCD, with 12x of optical zoom and ISO levels that range from 80 to 800. Another great feature is the powerful video function. The S3 IS records video at 30 fps in VGA quality. Plus you can create 60 fps QVGA video for a slo-mo playback. Also available is Widescreen shooting. Oh yes, you can shoot in a 16:9 format (2816 x 1584 pixels). And you also get a completely independent movie button so that you don't have to toggle between modes.

With 20 shooting modes, including fast-shutter Sports mode, Night Snapshot for night shots, Snow and Canon's My Colors photo effects, Canon S3 IS is a great camera for shooting whenever you want.

July 23^rd is 1 month 3 weeks away, so, make sure you get it before it become belated.

Price: $499.99