The Powershot S3 IS is an advanced point-and-shoot camera manufactured by Canon. The S3 IS records 6 MP images and features 12-times optical zoom through an image stabilizing lens. The camera also has a swiveling LCD screen for viewing in difficult photographic situations. You can master the many uses of this camera in a few steps.
Swivel the LCD
Flip the out LCD screen on the S3 while shooting at awkward angles. Turn the LCD downward to view your pictures while holding the S3 above your head to take pictures. Turn the LCD upward if you are shooting pictures from the ground to view your composition without having to lay down on the ground. The swiveling LCD also turns inward to the back of the camera, protecting it from outside elements.
Focusing
Press the shutter button down half-way to activate auto-focus. The camera focuses on the nearest element in the frame. Press the shutter button down all the way to take the picture. Press the button with the flower symbol to activate macro mode. In macro mode, the S3 will be able to focus on objects that are within 3.9 inches of the camera.
Media
Record images on the Canon S3 with SDHC memory cards for optimal performance. The S3 has 16 MB of internal memory that holds a very limited amount of pictures. Inserting a high capacity SD card, with memory ranging from 4 GB to 16 GB, allows the S3 to hold 250 to 1,000 pictures and 30 minutes to 4 hours of video.
Customize the Display
Press "Menu" and scroll to "Custom display." You are presented with options for customizing your LCD including displaying a composition grid and a histogram. The grid aids in using the photographic "rule of thirds" for your pictures. Placing important elements on the lines of the grid adds visual interest to some compositions. The histogram displays the condition of your camera's exposure, mapping out the tones of all the pixels in the image. The horizontal axis of the histogram represents a spectrum of all of the possible tones in the image. The left side represents the darkest tones and the right side represents the brightest highlights.
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