Looking at buying a new camera and have seen 2 I like. The first is a Canon Powershot TX1, lovely small camera with everything I want but no viewfinder! The other one is a Canon Powershot S3 IS it is a lot bigger but has a view finder. Do I really need a view finder? They both have flip screens and that is a feature I would like, so when it is bright sunlight why cant I just use the screens and use my hand to shield the screen from the sun.
Any comments would help please.

I am probably the WORST one to answer this because I just bought my first digital camera about a month ago. Came home with a Nikon - NO view finder and tried to shoot something outside. Could not see a thing.

Went back and was offered a Canon with a flip screen but figured I have too many other things to hold and couldn't shield correctly with one hand.

I now have the Canon PowerShot A550 with 7.1 mega pixels and a view finder! Have been teaching myself so that I'm prepared for June trip.

Like I said, OTHERS will offer you much better advice!

Hiya!

I purchased the S3 just last month and it's great. However, before you run out to buy it, check out the new S5 that is about to be released. Although I would have held off had I known about it, I really like the S3. The biggest criticism I have is that it's not great at ISO 400, but I can live with that ... most days.

The viewfinder is a Godsend when lighting is terrible. Shading the flipscreen doesn't always work and your hand will shake if you're holding the camera in one hand while shading the screen with the other. The result will be a less than perfect picture.

It's all about personal preference, I guess. My vote would for purchasing a camera with a viewfinder.

Good luck!

M.

Thanks for replies. I have decided to get a camera with a view finder as I may be sorry if I dont. Mongana do you know what features the S5 has over the S3 and is it worth waiting for?

Canon PowerShot S5 IS.

quote:

Originally posted by Boof:
Thanks for replies. I have decided to get a camera with a view finder as I may be sorry if I dont. Mongana do you know what features the S5 has over the S3 and is it worth waiting for?

Boof, this is a reply from Xponent to your post on the TT BB re the S3 and S5:

"BOOF: Here are my thoughts on the S5.

Apart from the 2MP and the marginally larger LCD, it does not seem to have any significant advantages. The sensor size is the same and by increasing the MP, its prone to more noise.

For the slightly more serious photographer, it has the added advantage of having a hot-shoe for attaching an external flash.

Also dimension-wise, its slightly larger and with a larger LCD, its expected that power consumption would be higher than that of S3."

Thanks everone. I will get the S3 as the S5 is bigger and the only real advantage seems to be you can attach a better flash. Im sure it will be more expensive. I rang Canon today and they had no idea how much it will cost and could not tell me any advantages other than the flash. So I have made up my mind (with the help of this & T......rs BB)

Hey Boof,

The larger LCD, face recognition software and hot shoe are all features that I wanted. I specially hate the tiny LCD screens but Canon hadn't yet upgraded to a bigger size. As for the flash, you can attach a flash to the S3 with a bracket ... that's probably what I'll end up doing.

If you like, I can send you a link to the pictures that I recently took in Hawaii. They're my first attempt with the Canon and some of them turned out nicely.

The biggest differences I found between this camera and my Fuji are the quality of the night photography and of the higher ISO settings. I've learned that I can't get eveything that I want in one camera!

In 2005 friend and I did the Italian Escapade. She used her Canon S2 and I used my Fuji E550. She had fantastic zoom capabilities but higher ISO and dim light or night photography scored lower than my FUJI. Moreover, she often had difficulty seeing what was on the LCD under normal daylight conditions.

My Fuji performed better in a lot of instances, even though it lacked the 12x zoom, and I never had difficulty with the LCD. I have found the S3 better than the S2 and I hope the S5 will perfom better in dim lighting and at higher ISO speeds.

If you're a really serious photographer, I recommend you skip the PowerShot cameras and go straight for the DSLR Rebel. My SLR Rebel (purchased way before anyone had heard of digital cameras) is FANTASTIC! I can only imagine what the DSLR is like.

All in all, I think Canon is a great product. Once you've narrowed it down to a brand, it's just a matter of finding the camera that's right for you.

M.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Morgana,