Canon S3 IS lens choices

[Keebler]

Hi,

i hope to God this hasn't been asked before (i tried to find any posts), and I know there is a sticky link to finding lenses, but i can't seem to find jack (except from the few that Canon's website suggestion which is a wide converter and a tele-converter).

i have the above camera and am thinking about expanding it's capabilities with some lenses, although i'm not sure what type of lenses. i guess it comes down to what is available and what they cost.

also, i will be making a move to dslr, but not for a few years so having a lense that is cross compatible would be a huge bonus.

so,...any links/suggestions/lists of different lenses?

i saw of these on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Canon-Powershot-...ryZ30066QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Lens-Hood-UV-fil...2QQihZ012QQcategoryZ78999QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Tokina-3X-Tele-L...QQihZ020QQcategoryZ116186QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

as you might be able to tell, i'm not a pro, but i like to snap photos, trying to be as creative as possible. i'm also looking into taking a course on photography to better understand it, but that won't happen for a year or so.

any help is hugely appreciated.

cheers,
keebler

PS. i know i could probably hit a local photo store and ask them, but i don't know how biased they would be

 

[Clix Pix]

The reason you aren't finding any lenses for your S-3 is because that is not a DSLR and does not offer the possibility of interchangeable lenses. If Canon offers a wide-angle accessory and a teleconverter accessory that can be put on the front of the lens, that's as good as it's going to get.... If you want interchangeable lenses and the flexibility which comes with those then you will need to purchase an actual DSLR.

 

[garfield2002]

There are really only two additional lenses that you can add to the S3, a telephoto and a macro. Both require an adapter to get the threading at the end of the lens. Canon makes these and sells them as accessories.

Adapter:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-LAH-DC2.../002-7799241-1569664?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods

Telephoto:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-TC-DC58...EUOA/ref=pd_bxgy_sg_img_b/002-7799241-1569664

Wide Angle:
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-WC-DC58...NEUOK/ref=pd_bxgy_p_img_b/002-7799241-1569664

I have an S2 and recently purchased a cheaper adapter along with a telephoto and wide angle lens from ebay. This was a mistake!!! The adapter did fit, but it didn't snap firmly in place so there was a little bit of free rotation left that made me uncomfortable. The wide angle lens took okay pictures, not spectacularly sharp. The telephoto lens was for the lack of a better description, utter crap. The photos came out blurry and distorted even in good lighting conditions.

The moral of the story is. Stay away from eBay. The genuine Canon lenses are much much more expensive, however they provide for far superior photos. If given the opportunity to buy these lenses again, I'd save my money and invest in the Canon adapter with a Canon wide angle. So far 12x zoom has been plenty for me.

Good luck.

 

[atari1356]

A company named "Lensmate" sells adapters for the S2/S3... they're made of a tough aluminum, and are more durable than the adapters that Canon sells:
http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/S2.html

They've also done some extensive testing with various lenses - from Canon, and from other companies - and have posted example images:

telephoto lenses:
http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/S2tele.html

wide angle lenses:
http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/S2wide.html

macro lenses:
http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/S2macro.html

 

[garfield2002]

Wow, thanks for the links to the samples. This pretty much confirms that my eBay lenses are crap.

 

[Keebler]

thanks for all the links and feedback folks. much appreciated.

i was going to ask a friend, who will soon be visiting Asia, to find some lenses for me, but it sounds like i should stick with the canon or lensmate parts thanks!

clixpix, thanks....i'm just looking to expand what I can do with my S3 until I have time to take a proper course to fully understand the dslr world. then i'll hop in and buy the gear i need. for now, it's fostering my desire to be a little more creative with my snaps and to begin babystepping my way to understanding this world so i don't become a dolt and buy a dslr and a bunch of lenses which i don't know how to use

cheers,
keebler

 

[ChrisA]

A company named "Lensmate" sells adapters for the S2/S3... they're made of a tough aluminum, and are more durable than the adapters that Canon sells:
http://www.lensmateonline.com/newsite/S2.html
....[/url]

I'll second the above. I have one plastic Canon brand and one lensmate aluminum adapter for my Canon P&S. The aluminum adapter is better at about the same price.

Also once you have an adapter ANy accessory lens that will fit the threads can be used. HOWEVER quality varies. Going with canon is a safe bet but there is at least one company that makes better then Canon wide angle lenses but then you pay more. "Century Optics" makes a range of wide angle lenses that are pretty much the standard in the video industry but pricey. Don't bother with any cheaper third party add-on optics

All that said those little add-on lenses don't do much. The multiplaction factors are only about 0.6 and 1.4 That's not a lot

 

[Keebler]

actually, i have one more question.... is there a sun filter, probably generic, which i could buy to block out the sun on certain days?

 

[dllavaneras]

actually, i have one more question.... is there a sun filter, probably generic, which i could buy to block out the sun on certain days?

You mean like a polarizer or a UV filter? The polarizer cuts down on reflections, and the UV filter cuts down on the haze a bit.
About the lenses: Lensmateonline sells 2 macro lenses (the Raynox DCR-250 and the DCR-150) for the S1/S2/S3 IS. I have the S1 and the DCR-250, and it's amazing. You can do some pretty cool closeups with that!

[shameless plug] you can see some samples of the lens in my gallery (link in my sig) [/shameless plug]