Canon PowerShot S3 IS Digital Camera Operating and maintenance manual

Safety Precautions
Be sure to read, understand and follow the safety precautions below when
using the camera, in order to prevent injury, burns or electrical shock to yourself
and others.
Be sure to also read the safety precautions listed in the
Advanced Camera User Guide.
Warnings
• Do not trigger the flash in close proximity to human or animal eyes.
• Store this equipment out of the reach of children and infants.
• Avoid dropping or subjecting the camera to severe impacts. Do not touch
the flash portion of the camera if it has been damaged.
• Stop operating the equipment immediately if it emits smoke or noxious
fumes.
• Do not handle the power cord if your hands are wet.
• Only use batteries recommended in this manual.
• The output terminal for the compact power adaptor is made specifically for
this camera. Do not use it with any other device.
Caution
• Never rub or press strongly on the LCD monitor. These actions may
damage it or lead to other problems.
Camera User Guide
Please Read This First
This guide explains how to prepare the camera and use its basic features.
© 2006 CANON INC.
ENGLISH
Basic
PRINTED IN HONG KONG
Preparations
Shooting
Basic Shooting Functions
Playback/Erasing
Menus and Settings
Printing
Downloading Images to a
Computer

0
Flowchart and Reference Guides
The following guides are available. Refer to them as necessary according
to the flowchart below.
* SD stands for Secure Digital, a copyright protection system.
You can use SD* memory cards and MultiMediaCards with this camera.
These cards are collectively called memory cards in this guide.
For information on included
items and items sold separately
Preparations
• Installing the battery and memory card
• Opening the LCD monitor
•
Setting the date, time and language
Shooting
Playback/Erasing
Menus and Settings
Handling precautions,
references to the various
shooting and playback functions
Printing
• Installing the software
• Downloading images to a
computer
• Using the software
System Map
Basic Camera User
Guide (This Guide)
Read this first.
Advanced Camera User
Guide
Direct Print User Guide
Basic Camera User
Guide (This Guide)
Software Starter Guide
ZoomBrowser EX/
ImageBrowser
Software User Guide
• PDF manuals available on the Canon website.
http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/information-e.html

1
Preparations
Installing the Battery and Memory Card
1Insert the batteries.
1. Open the battery cover (a, b).
2. Insert four AA-size alkaline batteries supplied or separately sold
nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, then close the cover.
2 Slide the memory card slot cover ( a ) and open it ( b ).
Insert the memory card until it clicks into place, then close the
cover (
c , d ).
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Battery Handling (p. 132)
Battery orientation can be checked against the diagram in battery
compartment.
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Handling the Memory Card (p. 133)
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Formatting Memory Cards (p. 35)
Ensure that the memory card is correctly oriented before inserting it in the
camera. It may damage the camera if inserted incorrectly.
a
b
Battery cover lock
(+) Positive end
(–) Negative end
a
bc
d
Front
Preparations

2
Preparations
To Remove the Memory Card
Use your finger to push the memory card in until you hear a click, then
release it.
First Time Settings
Opening the LCD Monitor
Use the LCD monitor to confirm images while shooting them, navigate
menus, and play back images. You can position the LCD monitor in the
following ways.
1. Opened from left to right 180 degrees.
2. LCD monitor is opened to the left 180
degrees and tilted 180 degrees toward
the lens.
The displayed image is automatically flipped
and reversed (the Reverse Display
function).
* The Reverse Display function can be set
to off.
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Rec. Menu (p. 28)

3
3. Fold the LCD monitor back against the
camera body until it clicks into place.
When you push the LCD monitor until you hear
the clicking sound, the left and right of the
image will display correctly.
Turning the Power On/Off
1Turn the mode lever to
(Shooting) or (Playback)
while pressing the release button.
The power/mode indicator lights orange or
green.
z
When switching between shooting and
playback, turn the mode lever to
(Shooting) or (Playback)
* while
pressing the release button.
* The camera switches to Playback mode, but the lens does not retract
(the lens will retract if you turn the mode lever to (Playback) once
more).
2Press the OFF button to turn the
power off.
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Using the LCD Monitor (p. 16)
Always keep the LCD monitor closed with the display facing the camera
body when the camera is not in use. When you push the LCD monitor
until you hear the clicking sound, the LCD monitor will automatically turn
off, and the image will display in the viewfinder.
Power/Mode
Indicator
Mode Lever
Release
button
Preparations

4
Setting the Date/Time
1Turn the camera on (p. 3).
2Select the item you wish to set
using the Wor Xbutton and
set its value using the Sor T
button (a).
3Confirm that the correct time
is displayed and press the
SET button (b).
The date/time can also be set in the
Set up menu (p. 16).
zYou will hear a start-up sound and see the start-up image when you
turn on the power (Advanced Guide: p. 117). However, when starting
with the viewfinder display, the start-up image is not displayed and
there is no start-up sound. Also the start-up image does not appear
when the viewfinder display is on in Shooting mode (Advanced Guide:
p. 16) or the A/V OUT terminal is connected to a TV.
Turning on the camera without the start-up sound and image.
zPress and hold the button, then turn on the power. You can also
turn the power on with the LCD monitor closed.
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Time Zone settings (p. 24)
When you turn on the camera the first time, and when the lithium date/
time battery charge is low, the [Date/Time] menu appears.
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Mute (p. 31)
a
b
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Replacing the Date Battery (p. 135)
Preparations

5
Setting the Display Language
1Turn the mode lever to
(Playback) while pressing the
release button (a).
2Hold down the SET button
(b) and press the MENU
button (c).
This operation cannot be performed
during movie playback, in the jump
search mode (Advanced Guide:
p. 94) or while connected to a printer
or computer.
3Use the W, X, Sor Tbutton to select a language (d), then press
the SET button (e).
The language can also be set in the Set up menu (p. 16).
a
d
eb
c
Preparations

6
Shooting
Shooting (Still Images)
1Turn the mode lever to (Shooting) while pressing the
release button (p. 3).
2Set the mode dial to .
3Aim the camera at the subject.
4Focus and shoot.
1. Press the shutter button lightly (halfway)
to focus.
zTwo beeps will sound when the camera
has finished focusing, and the AF frame
appears green.
zIf the message "Raise the flash" appears,
shoot with a flash (p. 11).
2. Press the shutter button fully (all the way)
to shoot.
The shutter sound will play, and the image
will record. The indicator will blink red while
the image is recorded to the memory card.
zThe Image Stabilizer function is [On] in the default settings.
zThe beep will sound one time if the subject is difficult to focus on.
ÎSee Basic Shooting Functions (p. 8)
ÎSee the Advanced Guide to verify the advanced shooting method.
Lightly press
(Pressing halfway)
Î
See the Advanced Guide: Setting the Image Stabilizer Function (p. 39)
Î
See the Advanced Guide: Shooting Hard-to-Focus Subjects (p. 64)
Pressing fully
(Pressing all the way)

7
Shooting
Reviewing an Image Right After Shooting
After a shot is taken, the image appears in the LCD monitor for
approximately 2 seconds.
To override this time limit and continue displaying the image, use one of
the following methods:
z Keep the shutter button fully depressed after taking the shot.
z Press the SET or DISP. button while the image is displayed in the LCD
monitor.*
Press the shutter button halfway again to stop displaying it.
* This operation is not available in the Stitch Assist mode (p. 8).
Shooting (Movies)
No matter what position the mode dial is in, you can shoot movies with
just a push of the movie button.
z Max. Clip Size: 1 GB*
z Sound is recorded in stereo.
z Pressing the Movie button again stops
recording.
* Even before the recording size reaches
1 GB, recording will stop at the moment the
recording time reaches 1 hour. Depending
on the storage capacity of the memory card
and the speed at which the data is written,
recording may stop before reaching 1 GB or
1 hour.
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Changing the Review Duration (p. 29)
ÎSee Erasing (p. 14)
You can perform the following while an image is displayed (not available
in Stitch Assist mode).
zDisplay the image's information (Advanced Guide: p. 22).
zDisplay the magnified image (Advanced Guide: p. 92).
zErase individual images (Basic Guide: p. 14).
zAttach sound memos (Advanced Guide: p. 102).
ÎSee the Advanced Guide: Shooting a Movie (p. 46)
Movie button

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Basic Shooting Functions
Basic Shooting Functions
Selecting a Shooting Mode
Use the mode dial to select the Shooting modes.
Mode Dial
Image Zone
Portrait
Blurs the background and makes a
person stand out.
Landscape
Shoots spacious landscape scenes.
Night Scene
Allows you to capture human subjects
against the backdrop of an evening sky
or night scene. The flash is directed at
the person and the shutter speed is
slow, so both the person and the
background can be beautifully shot.
Sports
Shoots continuous images with
autofocus.
Well suited for shooting moving
subjects. (The continuous shooting
settings can be changed (Advanced
Guide: p. 42).)
Special Scene
8 scene modes to shoot with the most
appropriate settings for the scene are
available with this camera.
By simply selecting one of the following
shooting modes, the camera selects the
most appropriate settings for the scene.
Stitch Assist
Allows you to shoot overlapping images
that can later be merged (stitched) to
create one panoramic image on a
computer.
Movie
Configure settings for shooting movies.
Creative Shooting
Allows you to select settings yourself, such as
the exposure compensation or aperture value.
: Automatic Shooting
The camera automatically selects settings.
Image Composition Shooting
The camera automatically selects settings
according to the image composition type.
Îp. 9
ÎSee the Advanced Guide (p. 51)
ÎSee the Advanced Guide (p. 46)