Is it worth upgrading from Canon A80 to Canon S3 IS digital cam?

Question

I just want to make candid portrait photos of my kids. I want to do Selective Focusing on the subject (the kids) while making the background out-of-focus/blurred. I will usually be taking indoor shots (children playing in bed for example) with indirect lighting coming from window. I want to blur the messy room in the background (hahaha!)

I am having difficulty doing this using the Canon A80 due to small aperture and low zoom capability of the A80. I know the Canon 350D Digital Rebel is better for this but someone is selling me his S3 IS really cheap.

I know I can do this effect too in photoshop but I find it time-consuming, so I would rather let the camera do it.

Thanks.

Answer 1

You need a DSLR, the new Canon Digital Rebel XTi/400D is available now. To blur the background, you need a lens such as the Canon 50mm f/1.8. For indoor, an extenal is very helpful, you can't add one to S3 IS. The 400D will become to the most popular camera in the world, that's what Canon said. I own the 300D and planning to upgrade to 400D.

Answer 2

You don't really need an SLR or a 1.8 aperture lens to blur the background -- they help, but they are not essential.

To blur the background a few items comes into effect.

1) Distance from you to the subject - the closer you are, the smaller the depth of field will be (i.e. the more blurred the background becomes)

2) Distance between the subject and the background - the farther the background is, the more blurred it gets.

3) Focal length used - longer focal length produce smaller depth of fields, making it easier to create a blurred background.

4) Aperture used - f4, f2.8, f1.4 will produce more blurred backgrounds, while f8, f11, f16 will produce less blurred backgrounds.

check out http://crispierry.typepad.com/applepie/2006/01/7_creative_expo.html

and http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

Answer 3

Its worth upgrading, but I would wait for a few more months to see which new cameras come out from Canon, as I have heard that a replacement to the S3 IS is on the way. I own the S3 IS and its and great camera, and it comes with a portrait mode.