Getting a pwoershot S3 IS?

Question

They say it comes with
• Tele-converter 1.5x (TC-DC58B)

• Lens Adapter/Hood Set (LAH-DC20)

• Wide Converter 0.75x (WC-DC58A)

• Close-up lens 500D (58mm)

• High-Power Flash (HF-DC1)

Whats the purpose of the tools?
Thanks..still an ametur photgrapher

Answer 1

* Tele-converter: an attachment lens that extends the zoom reach at the long end from 432mm to 648mm. (Even the S3's image stabilization won't help you here - this is tripod territory.)
* Wide converter: an attachment lens that extends the zoom reach at the wide end from 36mm to 27mm.
So with these two extra lenses, the S3 becomes a 27-648mm camera. That's 24x zoom, instead of the regular 12x.
* Close-up lens: an attachment lens for shooting close-ups of flowers, insects, jewels, etc.
Flash: an add-on flash unit.
All of these items are intended to dress the S3 up as something it isn't: a digital SLR. And if the add-on lenses are any good, this kit will add a considerable sum to the purchase price.
If you're going to spend dSLR money, and if you're serious about photography as a long term hobby, forget about super-zoom and get a proper dSLR for the incredible responsiveness.
Otherwise, I'd just get the basic S3 and pass on the extras. The S3 is a fun and capable camera, and it already has a ton of zoom.

Answer 2

I'll say "ditto" to OMG's comments. Mostly likely those extra attachments would stay in your camera bag. As he mentioned, you'd need to use a good tripod to take advantage of the extra 1.5x of zoom. You'd probably also really need to use a tripod to take full advantage of the close up lens because sharpness is key in that micro/macro arena.

The extra flash might be nice because most pop-up flashes are too whimpy for anything but close photos. But even with that you might be getting close to digital SLR territory. You need to ask yourself if you'd really be shooting much at those super tele ranges or doing much macro photography. For most of us the answers to those questions is no, but if you do then those attachments may be useful but useful, but again, you are approaching SLR territory.

As he said, the S3 is a capable camera. I have an older model Panasonic with a 12x zoom and it is my favorite point-and-shoot. That 12x zoom is awesome and I'm sure it will meet your needs if you buy it without the extras.

One last thing, do invest in an extra battery and extra memory cards.