Home > Consumer Reviews > Kyocera Finecam S3 3MP Digital Camera with 2x Optical Zoom

This is the ideal camera for me. I was looking for a digital camera that was very small, so that lugging it around would not be a chore. I wanted a camera that was very easy to use, high-resolution, and under .... This camera fits the bill perfectly.

Nice features:

I like the storage medium --
It comes with a 16 MB MMC card; that's a little small, so I bought a 64 MB card as well. (It would be nice if you could select the card memory size as an option, so that you don't end up with an extra one you don't need...) To transfer pictures to the PC, you put the memory card into the provided USB card reader, and the pictures just show up as files in Windows Explorer. Couldn't be simpler.

The controls are fairly intuitive to use --
There is a 3-setting switch to go between Set Up/Review Pictures/Take Pictures modes.
There are 2 buttons for zooming in/out.
When reviewing pictures, the zoom in button zooms in on the picture in the LCD window.
There's a button for macro/infinite/automatic focus.
There's a button for flash mode: off/on/auto/fill-in.
The Menu button gets you to other options.

Pictures come out fine with the default settings --
There is some fine-tuning of the settings that you can do, but I have been completely satisfied with the image quality using the defaults.

Caveats:

Yes, the battery life is not spectacular. But then, in researching cameras, I have noticed that everyone complains about the battery life on every camera. I have found that if I just turn the camera off after each shot, the battery will last the duration of a typical outing. To recharge, you plug the camera into the charger; no need to remove the battery.

The movie mode is not very useful. But then, I wanted a still camera, so I am not disappointed. My digital video camera takes lousy stills, too.

The camera comes with this little "hand strap" you can attach, but I would've preferred a neck strap. I think the hand strap just makes it more likely that you'll whack the little thing into something. Much safer to just put it in its little bag and into your pocket.

The camera by default remembers your previous settings when you turn the camera on again. This is usually what I want, but some people may find the alternate "restore default settings" mode to be better for them. I have made a few mistakes when the camera turned on in High Resolution mode, or with flash off, when that is not what I expected.

In summary, this is a nifty little camera!

As I use digital cameras since they came out for business and private and thus buy at least one camera a year, I have seen a lot. My conclusion: If you want it all, buy a Sony! I have an S85, but the S70/S75 is nearly as good. The DSC-P1 would be my next choice, but Sony seems to have discontinued it. Strange.

If you want small, the S3 is as good as it gets. The picture quality is EXCELLENT and nearly matches the Sony. If you like to spend full days taking photographs, this one is not for you. The battery takes several hours to charge and there is no display to tell you when it is done! The rechargable battery lasts really for half an hour. But that will allow you to fill a 64MB stick with 30-60 high quality snapshots depending on the mode. The tiny flash and only a 2x zoom say it all.

This is the ideal camera to carry around ALWAYS, for which the Sony is too big. If you go on a photo trip buy a Sony S85. The Kyocera S3 is not perfect. But there has to be a tradeoff between size and features. You can't have it all!

Kyocera Finecam S3
This is a fantastic camera! It is a great high-resolution, point-and-shoot, digital camera for the amateur photographer in a package so small that you WILL take it with you. This is my first digital camera. I borrowed a Kodak 1.3M camera, and after countless hours of research was about to buy the Cannon S20 when I saw a reference to the Kyocera Finecam S3. After some investigation I found that Kyocera is the parent company for Yashica/Contax. I am familiar with Contax because my first camera is a Contax 139 which I bought 20 years ago and have loved ever since. Contax has the exclusive license to distribute world renowned Carl Zeiss T* lenses. I wanted a digital camera that took very good pictures and was small enough that I would be willing to carry with me. I have found over the years that quite often I will not have even a point-and-shoot camera with me because I don't want to carry it. This camera is so small (the length and width of a credit card) that it easily fits in the pocket of my jeans.
The optics on this camera are fantastic, it takes great pictures. I bought a 64MB memory card and always shoot in the high-resolution mode because it is easy to cut a picture down later on the computer. Other than buying a larger memory card, this camera comes COMPLETE with rechargeable battery, 120/240v charger, carrying case, USB adaptor and some OK software.
The movie mode is pretty wimpy. It looks a bit like a 1960's home movie and there is no sound. But then again this is NOT A MOVIE CAMERA. My mother enjoys the short-grainy movies of her grandchildren. The viewfinder is small, but you can zoom in 2x and pan around when viewing a picture.
The con's of the camera are: 1) The battery will only last about 32-64 pictures, then you have to recharge.
2) The memory card that comes with it is too small. Buy a bigger one.
3) The flash is only good for 8-10 feet (like most point-and-shoots).
4) There is no setting to make the LCD panel default to OFF.
5) It takes about 1.5 seconds to actually take a picture. Maybe most digitals are like this.
6) The movie mode is only 320 X 240 and there is no sound. But remember, this is a STILL camera, not a camcorder.
The pro's are:
1) Great still pictures including macro mode.
2) So small that you will take it with you.
3) Nicely designed and built. Easy to use controls.
4) No nose prints on the display because it is right beneath the viewfinder.

5) Rechargeable battery included (although is it proprietary).
6) Charger is 120-240V.
7) Has automatic lens cover to keep the lens clean.
8) Options to display more or less in the LCD panel.

I was taken in by the fact that this is very small camera and takes high quality photos. Those qualities are very useful as far as they go, but I have paid a price for them. I think the size technology has reached the point of diminishing returns. The convenience of being able to plop the thing in your shirt pocket must be balanced by the detriments you don't find out till you start using it.

1) The battery life is ridiculously short. Minutes after a charging the little battery icon starts shortening. There is no way to get through a full day of shooting.

2) The LCD monitor is really too small to do other than loosely frame photos. Eats up battery power like a shark.

3) The 15 second movie option ludicrous. The photo quality is so jaw droppingly bad people come from miles around to laugh at it. Whoever designed it must be hiding out in Argentina.

This camera is perfect if you are so jammed up you simply can't carry it in any other than your small purse of shirt picket and you don't need many shots at one sitting. The photo quality is excellent but the battery capacity is poor and the movie option is a hoot. I was not bothered by the relatively meager telephoto capacity. Don't expect any flexibility at all.

It's small enough that you will actually carry it with you, and it has a high enough mega pixel that you can print 8X10. This is not a professional camera! It is a point and shoot. (darn good point and shoot though) If you are buying this for the 15 second AVI don't, go and buy a digital camcorder. There are two accessories that I would recommend; first a 64 MB or higher MMC, second an additional battery.