It has to be said, it’s a curious looking beastie. Although it has a generally SLR-like shape with a large high-level viewfinder and a 
chunky sculpted handgrip, it is covered in odd lumps and bulges, with controls scattered across its surface like acne on a teenager. I’ve heard some people describe it as ugly, and I can see their point, but I quite like the way it looks so I’m going to go with ‘functional’. The body is made of the same tough plastic that clothes most of Canon’s A-series cameras, and is finished in a dark and slightly metallic grey that I would probably describe as slate. It feels very sturdy and well made, and the controls are easy to operate and well mounted. Measuring 113 × 78 × 76mm the S3 is quite a large camera compared to most compacts, and at 410g it is also quite weighty, but thanks to the generously sized handgrip, the sensible position of the controls and the space left on the back for your thumb, it is very comfortable to hold and never feels heavy. Overall balance is helped by the presence of four AA batteries inside the handgrip.
Whatever you think of its appearance, there’s no denying that it’s loaded to the gunwales with features. As well as its super-powerful but amazingly compact lens, it has a very useful 2in flip &\1 twist LCD monitor, which with only 115,000 pixels isn’t terribly sharp, but does at least have an excellent anti-glare coating. TrustedReviews - Canon PowerShot S3 IS