Canon S5 IS Question

[nymusicman]

In different reviews I've read of the Canon S5 IS (especially the ones comparing it to the Canon S3 IS) most people seem to believe that throwing the 2 extra mega pixels (6 to 8) on the same size sensor will increase noise. My question is, would this only increase noise at the highest resolution or would this mean that no matter how I set the camera it would take overall worse pictures? In other words if I set up the S5 to take shots at the resolution equal to 6 mega pixels would the pictures look the same as if I had taken the shot with the S3? Sorry if this question sounds simple, I'm a little new at this.

[nymusicman]

Just a quick thought. Is there anything else about this camera that might make it inferior to the S3 IS?

[Rocket_Scientist]

I have the S3 IS, and have found the 6 MP plenty for me, but I do not know how the two compare for noise. Besides the increased MP, if that is indeed a plus, another advantage of the S5 is the hot shoe. I wouldn't call it inferior, but the one drawback I have seen to the S5 is the fact that the SD card is inserted in the battery compartment. This is a minor irritation until you are using a tripod and need to change, or just download, the card and return to shooting. Since the battery compartment is on the bottom, you have to remove it from the tripod to get the card out. If I did not already have the S3, I would probably get the S5, but the card location is enough to keep me from upgrading.