I hardly ever use AV mode but I did last week for the DOF assignment. I couldn't figure out how to (or if I could) adjust the Aperture from there - can you explain?
Quick Av mode tutorial: Turn the mode dial to Av. Adjust the Av setting by clicking the left-right axis of the omni-button.
At the wide angle, you should have access to the full range of Av settings 2.7 through 8.0. If you zoom more than a very small amount, you'll be restricted to 3.5 through 8.0.
Wide apertures (low numbers) have a shallower DOF. Narrow apertures (high numbers) have a wider DOF (nearly "infinite" on a small-sensor camera) and also help to reduce Chromatic Aberration or Purple Fringing.
On sunny days, if you are taking pictures of high-contrast objects, using the smallest possible aperture will give you sharper pics.
The S3 lens's "sweet spot" -- where it's IQ sharpest -- is supposed to be 4.5.
I still haven't had much luck using the manual settings.
(Stitch, will you make us an "assignment" so we can learn?)
OK, here's two small assignments:
Av mode (controlling DOF): pick a subject that has some distance between itself and the background. Zoom in until the subject fills the frame but you can still see some background. Adjust for the smallest aperture (8.0) and take a picture, then for a middle aperture (4.5-5.6) and take another picture, then for the widest aperture (3.5) and take another picture.
Then, take a good look at the pictures to see what the background looks like. An S3 doesn't have the dramatic DOF control of a DSLR, but while zoomed in you will be able to see a difference. The "aesthetic" of the background blur when a shallow DOF is called
bokeh (from the Japanese). Try using different Av settings on the same scenes to creatively make use of the bokeh.
Extending this assignment; find a field of wildflowers or pumpkins or some other easily identifiable vegetation and use the zoom and aperture to control the DOF to draw the viewers eyes toward some specific area of the scene.
Getting into manual mode: Manual mode can see very daunting, at first. But, you can ease your wait into it by using Av (or Tv) mode to see what settings the camera would pick and use those as a starting point.
Using Av mode, set a "middle" Av of 4.5, compose a picture and half-press the shutter. The S3 will show you, in white numbers at the bottom of the EVF/LCD what shutter speed it will use (let's say 1/1000 for a fairly bright day).
Now, switch to M on the dial and use the left-right axis of the omni-button to adjust the shutter speed to the same number the camera picked (1/1000 in my example). And the up-down axis of the omni-button to adjust the aperture to 4.5 ... you should see that the exposure you set was exactly the same as the camera and the scene should come out identical.
Now, you can change the settings to see what effect they have on your exposure. Reducing the shutter speed will darken the scene and increasing the speed with lighten the scene. Opening the aperture will lighten the scene (and narrow the DOF) and closing the aperture will darken the scene (and widen the DOF). As you make adjustments, you can always "ask" the camera what it thinks of your settings by half-pressing the shutter. A number (-2 to +2) will be displayed in the EVF/LCD ... this is the number of stops away from what the camera would pick (the "standard" exposure) and what you've set. If the number is displayed in red, you're more than 2 stops away.
Take a series of pictures of the same scene gradually decreasing the shutter speed and then increasing the shutter speed to see how light or dark -2 to +2 stops actually is. Try the same thing lowering and raising the aperture.
Remember, each change of a full stop (whether aperture, shutter speed, or ISO) halves (or doubles) the amount of light hitting the sensor. You can get exactly the same exposure with a combination of settings. See how many different ways you can achieve a 0 exposure difference by adjusting all three settings; for example -- if you raise the ISO from 100 to 400, how much adjusting of the aperture and shutter speed do you need to do to get back to 0?
Have fun!!
That's a beauty, Amy!!
And I really like the blue background, much nicer than the brown that always seems to be on mine!
), burn a cd for the band director and one for the guy who manages our band website. The band director likes my pix because he'll see some things he missed during the performance - my boys come home and say that he'll show them a picture and point out how this musician didn't have his/her arms in the right position, etc. And the webmaster posts my shots on our band website, which is kind of neat, but not high pressure since only band parents see my photos, and they'll like them no matter what.
And I thought I was creative with my maps at WDW two weeks ago!!
Good luck to your guys in the band!! They look pretty sharp from the photos you took! 
to the dis.
