Just got my new S3

Anyone else want to kill themselves after reading the manual? I swear my 20D was way WAY easier to figure out. The thought of having to learn what all the endless symbols that pop up all over the lcd, and how to get rid of them makes me want to chuck the little sucker.

How long did it take you to get comfortable with the camera? I'm a little electronically challenged so expect it will take me a week or two to really get comfortable with it. It's also very hard to get use to composing a shot on an lcd.

Please tell me our love will grow!

I have the S2, which is pretty much the same as your S3. It took me no time at all to get used to the settings and menus. As for composing with the LCD, I don't. I use the viewfinder. Being use to SLR cameras, I thought that the electonic viewfinder would be hard to accept, but I have gotten used to that also. I really like the camera.

Yeah... It has more bells and whistles than anything I have come across. The only one *I* suggest you be very careful of is the ISO BUTTON. Being 'right there' it is darned easy to accidently find youself way up there...on the ISO scale! [grainy pictures, you know]. Otherwise...Hmmm... Hey! It is easier than the Cell Phone my daughter bought me...

283CID wrote in post #2838992
Yeah... It has more bells and whistles than anything I have come across. The only one *I* suggest you be very careful of is the ISO BUTTON. Being 'right there' it is darned easy to accidently find youself way up there...on the ISO scale! [grainy pictures, you know]. Otherwise...Hmmm... Hey! It is easier than the Cell Phone my daughter bought me...

Yeah, that button is in a dangerous place. But when you get used to it, it's very handy being there. So much better than burried in a menu. The button can be programed to do several other tasks besides change the ISO, but I find changing the ISO to be the handiest thing to use it for.

Difficult? What is this difficult? Shoot, I bought that thing and went out immediately took some great pics. Made the shortcut my WB and life was good after that. It's all so simple with everything at your finger tips. Might dump the SLR...rofl. Yeah right......

_aravena wrote in post #2839387
Difficult? What is this difficult? Shoot, I bought that thing and went out immediately took some great pics. Made the shortcut my WB and life was good after that. It's all so simple with everything at your finger tips. Might dump the SLR...rofl. Yeah right......

ROFL? What's funny?

JustShootin wrote in post #2839489
=JustShootin';2839489]​ROFL? What's funny?

That he might dump his SLR is what was funny.

DigitalDisaster wrote in post #2840529
That he might dump his SLR is what was funny.

I know that's what was "supposed" to be funny, but I doubt that it has many rolling on the floor laughing.

sarcastic much???

Ellen, if you've had much experience in photography, I think you will find that what looks like an excessive mess of icons and settings will just start falling in place for you. It's a simple camera once you get used to it. It really is.

What makes the S3 a great little camera is the veratility that it offers.

Better more than less, I say.

Don't be intimidated by it. Keep it on auto for a bit, and get used to it. Next go to the "P" (program), mode. Here you will be able to adjust some setting and still take good shots with the camera making the major decisions.

In no time, you'll be shooting entirely in manual mode for dramatic images!

_aravena wrote in post #2839387
Made the shortcut my WB and life was good after that.

I'm an S3 owner still getting the hang of all the functions, and I still haven't programmed any shortcuts, so pardon my ignorance when I ask "What is WB?"

gregrocco wrote in post #2842691
I'm an S3 owner still getting the hang of all the functions, and I still haven't programmed any shortcuts, so pardon my ignorance when I ask "What is WB?"

I'm sure it rerers to White Balance, gregrocco.

WB is white balance.

I wish I felt that way and do understand your frustration Ellen. Coming from the very simple (a few modes only) P & S world I am having major button & menu overload.

gregrocco, I have the S2, not the S3, so I doubt that the page for changing the shortcut button would be the same in our manuals. But if you just click your "menu" button (bottom right), and scroll down to "shortcut button", setting it will speak for it's self. But I'm sure someone with tye S3 will give you the exact page for that function.