Mechanics of Exposure Bracketing

I'm new to photography as a hobby and I have a question.

I have a sony cybershot DSC H10/B digital camera.

In Manual mode I took some shots setting up both the shutter speed and F stop setting.

I then took a few shots using the exposure bracketing feature. My first one being + and - .3 EV. As I take it, my setting was the base shot then it made an adjustment taking two more shots. One stepping the exposure down 1/3 stop and one stepping the exposure up 1/3 stop.

How does it do that? What does it adjust to do that? When I've designated a shutter speed and stop WHAT does it adjust? This camera has very limited F stop settings. If I'm at the largest f stop opening available it can't open it wider?

If anyone knows exactly how these digital cameras go about adjusting exposure for the bracketing feature... I'd love to know it.

Can you post the images.
Some cameras (my as an example) can change the ISO to go up or down a stop as well. If you post the images we could look at the info on each image to see what changed.

As Stari says it's often an ISO compensation, aperture (f stop) is a function of the lens not the camera, bracketing wouldn't alter the f stop as this would alter your depth of field and effectively produce 3 different images rather than 3 exposures of the same image. Same with shutter speed, slowing it would blur movement etc.

Typically, bracketing involves adjusting the aperture or shutter speed. Unless you've set it otherwise, it's probably bracketing your aperture setting. As Stari mentioned, some digital cameras are able to bracket ISO settings. I'm not sure if the Cybershot cameras have this capability.

While playing around in Photoshop Elements I realized that I could right click on a picture, look at the properties, and see a lot of information which is apparently embedded on to the image file somehow.

I'm using the Sony DSC H-10/B and I can see ISO, Exposure Time, F-stop, Focal Length, Flash used, etc.

So I went outside and did a quick bracketed shot. After uploading the images and reviewing the properties....everything stayed the same except for the Shutter Speed. So it appears that the answer is, my camera is adjusting for bracketed shots using the shutter Speed. I have no way of changing that on this camera, but it's interesting to know how it's done.

If I'm every in a situation where I want alternative exposures and for whatever reason do on want my shutter speed to change...I'll know not to use the "bracket" feature.

I had changed the topic line to say thanks but it didn't show up in my post....so Thanks for your assistance guys. I learned quite a bit from your answers as I'm new to this.

Is that what happens when your camera is in Aperture priority? If so change to shutter priority and do the same and see what has changed then. I've a feeling that it will react to whatever mode you're in. I'm guessing it'd be ISo in manual unless you have an ISO setting other than auto. If you stipulate ISO, shutter and aperture I can't see how you'd bracket? Almost an irrelevance if you shoot in raw anyway.

I don't have an SLR but rather a sort of enhanced point and click. As far as I know, I have to shoot in JPG and have no option to set as far as priorities.

That's why I was asking if anyone knew how my camera handled bracketing.

When I discovered how to see the data stamped on each image, that gave me a way to see how the camera handles those .3, .7, and 1.0 braketed shots.

My limited experience with this camera tells me it has many of the options of an SLR but mostly in a limited fashion.

For instance, the lens is food, 8X zoom, fixed. I have already ordered the Tele-Converter that will take me from a 38 to 380 zoom out to about 646. Eventually I'll order the Wide angle converter as well. I've also gotten in some basic filters. with more coming.

My goal is to spend a few years doing what I can with this equipment, seeing if I really want to make phography a life long hobby. If I'm still really into it say a few years from now, then I'll start upgrading to state of the art equipment. But for now I don't want to drop 2 or 3 grand into a hobby that I might get bored with and walk away from in 6 months.

I'm using the Sony DSC H-10/B and I can see ISO, Exposure Time, F-stop, Focal Length, Flash used, etc.

Hey one more thing. Some cameras (maybe not yours) but when using the flash in bracketing it can keep shutter speed, f-stop, and ISO locked to the same. And you will wonder why. It is because with some cameras the flash can do the bracketing too. Example Full power, 3/4 power, 1/2 power, 1/4 power etc...

Thanks. I do have flash controls so I'll have to take a some bracketed flash shots then look at the property information attached to each picture and see if it does any flash adjustment.