F11 Manual Control

[Slake]

I spent about two weeks reading reviews of the F10 and Canon A610/A620. I was very impressed by the F10's lens and ISO range but since this is my first camera I wanted manual controls to learn and grow into. Having found the F11 and reading your excellent 4-way review I was curious about what the differences in control between the F11 and A620, specifically the aperture and shutter speed. I'm going to buy one or the other by the end of the month. I'm leaning toward the F11 but I don't know how limiting it will be. Thanks for any thoughts.

[Gordon Laing]

Hello there, I'm glad you found the review useful.

The F11 certainly allows you to adjust the shutter and aperture settings, but nowhere near as directly or quickly as on the A620. If you find yourself wanting quick and direct access to these settings and regularly swap between Manual, Shutter and Aperture priority modes, then the A620 will be ultimately be more convenient.

Gordon

[Slake]

Thank you for your prompt reply. I do however have a final related question: Does the F11 have a true Manual mode that lets you control the shutter speed, lens aperture and ISO in one single mode or are there only separate aperture-priority and shutter-priority modes (are these useful)?

[Gordon Laing]

I no longer have the F11 in the Labs, but as I recall, if you set the A / S / M mode to manual in the menus, then turn the dial to A / S / M, then you will have full manual control over the shutter speed and aperture.

As with most compacts though, you won't find as many aperture settings as a typical SLR. And this was an area I still personally felt the Canon A620 handled better. My feeling is if you only occasionally use manual control, the the F11 will be fine, but if you use it regularly, then the A620 is a better bet.

Gordon

[jilan]

I do however have a final related question: Does the F11 have a true Manual mode that lets you control the shutter speed,,,,,,,!!!!!!!!!!!!!