Overall Manual Control
The following sections are accessed through the function button on the Canon PowerShot A80. These manual control options give more flexibility and allow the user to explore a variety of environments and shooting conditions.
Focus
Auto (8.0)
The Canon PowerShot A80 gives you the option of using the AiAF system (Artificial Intelligence Auto Focus). When the system is on the Canon PowerShot A80 automatically focuses according to the surrounding conditions based on nine AF frames, which calculate an overall focal range. Canon has a clever way of showing the focused area in green to give you the heads up on how the AiAF will perform. When the AF system is turned off the camera reverts to focusing on the center frame to ensure the center of the image is in focus. The AiAF system is used on most Canon cameras and the nine frame AiAF system on the Canon PowerShot A80 is comparable to Canon’s other point-and-shoot digital cameras on the market.
Manual (7.0)
The manual focus feature of the Canon PowerShot A80 may be engaged by first pressing the DISP button, followed by the MF/down button located within the four-way command grouping on the back of the camera. Once this has been engaged, the MF appears. An approximate figure will be shown, but these numbers should only be used as a guideline rather than as absolute truth. By pressing the SET button within the TV, Av, or M modes of the Canon PowerShot A80, the user can switch quickly and efficiently between aperture, shutter, and MF options. This is a helpful function when you need to make quick setting adjustments.
Metering (7.5)
The Canon PowerShot A80 offers three metering modes: evaluative, center-weighted averaging, and spot metering. Evaluative metering is a standard mode that is probably the most versatile. The camera takes into consideration the subject’s position, background brightness, and direct lighting to make an accurate exposure for the entire scene. Center-weighted averaging takes the exposure for the entire image and averages it, best for backlight situations. The spot metering option exposes the image for the area within the frame in the center of the image. This is probably the most particular mode of the three and will be useful for specific situations.
I was pretty impressed with the accuracy of the metering for all three modes. The camera adjusts itself well and lets you see on the LCD screen how the metering will appear when the image is shot. For hard-to-meter shots this allows you to fiddle a little bit to get it just right.
Exposure (7.0)
For situations in which the metering on the Canon PowerShot A80 is not accurate the user has the option of adjusting the exposure of the image. The menu bar activated by the function button allows the user to increase or decrease the image exposure in 1/3 increments ranging from -2 to +2.
White Balance (8.0)
The White Balance options for the Canon PowerShot A80 may be discovered within the same Function menu as the ISO feature. Located second from the top upon the LCD monitor, the user is allowed to choose among a list of seven white balance potentialities: auto, daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, fluorescent H, and custom. This is a pretty comprehensive list for a camera of this caliber. I was pleased to see that the Canon PowerShot A80 included custom white balance, an option that I feel all cameras with a white balance selection should include.
ISO (7.0)
The ISO option on the Canon PowerShot A80 is used primarily to reduce camera movement, when increasing a shutter speed, or when turning the flash off in dark conditions. To access the ISO option the user of the Canon PowerShot A80 must press the function button located below the four-way command button located on the back of the camera. Using the up/down options upon the four-way command button, the user can select the ISO speed option. Choices are auto, 50, 100, 200, and 400. This is okay for a point-and-shoot camera but won’t be too helpful in low light situations. If you’re going to be in a dark space you should resign yourself to the fact that you’re going to have to use a flash. If you’re flash happy, all the better, but if you’re a fan of ambient light I might suggest a higher-end camera.
Shutter Speed (7.0)
The Canon PowerShot A80 offers a competitive shutter speed range of 15 seconds to 1/2000 of a second, allowing the user to take both long exposure shots in low light situations and capture fast moving objects such as people in sports events. This is a pleasing feature that is not as comprehensive in many other point-and-shoot cameras. Shutter speed can be adjusted in manual mode and shutter priority mode (Tv), both accessed through the shooting mode dial. The shutter speed can be chosen through the onscreen menu by pressing the left/right buttons of the four-way command button.
Aperture (6.0)
The aperture ranges from f/2.8 - f/8.0 at a wide angle to f/4.9 — f/8.0 at telephoto. Other than through manual mode, the aperture for the Canon PowerShot A80 may be set within aperture priority mode (Av). The aperture value will appear upon the LCD screen when this option is selected, and the value can be chosen by using the right/left buttons of the four-way command grouping located on the back of the Canon PowerShot A80.
