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Many Canon point-and-shoots offer a host of features that are either undocumented, unlabeled, or just tricky to find. Here are a few useful ones. I have an A640, but these might apply to the rest of the Powershot lineup.

Focus lock

Half-press the shutter button, hold it, and press down on the directional button. Voila, instant focus lock. Press down again to revert.

Exposure/Flash Exposure lock and Program Shift

Half-press the shutter button, hold it, and press the exposure compensation button. Press the left and right buttons to shift the exposure. Press pretty much anything else to revert.

If you keep the shutter button half-pressed, you can mash the exposure comp. button as many times as you want. The camera will re-meter and lock the exposure each time you press it.

Shooting priority (sort of)

If you’re in a menu in shooting mode and need to get out quickly, the shutter button will immediately exit the menu. This won’t work in playback mode, unfortunately.

Advanced image review

I turned image review off on my A640, but I can see the shot I’ve just taken by holding the shutter button down. To see detailed info, press the DISP button (while still holding the shutter button). You can then let go of the shutter button and cycle between no information/detailed information screens. You can even zoom in on the image or delete it. To revert, touch the shutter button.

Jump

Newer Canon cameras (including their SLRs) have a “jump” feature during image playback. This lets you jump forward or back 10 images, 100 images, between days, between movies, or to another folder.

On the A640, press the up button in display mode. To cycle between jump modes, keep pressing the up button.

Posted by Michael at 4:18 pm under Canon, Equipment