Originally posted by richard0170 I could never get my head around that manual mode either. I either used use aperture priority and the exposure lock to shift the exposure, or more often an incident light meter
and manual mode
The X-700, like the A-series Canons (except the AT-1) is handicapped in that way. Its meter is not fully cross-coupled. This is why I, and others in the know, prefer the X-570 to the X-700. The X-570 has a fully cross-coupled meter. True, you give up the P mode. But big deal. If you're manually setting the meter, you're not using P anyway.
The Canon A-series, being shutter priority cameras, show the shutter speed in manual mode, but they only show the recommended aperture value, not the actual one set. The Minolta X-700, being an aperture-priority camera, shows the aperture values, but only the recommended shutter speed in the viewfinder, not the actual one set. Of the two series, the Canon AT-1, which is a manual-exposure only model, and the X-570, which retains Aperture priority, are the models that provide the most functionality for users who prefer manual mode. I'm not sure about the X-370; I've never owned nor used one.