Canon S100

S100 FlexiZone setting

Written by Digicamhelp Editor

FlexiZone, similar to features found on DSLRs, can be used when composing a shot and you want to focus on an area other than the center of the frame.

When the Canon S100 is set to FlexiZone, you can manually change the placement and size of the AutoFocus frame. It is single area, center focus by default, with the focus point set to normal size.

FlexiZone similar to the focus point selector found on many digital single lens reflex cameras. It can be useful for composing photos, such as macros, when you want to focus on an area other than the center of the frame without the need to recompose.

Setting up FlexiZone can be a bit tricky to figure out so here’s what to do:

  1. Press the FuncSet button and scroll down and select FlexiZone, which is the default setting of the camera though it is not automatically enabled. To turn on FlexiZone, you must press the MENU button. The AutoFocus frame appears in orange.
  2. Move the rear control dial to change the position of the frame; use the up and down buttons for smaller incremental changes to the position of the frame.
  3. To toggle the size of the AutoFocus Frame between standard and small, twist the front control ring.
  4. To return the frame to center, gently press the RingFunc button once when in the FlexiZone set-up menu.

To disable FlexiZone, simply return to its set-up menu and press The FuncSet button instead of the MENU button.

In summary, once FlexiZone is enabled:

  • To change the position of the AF Frame, use the rear control dial and/or the up and down buttons.
  • To change the size of the AF Frame, turn the front control ring.

To check where the S100 focused

When in Playback mode and reviewing images on the LCD screen, click DISP a few times until you come to the screen where the focus point shows. If the camera used multiple focus points, they appear too.

To check focus, you can magnify the area of a recorded image that is inside the AF Frame. Check page 146 of the manual for details.


  • stefanos, I don’t use Flexizone often but sometimes it comes in handy. For example, when photographing a sunset sometimes I can’t lock focus. I use Flexizone to focus on a distant object in the scene and the camera exposure system properly exposes for the overall scene. Flexizone can also be useful when photographing landscapes where deep depth-of-field is desired. Focus on as subject about 1/3 into the scene, then expose for the overall scene. Of course, there are other ways to accomplish this such as using AE-Lock and AF-Lock, or manually making adjustments.

  • How did I miss that one? This camera is full of surprises, although… Is there really need for this Flexizone? We can still “lock” the focus and move it around, what good does Flexizone is for?