I've been using the advanced metering modes on my Canon EOS 7D (and also on an XSI I owned previously) for several years now. I had always assumed that the purpose of the different metering modes was to help guide the photographer toward choosing the right aperture and shutter speed to get the correct exposure.
I was talking with another amateur photographer recently and he suggested that the camera will capture the image differently, depending on the metering mode that is used. I can see how this might be true in a program mode since the photographer is letting the camera make some of the decisions.
So my question is, does the metering mode of a DSLR (Canon specifically) have any affect on the captured image, assuming the photographer is manually selecting aperture and shutter speeds themselves?