How to know the focus modes are being used?

Place the AF/M Focus-mode selector in the Automatic position. I press the shutter release button half way. I see several (9 or 21 or 51) focus points flash on and off and just the single one in the center remains. The center one remains no matter if I select D9, D21, or D51 or where I point the camera. I can not see any of the rest of them are being used because only the center one remains. Is this normal? The Mode dial on the top left is in Automatic.

Scrayen said:

Place the AF/M Focus-mode selector in the Automatic position. I press the shutter release button half way. I see several (9 or 21 or 51) focus points flash on and off and just the single one in the center remains. The center one remains no matter if I select D9, D21, or D51 or where I point the camera. I can not see any of the rest of them are being used because only the center one remains. Is this normal? The Mode dial on the top left is in Automatic.

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Automatic means that the camera decides the settings for you.

Normal That only the center stays visible.

Moab Man said:

Normal That only the center stays visible.

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Not if you change the focus point. But then again, you're not changing anything in Auto mode. May I suggest to the OP to start learning how to use that fine camera the way it was meant to be used.

This would be a good place to start. I would bookmark that whole site. Very easy to follow tutorials.

Learning about Exposure - The Exposure Triangle - Digital Photography School

So, is this a software bug? In Automatic Mode the camera lets me change the focus points between the sub-modes of D9, D21, D51. If it is automatic why would it let me do that? This is not an exposure question. This is about the way the AF/M switch works.

I don't use auto modes so my answer may be wrong (probably is) but I would think that the camera is taking on board that you want it to use 'X' number of points in it's automatic calibration.

I don't see which camera you have. It probably does not matter though. You can be in auto mode (on the left dial is what you said). This is auto exposure mode. It does not affect your focus mode. Some answers above are speaking of auto area focus mode, but I don't think that is your case. Sounds like you are in dynamic area mode. What you describe sounds normal for dynamic area mode. You pick 9,21, etc, but you only see one point. For now yours is in the center, but you can jog it around. That point is your starting point and the other points assist if needed. If the subject leaves the chosen focus point, surrounding points will take over. This is talked about in the manual, but isn't the easiest thing to learn.

This article is for the d7000, but if you study it, it will give you a better understanding of how Nikons focus.
http://alexdanev.com/forum/Books/nikon/D7000_AF_Explained.pdf

Blacktop said:

Not if you change the focus point. But then again, you're not changing anything in Auto mode.

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Clarification: center of the cluster.

I'm not sure this will work in full Auto but normally if you press and hold the button in the center of AF/MF switch on the camera body the active focus point, or points, will illuminate in the viewfinder.
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