What's up with my focus points?

S

Slipperman

Senior Member
probably missing something but if i shoot in anything other than Auto or Single under AF-A (d9, d21, group), i get a single rectangle in the middle of the viewfinder with just dots representing the other points. when i take a picture and in playback scroll to the focus point info, i only see the rectangle in the middle. same thing happens after importing and viewing the pics in View NX - one rectangle in the middle (or wherever i moved it to). is this correct behavior? it makes me think that not all the focus points are being used. i even changed the setting in the setup menu specifying all rectangles as opposed to all dots. plz clarify.
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Slipperman said:
probably missing something but if i shoot in anything other than Auto or Single under AF-A (d9, d21, group), i get a single rectangle in the middle of the viewfinder with just dots representing the other points. when i take a picture and in playback scroll to the focus point info, i only see the rectangle in the middle. same thing happens after importing and viewing the pics in View NX - one rectangle in the middle (or wherever i moved it to). is this correct behavior? it makes me think that not all the focus points are being used. i even changed the setting in the setup menu specifying all rectangles as opposed to all dots. plz clarify.
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From your description that sounds like normal behavior.

If you want to see all the active focus points when using a focus point array (e.g. D9, D21, GRP, etc.) press and hold the button on the AF/MF switch on the camera body while looking through the viewfinder. This illuminates the entire focus point array as long as you hold the button down. Only the center dot of the focus-point array illuminates any other way.

As for seeing the focus point array in ViewNX and so forth I don't know, I don't use ViewNX.
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S

Slipperman

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
From your description that sounds like normal behavior.

If you want to see all the active focus points when using a focus point array (e.g. D9, D21, GRP, etc.) press and hold the button on the AF/MF switch on the camera body while looking through the viewfinder. This illuminates the entire focus point array as long as you hold the button down. Only the center dot of the focus-point array illuminates any other way.

As for seeing the focus point array in ViewNX and so forth I don't know, I don't use ViewNX.
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thanx much.. just out of curiosity, what's the use of that menu setting if you still have to press the button to see the rectangles?
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
Slipperman said:
thanx much.. just out of curiosity, what's the use of that menu setting if you still have to press the button to see the rectangles?
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I'm not sure what setting it is you're referring to specifically...

EDIT: Okay, poked around in the menus and now I see what you're talking about... With GRP selected, I see four rectangles, but with D9 there's a single rectangle and dots surrounding it. Interesting.

I have to say, though, I'm not sure why Nikon set things up like this.
 
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I

Its Just Me

Senior Member
Slipperman said:
same thing happens after importing and viewing the pics in View NX - one rectangle in the middle (or wherever i moved it to).
Click to expand...

If you look at the uppermost menu bar in ViewNx, you will see a item labeled "Focus"

Click on that and it will turn off the red box when you view the raw shots.

JMTCW
 
J

J-see

Senior Member
Slipperman said:
thanx much.. just out of curiosity, what's the use of that menu setting if you still have to press the button to see the rectangles?
Click to expand...

You don't have to press the button and can change the dots to rectangles in the settings.

Strike that; it seems all but GrP is dots. I'll have to check my other cams to see if I'm either mixing up things or imagining them.
 
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S

Slipperman

Senior Member
Horoscope Fish said:
I'm not sure what setting it is you're referring to specifically...

EDIT: Okay, poked around in the menus and now I see what you're talking about... With GRP selected, I see four rectangles, but with D9 there's a single rectangle and dots surrounding it. Interesting.

I have to say, though, I'm not sure why Nikon set things up like this.
Click to expand...

didn't notice at first that the menu setting is called Group Area AF so here i am wondering why it didn't affect d9, etc. duh. but you're right - not sure why they didn't make that setting generic for all focus point combinations.
 
J

J-see

Senior Member
Slipperman said:
didn't notice at first that the menu setting is called Group Area AF so here i am wondering why it didn't affect d9, etc. duh. but you're right - not sure why they didn't make that setting generic for all focus point combinations.
Click to expand...

I assume it might be to not obstruct the subject too much. If all 51 points are selected and they all show a rectangle, it might be hard to see a specific part of our subject, like the eye.
 
S

Slipperman

Senior Member
J-see said:
I assume it might be to not obstruct the subject too much. If all 51 points are selected and they all show a rectangle, it might be hard to see a specific part of our subject, like the eye.
Click to expand...
good thought.. i just wish i could see all of them in View NX..
 
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