One focus point vs. all the other options

[Abitconfused]

I typically use one focus point centered in the middle of the frame. This gives me a level of control that seems mot productive for general photography. I imagine sports photographers enjoy options that allow them to lock onto a moving individual using many focus points. Other than this, how are multiple focus point options useful?

[NorthernFocus]

It's a question of what/how you shoot and what you're comfortable with. Any of the various focus modes involving more than a single focus point turn over some level of control/decision making to the camera(i.e. the sensors and algorithms). Conceptually using multiple focus points in various "dynamic" focus modes is beneficial for action photography. The idea is that the camera can "think" and react faster than the photographer to maintain focus on a moving subject. Sounds good in theory and many people swear by various numbers of focus points and AF modes.

Even though much(or most) of what I shoot involves targets that move at various speeds, I've never been satisfied when I turn control over to the camera. Every time I get a new camera body or read another "how to" article, I attempt to utilize various modes of AF. But I always end up returning to the use of a single focus point and spending my time/effort practicing tracking the target better and keeping the single point where I want it on the subject.

We each have to figure out what works for us shooting the kind of stuff that we shoot.

[gramps]

I think that a single-point will always be better if you can keep the point on your subject!
I photograph mainly wildlife and subject movement can be quite erratic so single-point can be too challenging for my old reactions.
My D500 has superb AF but for BIF I mostly use Group Area-AF, though as Dan rightly points out you do hand over some control to the camera and this can mean that the focus is on the nearest wing rather than the head/eye.
Having said that I get more keepers than failures so it does come to my rescue

[george013]

I typically use one focus point centered in the middle of the frame. This gives me a level of control that seems mot productive for general photography. I imagine sports photographers enjoy options that allow them to lock onto a moving individual using many focus points. Other than this, how are multiple focus point options useful?

You can use a single focus point out of the center. Richard mentioned it in another thread he's using a focus point above the center, where he expect the head of the horseman. Sometime, don't ask me why, I should a marathon or another run. The runners are running diagonal across the sensor, so I choose a focus point either on the left side or the right side. And mostly af-s, sometime af-c. I've never used dynamic focusing.

The behaviour of the camera when you let him decide where to focus on, was that it chooses the nearest points. I can't tell for the newer camera's.

George

[NorthernFocus]

I think that a single-point will always be better if you can keep the point on your subject...
My D500 has superb AF but for BIF I mostly use Group Area-AF, though as Dan rightly points out you do hand over some control to the camera and this can mean that the focus is on the nearest wing rather than the head/eye.
...

Group area AF is the only mode that I use other than single point. One reason for that is that the results are predictable. There's no complicated, "dynamic" algorithm that Nikon refuses to divulge. Group AF simply focuses on the closest object that is covered by the group of focus points. Knowing that you can simply adjust aperture to account for possibly being focused on a wingtip rather than eye/head. Group AF is certainly much easier when shooting BIF. However if the bird is flying low over water, marsh, treetops, etc, one must be aware and adjust aim point.

My standard setup with the D500 is to use BBF with a single focus point and program the preview button to activate group AF. Then when shooting if a situation arises and group AF is advantageous it is available literally at the press of a button. When shooting primarily BIF I reverse the setup, i.e.BBF activating Group AF and preview button set to activate single point. Works great.

[swanseadave]

I tend to use BBF on my Alpha,which,together with AEL,leaves me free to concentrate on composition and shooting.
It suits my style of photography as I rarely shoot moving subjects.

[Manfred M]

Regardless of which autofocus mode is selected by the user; there is just one single focus plane in any image and the is effectively what every photographer wants to hit when taking a shot.

Depth of field gives us a bit of leeway by giving us a range where the sharpness is "good enough", as defined by a number of assumptions. Like many of the others, I default to a single point of focus when shooting still subjects or subjects moving parallel to the sensor plane. The only time I will use a matrix focus is when my subject is moving towards me or away from me quickly; i.e. motion is perpendicular to the sensor.

[rpcrowe]

When I shoot dog portraits, I use a single AF point on my Canon 5D2. I use the top focus point because it is easiest to focus on the dog's eyes using that point.