Stupid Question Time

[Hinfrance]

OK, today I get an email from some shop or other telling me that the new Nikon 7100 thingy is about to vie for my money. Well it's already lost because I am back in musical instrument spending mode, what little funding there is will go that way . .

My stupid question is this: given that the very first thing I do when I get hold of any camera is switch it to spot focusing*, what the heck is the point of having 51 point focusing? Has anyone here ever taken a photograph with 51 separate things as the centre of focus? And if you did, why didn't you just reduce the aperture appropriately?

*except for a Canon I was lent once; I couldn't work out how to stop it focusing apparently at random all over the scenes I was taking, so the pictures were all disasters - you know, child sitting at table, focused on the table, people in front of trees, focused on the trees - no wonder Andy was having trouble with that Canon on the telly.

[Beaux Reflets]

Not a stupid question Howard. I was trying to make a similar point in my thread Back to Basics http://cameracraniums.com/forum/index.php?topic=3229.0

Marketing cameras these days seems to stress how each little Xtra will make you a better photograph  - When it is the photographer that makes the photograph. 

[donoreo]

A lot of people leave the focusing on auto.   I think there is a lager number of "cross type" focus points on this model and they are better and more accurate.  My camera only has one cross type, the centre.  Most older cameras are the same.