AF point in DPP?

So, if you use the AF-on button, point the AF point on what you want to focus on, and press the AF-on button, and let go. Press the shutter. That's picture #1 with the focus point stored, then recompose ad press the shutter button again. That's picture #2 composed how you want.
That way you can even see how the focus of the subjects changes when you recompose.
You can also do it by not releasing the shutter button to keep the focus locked.

Old Baldy wrote in post #11920529
No idea. I'm no imaging software expert.

I guess the REAL question is.....what is the use of the "View AF point" in DPP? It doesn't necessarily indicate the point of AF....so what is the display really useful for?

Well, think about it, the sensor can't even see what you are focusing on because the shutter is still closed.

OK, so I understand that it's technically impossible for DPP to display the focus points on the image (after any shot is recomposed, or after a fast-moving subject has shifted between focus lock and the image imprint).

I'll ignore the option to view the focus points in DPP from now on. I asked the original question because I thought the intent of the display was to show where the focus points were on the pic, but now I understand that they could just as easily have had a text caption saying which sensors were active, rather that overlaying them on the image itself - as that display is not valid for most of my portrait shots (due to recomposition with locked focus on the eyes)

Thanks all, for confirming that I wasn't missing anything here, and it's just a technical restriction that I should be aware of if I display the AF points on the pics.

Here's one example, where I focused on my daughter's right eye (she's on the right hand side of the pic), and where DPP shows the AF points. You can see that I had the center focus point active (and none of the other points were in the right place for me, without recomposing, so I use the more accurate center point of the 50D).

Okay, let's suppose that you locked focus on your daughter's right eye, and that, split second before you pressed the shutter, she left the frame.
Let's say (only for the sake of conversation) that she slipped while dancing and dropped on the floor.

Where would you like focus point to be displayed in the picture?
Still on her right eye although she is not in the picture anymore?
On the empty space where she was when the focus was locked?
On the background, who knows how far from her original position and distance from the camera?
Somewhere in between?

Focus locking and display, the way it works now, is not technical restriction of any kind, it is the ONLY way it could be implemented, if you ask me.

Old Baldy wrote in post #11923641
In my view, DPP should not overlay the AF points on the image, as they are meaningless for these types of photos.

You can of course turn OFF the AF point overlay in DPP is you don't need or want it

Hermeto wrote in post #11924211
Okay, let's suppose that you locked focus on your daughter's right eye, and that, split second before you pressed the shutter, she left the frame.
Let's say (only for the sake of conversation) that she slipped while dancing and dropped on the floor.

Where would you like focus point to be displayed in the picture?
Still on her right eye although she is not in the picture anymore?
On the empty space where she was when the focus was locked?
On the background, who knows how far from her original position and distance from the camera?
Somewhere in between?

Focus locking and display, the way it works now, is not technical restriction of any kind, it is the ONLY way it could be implemented, if you ask me.

Point taken...and clearly understood , thanks.
I'll turn it off as a feature that doesn't serve much purpose for me, as not even knowing which focus sensor was used (presumably the only intention of the overlay display) is of any benefit for me, without also knowing where it was when focus locked.

If you manually select a single focus point, you already know which point was used - the one you chose. So you have no earthly need for the display in DPP. If you set automatic point selection, point and shoot without paying attention to which point lights up, and when you get home discover the shot is OOF because the camera decided to focus on the guy in the background with the black and white striped shirt, you might find the DPP display instructive. Or not.

Of course, if you don't recompose, or are trying to keep the focus point on the eye of a moving person, then it is useful to see if you managed it, or whether the AF point drifted off to the wrong place.
For what I do, the AF display is very useful to tell me if I'm keeping the AF point on track.

tzalman wrote in post #11925032
If you manually select a single focus point, you already know which point was used - the one you chose. So you have no earthly need for the display in DPP.

See the post below, for reasons one may want to see where the focus point was (actually ended up). I think I had an "earthly" reason for asking the question.

This whole question came up when I was shooting my daughter's cheerleading squad and trying to retain focus (center point) on one of the team in high-speed continuous shoot mode with servo focus enabled...and found quite a few shots where I'd presumably let the focus point shift off the person and settle on the crowd in the background. I was trying to check this, when I noticed the AF points in DPP don't actually show where the focus point was, and confirmed this with the side-by-side portraits.

Similarly, with the side-by-side pic above, I know I ATTEMPTED to focus on her eye, but whether or not I actually did achieve that, I'll never know.

So, while I'm quite sure a better / more experienced photographer would have done a much better job tracking the action, I was hoping to learn where I'd gone wrong with the tracking, via the use of the display of the AF points, but clearly these are not a solid indicator when you have fast action sequences.

I always select the AF point and in many cases will change it from shot to shot. When I finally get to downloading and reviewing images from a shoot, sometimes it's not always immediately apparent which one was enabled...and occasionally it's handy to know (like picking a keeper out of a burst sequence).

On those occasions I find it a useful tool.

Old Baldy,
If AF-Servo is being used, and if the photographer is trying to keep the selected AF sensor on the right subject, then when the shutter is pressed, what was achieved will be recorded. I check mine, and sometimes it's spot on the eye, and sometimes I've missed.
The only time the AF point isn't useful is if there's a lag between focusing and processing the shutter. If AF is on when the shutter is pressed, then it works fine.

Just to make this even more complicated:

AF Sensor Behaviour - More complex than it might appear
https://photography-on-the.net …showthread.php?​p=11959085