P7700's distance indicator

Hi All,

How is the distance indicator supposed to work in MF?  According to page 2 (Reference Section), the number indicates the distance from the camera to the subject in focus in the center of the frame/screen.  If this is the case, the number should change when you change the focus on a different subject (still at the center) at a different distance.  Also shouldn't the number change to indicate what's in focus when you manually dial the multi-directional wheel to focus?

On my camera, the number is fixed at .3m from 28mm focal length, at .5m from 85mm, at .8m from 105mm, and at 1m from 135mm focal length during zooming.  This number does not change whether I focus on a subject at 5' or 10' away from me at 28mm, for example.  So what does this number really mean?  And how does this distance indicator work on your cameras?

Thanks for all your help.