p.1 #1 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
So I’ve been using face detection in live view and it’s incredible.
I just want to confirm how to enable it through the viewfinder....
Mode is af-c and set to 3D tracking, is that all I need to do?
It seems the 3D tracking just follows wherever I focused at first. No way to tell if it’s actually tracking the face, eye ?
p.1 #2 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
I've been experimenting with this on my D500 as well. Results have been mixed and not entirely impressive so far.
As I understand it, either Auto or 3D should do the trick. I may be mistaken about this.
In any case, the indicator jumps around quite a lot and it seems to miss more than it hits. I'm testing this on a 50 1.8 though. I specifically want it to be as difficult as possible.
When it does hit, it's great in a "how does this even work?" sort of way. But...it's not so often that I'm successful with it. So far I've just been using it to annoy the GF and get used to how it works.
I'm ready to learn more about it. The D850 and D500 should work about the same in this regard.
p.1 #4 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
I have been doing some more experimenting with my 24-120 f/4 and the 50mm. Seems the results are a lot more consistent in Auto - even with the 3d enabled in the custom setting mentioned above.
It still isn't quite as good as manually putting a point on the eye but I have to say this, if I need a quick shot of a person I could rattle off a burst and be reasonably confident at least one would be in focus.
p.1 #5 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
I just did a quick test and 3D tracking with face detect on and set to erratic motion was far better than auto mode , 3D hit almost every time in the burst , probably would be perfect with that bigger battery and grip.
Photozack81 wrote:
I have been doing some more experimenting with my 24-120 f/4 and the 50mm. Seems the results are a lot more consistent in Auto - even with the 3d enabled in the custom setting mentioned above.
It still isn't quite as good as manually putting a point on the eye but I have to say this, if I need a quick shot of a person I could rattle off a burst and be reasonably confident at least one would be in focus.
p.1 #11 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
J.Marcus Photo wrote:
So I’ve been using face detection in live view and it’s incredible.
I just want to confirm how to enable it through the viewfinder....
Mode is af-c and set to 3D tracking, is that all I need to do?
It seems the 3D tracking just follows wherever I focused at first. No way to tell if it’s actually tracking the face, eye ?
Hi Joshua,
The OVF face/eye detection uses PDAF so it is very fast in combination with the algorithms within the D850.
First within the menu set A4 to ON and A5 to WIDE. I have not tried setting A5 to NORMAL yet. Also set B5 to face detection ON.
With AF settings I use AF-C and AUTO as it works very fast. I have tried 3D but you do need to define an AF point to follow first and then it is as quick. Also d72 works great too!
With the OVF the AF point/s will jump around the face in different areas, but the algorithm finds the face and nearest eye regardless and it is very accurate and fast. I find this method superb for fast moving/dynamic portraits and now I don't even think about it.
On the weekend I was doing a portrait shoot with D850, 105E, 2 x SB5000 soft/umbrella in low light. I just used Manual exposure, 64 ISO with AF-C and d72 group for most of the shoot as I have only recently found out different groupings also work. Usually I use AF-C and AUTO. I did quickly about 400 shots with about 95% success.
Nikon has not documented and it is hard to find more information but I suspect this feature has been around for some time. Nikon had patents relating to this back in 2006.
The D810, D750 and D7200 have similar OVF face/eye detection algorithms/feature.
The 70-200E FL is very fast AF and accurate using the OVF face/eye detection with about 99% success. The 70-200E is still my main workhorse but I do love the 35 Art, 50 Art, 58G, 85/1.4G and 105E for the different looks.
p.1 #14 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
Thank you Charles for your lenghty explanatio. It should work well with kids since they are always moving around!! It will be easier to catch the moment and worry less about moving the af points around on the eyes. Can't wait to try it out! charles.K wrote:
Hi Joshua,
The OVF face/eye detection uses PDAF so it is very fast in combination with the algorithms within the D850.
First within the menu set A4 to ON and A5 to WIDE. I have not tried setting A5 to NORMAL yet. Also set B5 to face detection ON.
With AF settings I use AF-C and AUTO as it works very fast. I have tried 3D but you do need to define an AF point to follow first and then it is as quick. Also d72 works great too!
With the OVF the AF point/s will jump around the face in different areas, but the algorithm finds the face and nearest eye regardless and it is very accurate and fast. I find this method superb for fast moving/dynamic portraits and now I don't even think about it.
On the weekend I was doing a portrait shoot with D850, 105E, 2 x SB5000 soft/umbrella in low light. I just used Manual exposure, 64 ISO with AF-C and d72 group for most of the shoot as I have only recently found out different groupings also work. Usually I use AF-C and AUTO. I did quickly about 400 shots with about 95% success.
Nikon has not documented and it is hard to find more information but I suspect this feature has been around for some time. Nikon had patents relating to this back in 2006.
The D810, D750 and D7200 have similar OVF face/eye detection algorithms/feature.
The 70-200E FL is very fast AF and accurate using the OVF face/eye detection with about 99% success. The 70-200E is still my main workhorse but I do love the 35 Art, 50 Art, 58G, 85/1.4G and 105E for the different looks.
p.1 #15 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
turnschuh wrote:
I am very sceptic about this feature.
How can a PDAF sensor possible recognize an eye/face?
Metering sensor sure but PDAF?
I have been using this on the D810 and now D850 for about 12 months now with typically about 85% success minimum depending on which lens I use. The AF points you view through the OVF are a representation of the PDAF off sensor. The algorithm does the work recognizing the face first and then eye as with any camera with face/eye recognition function. It is just works really well I have used it for kids spinning fast around on swing in a sequence of shots and it has been able to capture the face and eye.
I have a few technical contacts at Nikon that I will discuss this with further.
p.1 #17 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
Photozack81 wrote:
Chances are they can talk to each other in some way.
Meter: I found an eye here!
Focus: OK, here's the point closest to that!
etc etc.
The Nikon 3D matrix color metering system is quite sophisticated and more so with the D850.
"TTL exposure metering using RGB sensor with approx. 180K (180,000) pixels"
"Matrix: 3D color matrix metering III (type G, E and D lenses); color matrix metering III (other CPU lenses); color matrix metering available with non-CPU lenses if user provides lens data"
The system can also recognize human faces when focusing through the camera’s optical viewfinder. The camera’s second generation Auto-area AF and 3D-tracking autofocus area modes use the subject’s color and brightness information to detect focus. This becomes immensely important when faces must be sharp and you don’t have the time to choose focus points.
My friend who an association with Nikon mentioned that the 3D color matrix metering is based on a large data base of actual photos and it is the CPU does all the heavy number crunching. He has just came back from a Nikon sponsored trip to central Australia regarding technical training with the D850.
p.1 #18 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
Unless Nikon changed something for the D850, this is what you need to do for VF Face Detection:
- Use Matrix metering
- Enable VF FD in the menu
- Put the camera in Auto Area AF mode (Not to be confused with AF-A)
- Viewfinder Face detection works in AF-A, AF-S and AF-C as long as Auto Area is selected, or in Group AF when used with AF-S.
3D tracking works so well that it is essentially doing the same thing once you have locked onto a face or an eyeball, so results are going to be similar after you lock it onto your focus point.
p.1 #19 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
A setting that may help is (on the D500 A8, not sure D850) but it's where you enable or disable the AF-ON button.
On the D500, the AF-ON selection has a >
If you click it, you're presented with the option to enable or disable out of focus release.
Disable means that so long as you're holding down the AF-ON, the camera will only take a shot when it's focused (if AF-C is focus priority, anyway) which *really* helped to fix my above "nothing's in focus" problem.
p.1 #20 · D850 and face detection through viewfinder
Photozack81 wrote:
A setting that may help is (on the D500 A8, not sure D850) but it's where you enable or disable the AF-ON button.
On the D500, the AF-ON selection has a >
If you click it, you're presented with the option to enable or disable out of focus release.
Disable means that so long as you're holding down the AF-ON, the camera will only take a shot when it's focused (if AF-C is focus priority, anyway) which *really* helped to fix my above "nothing's in focus" problem.
On the D850 I have AF-ON A8 set to OFF which means it is only activated by AF-ON button. The shutter can then lock on EXP with half press of the shutter button so it separates the function.
Also A1 AF-C I have set priority to "Release" and A2 AF-S to "Focus".
These settings are the same as Steve Perry's suggestions
I have used it for kids spinning fast around on swing in a sequence of shots and it has been able to capture the face and eye.