Archive 2023 · Back button focus and eye tracking

deone
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Back button focus and eye tracking

I would like to set up my AF-ON button on R5 for eye tracking AF. I've set it up in two ways and both of them work...I'm trying to figure out how they are different.

Option 1: In customize buttons, for AF-ON I have selected "Metering and AF start", when I click on INFO, I have
AF Operation: SERVO AF and AF METHOD: the face and the nested squares

Option 2: In customize buttons, for AF-ON I have picked "Eye Detection AF"

Both of these detect faces and focus on the eye...I'm trying to determine how they are different. I'm wondering if the difference is that "Eye Detection AF" doesn't start metering?

Thanks for your help!

Jan 29, 2023 at 05:21 PM

rscheffler
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Back button focus and eye tracking

In option 1 you have also told the camera to use Servo AF. With option 2 the camera could be set to One Shot and will stay there.

With option 2, if in Servo AF, when you press and hold the AF-ON button, does it keep focusing?

Option 1 is how I have it set - subject detection: people and eye detection on - (but on the * button) and I prefer that method because I can also assign the AF operation type (Servo or One Shot), plus some other options.

I'd have to look in the menus again (I have the R6II), but your option 2 might tell the camera to start looking for eyes and is possibly a separate function from subject detection. But with eye detection on, I'd guess that subject detection will also be enabled.

My camera is by default set with subject/face detection off. And that is also how I have assigned the AF-ON button. I find for what I shoot, sometimes subject/face detection doesn't work quite how I would like, so by default I BBF using AF-ON with subject/face detection off. When I want to use it, I BBF with the * button.

Jan 29, 2023 at 05:47 PM

TeamSpeed
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Back button focus and eye tracking

My af on is set up to start eye af or object tracking at my set af point then follow, my * is set to spot af.

This way if Eye or object tracking has an issue, I can go back to conventional methods.

Jan 29, 2023 at 06:53 PM

deone
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Back button focus and eye tracking

RScheffler: with Option 2, if in Servo AF, it does keep focusing. Basically I'm not seeing how Option 1 and 2 are different: both find the eye and keep following it. I suspect that the reason I'm getting equivalent behavior is I've set AF Method to be Servo (this is the default) and so even in Option 2 I'm getting Servo. So perhaps these methods are actually equivalent in my setup but if I had not set AI Method to be Servo by default, Option 2 would have given me e.g., one shot AF.

TeamSpeed: that is exactly how I have it also. AF-ON for eye detection of animals and * for single point AF.

Jan 29, 2023 at 07:00 PM

EB-1
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Back button focus and eye tracking

I use AF On for single point and * for animalistic tracking.
R5 controls are a bit primitive compared to R3 and Z9. I hope Cano gives us an R5 Ii before too long ir maybe an R1.

EBH

Jan 29, 2023 at 08:48 PM

rscheffler
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Back button focus and eye tracking

deone wrote:
RScheffler: with Option 2, if in Servo AF, it does keep focusing. Basically I'm not seeing how Option 1 and 2 are different: both find the eye and keep following it. I suspect that the reason I'm getting equivalent behavior is I've set AF Method to be Servo (this is the default) and so even in Option 2 I'm getting Servo. So perhaps these methods are actually equivalent in my setup but if I had not set AI Method to be Servo by default, Option 2 would have given me e.g., one shot AF.

TeamSpeed: that is exactly how I have...Show more →

Thanks for the update. From what I see with my R6II, in the menu you can enable subject detection/tracking and specify what type of subject (people, animals, etc.). Separate from this you can enable eye detection/tracking.

I guess this just gives you options but it would seem that if you want the camera to detect people or animals, you also want it to detect and focus on the eyes.

In any case, I'd just go with option 1 because you can set more parameter for your requirements when you go into the sub-menu (pressing Info).

Jan 29, 2023 at 10:29 PM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Back button focus and eye tracking

I'm doing things a little differently. I never had an issue keeping the shutter half pressed while tracking and burst shooting. With my 7D2 I decided to map AF to the AF-ON. Since the tech has changed so much with these new ML bodies I decided to go back to the shutter for both AF and Metering on my R5.

I'm pretty much always on Eye AF. I set purple AF menu, page 5, Initial AF to Auto. Even if you just wake the camera up the white pre-focus square comes up and starts to look for an eye without pressing any buttons. The white single lined, not double lined square.

This gave me another BBF to work with. I'm programmed as follows. AF-ON = Single point AF for static subjects. * = Zone for BIF. AF point selector = Spot focus for tighter and smaller subjects.

As members stated if Eye AF fails you can use a BFF. I do that but primarily I use the BBF as a temporary override. While half pressing the shutter the camera can't get the subject in focus I press a BBF, physically move the camera so the AF point/s land on the subject. Once the camera brings the subject into focus I release the BBF and the eye snaps in. The BBF AF point/s can land anywhere on the subject. It just needs to be in the plane of focus and the system will do the rest when it goes back into Eye AF.

Even between bursts if I accidentally lift my finger more than half way off the shutter, the white pre-focus square kicks in and the system continues to AF.

This is an R3 vs Sony shootout but it is all the same. I don't know how the Fro maps his buttons but he likes to use Expansion AF. Note the Expansion AF doesn't land on the face, just the body. It does not matter what AF point you use for the override. Just landing it on the body makes this process faster.

Minutes 2:30 to 6:00. Good example at 3:10.

Jan 30, 2023 at 10:57 AM

Zenon Char
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Back button focus and eye tracking

I was just messing around using AF-ON which is mapped for single point AF. I was using this method to switch back and forth between these two birds. I could even override AF on the posts the birds were sitting on. Even Zone AF worked as well.

This the Eye AF final result after using the override. I could have done this all day.

Jan 30, 2023 at 11:48 AM


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