What the heck is Face Detection that is in Canon and Sony P&S cameras?

[TMR Design]

Recently I saw a Canon powershot commercial and a Sony P&S commercial and they both spoke of Face Detection software. What exactly is that?

[cosworth]

Software AlGoreRythym that seeks out facial tones with facial structure of two eyes, mouth nose etc. It then defines what faces are visible, distance metering and determines the DOF etc. to get them all in focus if possible.

[Goonish]

Basically it's a smart AF system. It's used for group pictures/portraits and automatically detects faces so it can find the best focus.

[TMR Design]

Thanks Jason and Goonish,

So the question is.... does it work? and how well? I'm not planning on buying a camera with it but was curious about the technology.

[amccomis]

this technology comes in two parts:

variable position af sensor (or more than one)

and

marketing point.

more of the 2nd, I think since usually, if you're taking a "posed" shot, your center AF does the trick just fine.

[JustShootin']

I think almost every camera I've ever owned had face detection. The face detector was me, and it has always worked just fine.

Marketing ploy? Oh yeah! ;)

Gary

[Powershotted]

All very nice, BUT, does it also work on black people? Thats what I like to know.
Not that I am black, but how well does it work on black people. Their faces are dark, so will this FD recognize that too?

[Woogie]

All very nice, BUT, does it also work on black people? Thats what I like to know.
Not that I am black, but how well does it work on black people. Their faces are dark, so will this FD recognize that too?

I'm not black either, but I don't think I'd ever ask that question. Especially since it made it sound like you're late for your klan meeting.

[Woogie]

Most people don't know how to compose their pictures properly. They'll use the center focus and put the face right smack in the middle of the frame. This means they'll get a torso up shot and a whole lotta sky in the picture. Or they'll focus, but if the subjects aren't in the middle, then they'll get the background in focus, but not the subjects.

Ofcourse when the pictures don't turn out the way they want it to, they blame it on the camera. This is Canon/Sony/anyotherbrand is addressing this issue. Face detection will solve this for most people, assuming it works as advertised.

[Powershotted]

I'm not black either, but I don't think I'd ever ask that question. Especially since it made it sound like you're late for your klan meeting.

WTF for a stupid answer is that?

[TMR Design]

Let's not even go there in a public forum please guys.

[SaNdMaN82]

hey, i think you're getting all wrong... i think this is one of those situations that it all depends on the person that is reading... and how he or she interprets what he or she is reading...

i'm no racist, but when i read the question, a question mark appeared in my mind. Not only because skin color, but to hair cuts, and high collar clothes, for instance...

Do any of you guys know what the camera is actually looking for when FD is active?. Guys from China, surely have a very different "face pattern" ("smaller" eyes, for instance) than me for instance, a guy from Argentina.

Do it look for "eye-nose-mouth" pattern?. Does it have a low % of false positives ?
I'm very curious about this kind of techs, because something we all know, is that faces are very very variable.

Once again, i think that the question can be read in to ways... One, is very low, way low.. (and i'll stop right here about that side)... The other one, is the techny side of the application of this feature, and it's limitations... I'd rather ask this last one, the one that really interests me ;)

Peace, and respect among us... As Jewel says in a song: "we are all ok".

[raimisch]

I'm not black either, but I don't think I'd ever ask that question. Especially since it made it sound like you're late for your klan meeting.


Sounds like you are the one with some issues with people of varying races and are trying to cover it up. That is a legitimate question due to colouring, it could be asked for any type of race. Due to both colour of skin, and facial features, like a previous poster mentioned.

[woodle]

it seems to work pretty well. the white box follows faces around as you're adjusting for the shot. Although, it will try and focus on some faces on a tv or computer screen if it's in the background or near your subject

[angryhampster]

All very nice, BUT, does it also work on black people? Thats what I like to know.
Not that I am black, but how well does it work on black people. Their faces are dark, so will this FD recognize that too?



Yes it will. However, it will not work on Puerto Ricans and citizens of Utah.

[Woogie]

I had a bit of grandpa's old cough medicine earlier and I will admit that I misread the post. Therefore, I ask that you show grace and that you accept my humblest apologies.



Sounds like you are the one with some issues with people of varying races and are trying to cover it up.

Please don't try to play psychologist or psychiatrist if you haven't the slightest clue as to who I am or where I come from. Thanks.

[Powershotted]

The reason I was wondering this, is all I see in Canon commercials when demonstrating the Face Detection feature is white people, so thats why I asked if it only works on white people.

Because I can imagine that such a camera, not knowing what you try to shoot, only selects the color of skin and roundness of heads in order to recognize faces.
I am not at all a racist, dont get me wrong please, I even live in an area with lots of black and foreign people, and I am quite fine with that.

Because recent Canon cameras have features with colors, like the darker or lighter skin option, makes you tanned in a photo, in order to optimize for too much flash so your face is not white-out because you shoot too close.

So Canon is obviously doing things with recognizing skin color in shooting, thats why my ( - non racist ) question, does it also work on non-white people.

[carguy1985]

my fiance has a canon 750 with it, works pretty cool. actually will detect more one person and focus them.