Face and eye detection
Take the stress out of capturing sharp Christmas portraits
Face detection AF is a common feature in Canon’s mirrorless cameras and is also available when using shooting with a DSLR’S Live View display. Until recently, only high-end EOS cameras offered this autofocus option when shooting with the optical viewfinder, but the recently released EOS 90D, however, is the first mid-range model to offer up this useful feature.
Face detection through the optical viewfinder sees the camera’s high-resolution RGB metering sensor feed the autofocus system with information about the scene. The metering sensor can recognize colours and it packs enough pixels to be able to detect human faces, making it easier for the camera to keep tracking a person as they move through a scene. Canon calls this Intelligent Tracking and Recognition – or EOS ITR for short.
The 90D also joins the EOS R and RP and a few other models in having the more advanced Eye Detection AF. After setting the AF method to Face+tracking and enabling Eye Detection AF in the red Shooting menu, the camera will detect a person’s face and display an AF point around one of their eyes to indicate that it’s focusing on it. A recent improvement to the technology sees Eye Detection AF (finally) available during Servo AF, so it’s able to refocus the lens to keep the eye sharp if the subject moves.
You can tap the screen to select an eye to focus on, but even if you inadvertently tap another part of the face, the camera will automatically pull focus on an eye.
Once you’ve enabled Eye Detection AF, you’re able to switch it off without having to dip into the main menu if you press the AF point selection button, followed by INFO. Tapping INFO again resumes Eye Detection.