Focus is where you look. Automatically!

One old, interesting, but forgotten technology, hails from the 90s.

Canon Eye Controlled Focus

Canon Eye Controlled Focus

In November 1992, Canon EOS 5 was introduced, the camera had 5 focus points. The focus point could be selected simply by looking at it.. That is, the focus point was selected using the eyes.

The technology is called 'Canon Eye Controlled Focus' ('Eye Focus Control'). In the future, several more cameras with this function were released.

  • Canon EOS 55 had 3 focus points
  • Canon EOS 5 had 5 focus points
  • Canon EOS 3 had already 45 focus points
  • Canon EOS IX E, APS, IXhad 3 focus points
  • Canon EOS 30 had 7 focus points, the latest model introduced in 2004 to use this technology

Before using focusing with the eyes, it was necessary to go through a small calibration procedure, during which it was necessary to look at the focus points, after which the camera remembered the position of the eyes for proper adjustment. Some cameras allowed you to have several calibration kits for different people or for shooting with glasses. It took some time to learn to handle this function well.

Canon recently patented something similar for its new mirrorless cameras. Of course, nowadays there are much more advanced technologies that are responsible for focusing, such as eye tracking or tracking focusing on key subjects. It would be at least very interesting to have additional interesting functionality for quick 'manual' ('eye') focusing.

Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment. Many different photographic equipment can be found on AliExpress.


Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram

Add a comment:

 

 

Comments: 43, on the topic: Focusing where you look. Automatically!

  • Arkady Shapoval

    Dear readers, Happy!

    From 25/08/2019 for commenting a prerequisite is the indication of the name and e-mail. First of all, this is intended to simplify the discussion.

    Let me remind you that everything is the same Radozhiv does not require any registration. Peace, Labor, Freedom.

    According to the ancient commandments of Radozhiva, which are already over 10 years old, and information about which is here https://radojuva.com/about-radojuva/#comments meaningless, offensive and obscene comments are deleted, please do not litter the site. The topic of politics is strictly prohibited.

    • BB

      At least something, it's high time.

  • Stanislas

    Where to?

    • NEO

      There!

  • Roman

    There are suspicions that when shooting full-length female portraits, focus will suffer very much.

    • Vitaly N

      To magnify the focus point, you will need to open your eye or eyes wide. Now photographers will be visible from afar - they aim at the focus point and roll their eyes to the maximum.

      • Oleksandr

        :-) And young children will ask their parents: dad and dad, but what does uncle do? Why did he so bulge his eyes when he saw an aunt? He was scared and will now scold her how are you mom? :-)

    • Arkady Shapoval

      The main thing is that growth men should not suffer

    • Iskander

      Yeah, the trick will float down somewhere :-)

    • Dmitriy

      This is a known fact! The technology has not gained distribution, because the focus was automatically not at all in the eyes of the modelt)))

    • Dmitriy

      This is a known fact! Technology has not gained distribution, because the focus was automatically not at all in the eyes of the model)))

      • Banderovets

        Turn on your brains / if you have them! / And think what you write! Nonsensical nonsense! What are the eyes of the models? Bullshit from Mitrofanushka.

        • Oleg

          Turn on your brains. 2019 pic.

  • Vitaly N

    Interesting technology. I’m just wondering - is there enough calibration range for those with squint?

    • Arkady Shapoval

      If you calibrate well, and programmers beat this opportunity, then it’s completely. But, of course, we understood the irony.

      • Vitaly N

        There was no irony here. Just the task is quite complicated.

        • Roman

          With strabismus, the main cause is usually myopia in one eye. The brain turns off the second eye and it “leaves” to the side. The ability to “switch” the leading eye remains, and then it becomes straight, the second one “leaves”. So if a person with a squint looks into the camera, the eye will “become” straight.

          There are neurological and other functional disorders, but there either the level of intelligence will not allow you to use the camera (usually these are severe forms of dementia), or the person will look with a normally seeing eye.

          • Vitaly N

            Maybe, but I had a teacher with two squinting eyes. He just looked past you. Over time, of course, we got used to and guessed where he was looking.

    • ry

      But how strabismus interferes with shooting? Is there anything in the JVI that uses only one eye, and not both?

      • Vitaly N

        The axis of vision may not coincide with the axis of the eye. Electronics will pick the wrong points. But as Roman wrote above, one eye should work fine. I did not know about this feature.

  • SW78

    And the military also uses similar technology.

    • Vitaly N

      There, more movement of the helmet-head is tracked, as in toys. Otherwise, the weapon would twitch when reading information.

      • Denis

        to the photographer on the head with the help of a clamp, fix a laser pointer that will illuminate a point on the object ...
        then everything is trivial, according to the technology of the 50s

        • Iskander

          For a long time there has been a fairly simple head tracking simulator program. The principle is simple - three LEDs are fixed on the head or cap, on the monitor - the webcam “sees” the movement of the diodes when the head is turned and in the game controls the direction of view from the cockpit. But there may be side effects in the form of dizziness, headache and strabismus, because you have to look sideways at the monitor. The vestibular apparatus may respond in an unpredictable manner.
          The same with a laser target designator, even worse (the model will be very grateful to you if you accidentally hit a beam in her eye).

          • Vitaly N

            "Chandelier" is called :) There are also no LEDs on the player's face. At one time he dabbled in all sorts. Now homemade products are already made on electronic gyroscopes, as in 3D helmets. It's a matter of habit, but a handy thing.

            • Iskander

              Well, and how, was it convenient? Did your eyes hurt?
              I used to be a fan of the flight simulator IL-2 Sturmovik, epic battles were online!
              Once we arranged a meeting of all the virpils of the city, with beer and fish. The eldest of us, callsign Mastak, brought in a homemade foot controller with pedals. Everything there is grown-up - made of metal, on ball bearings, with magnetic sensors. He also made these to order.

              • Vitaly N

                No eyes, but neck at first, yes. A good simulator for her muscles :) The floor started and quit so far, along with enthusiasm. And he did desktop with ball bearings and hall sensors from Logitech.

  • Yaroslav

    Progress does not always go forward ...

  • B. R. P.

    I have been wondering for a long time how, so far, none of the manufacturers has put this into their cameras)

  • zengarden

    Perhaps this technology will be useful for people with disabilities. Well, or when your hands are busy with something else ...

    • Vitaly N

      Why not? I suspect further development in the form of projection of the image onto the retina using glasses. Like the military. You put on your glasses and do whatever you want with the camera from any angle and position. The camera will be like a lens cap - a matrix with a handle and a button.

      • zengarden

        So the shortcomings have already been described above ... for example, you are photographing a pretty woman, and your gaze is involuntarily directed not at her face, but at other charms ... although everything can be solved here; Let's say you blinked twice quickly - the focus is confirmed; blinked three times - the focus is reset.

        • Vitaly N

          ... eyes in one point, rolling out and also blinking in series ...

  • Alexander

    About 15 years ago, I witnessed that a photographer handed over his Canon with this function to a thrift store. I asked him what and how. He spoke quite coldly about eye focus. I remember what I said, good illumination is needed for confident work. Otherwise, the eye of the photographer does not react ...

    • Roman

      Fifteen years ago there was no “Ok Google, turn on the TV in the bedroom”.

  • Igor

    Technologically, but not necessary. For it is obvious that in real conditions this method does not simplify the work, and even requires getting used to it.

    • Vitaly N

      I think that it’s still necessary. Choosing a focus point takes time, especially if there are a lot of them. Get used to it, yes. But you also got used to controlling the camera at one time. And now, for sure, you are already doing everything at the level of reflexes.

  • Dmitriy

    Correction Canon EOS 50 did not have focusing in the direction of gaze, as well as Canon EOS 33 / 33v - these are simplified versions of EOS 50E and EOS 30 / 30v with Eye Control. I know, because I shot with almost all these cameras.

    • Dmitriy

      The same applies to Canon A2, Elan II and Elan 7N (without letter E). The letter E just indicates EyeControl.

      • Arkady Shapoval

        Fixed

        • Dmitriy

          And again not so. It would be more correct:

          Canon EOS 55 and Canon EOS 50E (aka Elan IIe) had 3 focus points
          Canon EOS 5 (aka A2E) had 5 focus points
          Canon EOS 3 had as many as 45 focus points
          Canon EOS IX E, APS, IX, had 3 focus points
          The Canon EOS 30 (aka Canon EOS Elan 7e, aka Canon EOS 7) and its upgraded version of the Canon EOS 30v (aka Canon EOS 7s aka Canon ELAN 7NE) had 7 focus points.

          • Arkady Shapoval

            Fixed

    • Paul

      He worked in the 50s for more than 7 years, since 1996! The bombing camera / 5e is cooler, but it didn’t work out / I'm used to this eye focus, which is still wondering why, such a convenience and ,, forgot ,, ?? Can it be expensive to manufacture?

Add a comment

Copyright © Radojuva.com. Blog author - Photographer in Kiev Arkady Shapoval. 2009-2023

English-version of this article https://radojuva.com/en/2019/08/focus-where-you-look-at/

Versión en español de este artículo https://radojuva.com/es/2019/08/focus-where-you-look-at/