topic Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off" in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

musicmaiden — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 01:25:46 GMT

With the R6, when in Face Tracking AF and pushing the "SET" button, "Face Select: Off" appears on screen. I would like to know why or when I should use this feature and what the box that then appears is now looking for and how I can utilitze it. Thanks for any help!

Karin

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

stevet1 — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 01:42:49 GMT

music maiden,

This is just a guess, but it sounds like when you hit the Set button, you are toggling face detection off and on.

I ran across a video that explains how to set your face and eye detection in the Canon R6 here:

How to Use Face and Eye Detection on Canon R6 | Photo Tutorial for Beginners

Plug that search phrase into a Google search.

Steve Thomas

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

FloridaDrafter — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 02:58:07 GMT

@musicmaiden wrote:
With the R6, when in Face Tracking AF and pushing the "SET" button, "Face Select: Off" appears on screen. I would like to know why or when I should use this feature and what the box that then appears is now looking for and how I can utilitze it. Thanks for any help!

Hello, Karin!

Is this what you are referring to?

If so, "Disable" is for Eye Tracking not for Face Tracking. Tap INFO to toggle Eye Tracking on or off during Face Tracking.

Newton

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

musicmaiden — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 12:49:14 GMT

Hi Newton,

that is not it. it appears only for a brief moment while looking through the viewfinder and hit the SET button, then it comes up briefly with that message. It seems like it takes Face Detection off until I hit the SET button again, but I do not know what the boxes with a bit heavier line around are now looking for. So I am looking for an explanation why that function is there and in what scenarios I would use it. I do like that Disable Eye Tracking feature though!

Karin

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

musicmaiden — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 12:51:55 GMT

Hi Steve,

that is correct, but I am looking for guidance what these boxes that pop up after disabling are now looking for and when/how to use that feature.

Thanks for replying!

Karin

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

p4pictures — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 16:47:55 GMT

I have found the same Face select: OFF message on my EOS R6.

When the camera is set to Face + tracking AF method, and ONE SHOT AF, pressing the SET button does cause the message to appear along with an icon on the top right side of the LCD. This is part of the standard operation and is actually covered in the manual on page 375 & specifically in the Note box on page 376.

With face + tracking the camera will locate a face in the frame, but you can use the joystick (multicontroller) or tap on the screen to select a specific face, the camera will track that face even if it moves within the frame. This is a function called locked tracking, and this lock can be released by pressing the SET button or taping the relevant icon on the top right side of the LCD screen.

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

musicmaiden — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 12:44:59 GMT

Thanks for your reply, Brian! I did see that note in the manual and I have used the joystick to move from one eye to the next or to another person's eye. So what you are saying is, that if you have no Eye Detect on it , only Face, you need to have "Face Select:Off" chosen to jump from one person to the next? Unfortunately I do not have enough "bodies" around me to try out at this time, LOL! And trying with family pictures, the box jumps to different parts of the image that are not faces.

Thanks,
Karin

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

p4pictures — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 19:54:01 GMT

Close but slightly different. When you aim the camera at the subject it starts looking for focus and before focus locks and the AF point turns green, it may move the position if the detected face moves. In effect it is tracking the location of the face before you lock the AF. With face select OFF, then the tracking doesn't move the AF point with the face, it stays where the face was initially found.

You can see this for yourself even on a single face. Aim the camera at the face and press the shutter to initiate focus if the AF point turns green release the shutter button and now if you move the camera the af point moves to track the face that had been found, so that when you press the shutter again the AF point is already on the face even if it has moved. With face select OFF this tracking of the face initially found doesn't happen.

In my own experience I actually stopped using one shot AF with my EOS R6 for portraits and simply used servo AF., and there is no setting for face select OFF in servo. Servo AF will still find the face or eye and tracks it around the frame if the subject moves, while also adjusting focus if you or the subject change the distance between you even slightly. For me this give me more accurate AF even with very fast lenses.

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

musicmaiden — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 20:59:49 GMT

Thank you, Brian! I had to try it a few times but I finally got it! Other question.....Setting: Manual Settings with Servo Mode, Back Button with AF-ON but leaving the Shutter Button with AF Start and Metering. Can I assume that when holding down the AF-ON Button, it is doing both metering and focus as stated in the Manual and the Shutter Button is now ONLY there to initiate the capture? No conflicts between those two buttons? Let me know if a new thread for this question is needed! thanks again!

Karin

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

p4pictures — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 17:40:48 GMT

Probably worth a different thread to be fair.

However if your shutter button half-press is still set to initiate AF and metering, it becomes important as to the order of pressing the AF-ON and half press. If you press AF-ON and hold it down without pressing the shutter then it is the priority, and the half-press position of the shutter is not considered when taking a photo. If you release the AF-ON then the half-press of the shutter is the button initiating AF and metering (actually what the cameras are set for by default).

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

musicmaiden — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 17:44:59 GMT

Thanks, Brian! I watched some YT videos on BBF and there is mention of conflicts if you leave Focusing on the Shutter Button but no details. So for right now, I think I will leave it and see if there are any issues coming up.

Re: Canon EOS R6 : "Face Select: Off"

p4pictures — Fri, 16 Feb 2024 18:58:07 GMT

Possibly the conflict is down to the way some people use BBF to switch between SERVO and ONE SHOT AF.

With BBF if you leave the camera in SERVO then press and hold the AF-ON button you have tracking, but if you press the AF-ON,wait for the camera to focus then release the AF-ON button the focus will stay where it is a bit like ONE SHOT. The problem/conflict arises when you have not removed the AF ability from the shutter button half-press, because as soon as you press the shutter the focus restarts in SERVO breaking the locked focus you wanted.