1DX Mark III - Will Animal Eye Detection Be Added in a Firmware Update

[Unrelenting]

I am interested in purchasing the 1DX Mark III. I am disappointed the camera has eye and head dectection for human subjects but does not have animal eye detection for wildlife photography. Can Canon add animal eye detection in the future with a firmware update? If so, it that expected to happen?  I think many wildlife photogarphers, myself included, would be particularly interested in a response from Canon itself.

[Waddizzle]

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@John_SD wrote:

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"... the capability may come as part of a firmware update"

I still doubt a FW update will offer it. 

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Well, N*kon added it to the Z6 and Z7 via firmare update, but I hear ya, this is Canon we're talking about. 

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Apples to oranges.  Nikon Z bodies are mirrorless cameras.  The Canon 1Dx III is a DSLR, first and foremost.  

The AF systems used in DSLR viewfinders do not have enough AF points to perform the pattern recognition that is probably needed for Eye AF of any kind..

[jrhoffman75]

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@Waddizzle wrote:

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@John_SD wrote:

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"... the capability may come as part of a firmware update"

I still doubt a FW update will offer it. 

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Well, N*kon added it to the Z6 and Z7 via firmare update, but I hear ya, this is Canon we're talking about. 

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Apples to oranges.  Nikon Z bodies are mirrorless cameras.  The Canon 1Dx III is a DSLR, first and foremost.  

The AF systems used in DSLR viewfinders do not have enough AF points to perform the pattern recognition that is probably needed for Eye AF of any kind..

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No one said it can't be a Live View feature. 

[ebiggs1]

"... this is Canon we're talking about."

If it could happen I would be rather inclined to say Canon would, more than brand_N.  You are asking them to put something in the camera it can't do. It is not because it was just left out, the camera doesn't have the hardware, the guts inside, to do it.

We will just have to wait and see.  But like was pointed out, how little of a feature is it?  Not much in my thinking. It would not be a selling point to me.

[wq9nsc]

I have all three of the 1DX family DSLRs that I use for sports shooting (or at least did when there were sports to shoot) 😞  None of them have ever been in live view mode and I couldn't see myself using liveview for wildlife either but others may like that option.  If there was sufficient demand, I am sure Canon could change the software to either not discriminate against animal eyes or discriminate in favor for those who want to use the live view setup. 

The big AF change from the earlier 1DX family is an increase to 191 AF points for viewfinder shooting and I didn't get enough time with the camera to fully decide what the best setup is going to be for action sports.  With my 1DX and 1DX II bodies the majority of the time I have found using a single selected focus point works best for me but with the much smaller focus points in the III this may not work as well so I may need to go with either the small zone or the point expansion option but that will take more shooting time for me to decide and that isn't likely to happen anytime soon.

Rodger

[linded]

  Agree with the Waddizzle .  Animal Eye Detection great for family pet photos but not wildlife in field.

  Always shoot non flying wildlife with MF not AF.  Lost too many shots due to intervening objects and slow auto focus.  

[JensStahl]

I have the 1DX mkIII from Canon Netherlands to test/use. I'm shooting birds, and wildlife, the lacking of a animal eye focus and missing camera profiles in cameraraw(not Canons fault I guess) are the 2 main reasons I won't buy this camera(third is the price, with 1 extra battery and 2 cards 9500 dollar here) , I want the eye sharp, not a wingtip or a shoulder. I always said I never change brand (shooting Canon Eos since 1989). I have shot the 9II it's a world of diffecense if the eye is sharp or not. If it's not your cup of tea, it dont mean it's not important for the people who are shooting in that branch(if you shoot wide open on an animal, and everything is sharp, your to far from your subject) .. If there is an firmware update I would buy it, it's an beast, I almost love everything on this camera, the tracking is great, and you have a camera in your hands, not a toy. I would learn to work with dpp to get the right colors(those are accurate(logical, it's Canon's )), the biggest market in the Netherlands is this niche, and they are loosing it atm.
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So I want an update if possible or a great release this week, if there is a good working eye focus tracking system on the R5, I can keep my word, and not change brand.. Rather I want a 1DR, a 1Dx with animaleye AF, the big body/battery, and no mirror, so i can photograph normal instead using the screen.

Gr Jens

(i know my English isn't that good)...

[GladysKlip]

I completely agree with you Jens. When the R5 came out this was the first thing I was wondering. I own the 1dmMIII for a few months now and it's a beast. It's a fantastic camera for wildlife. The tracking at Live View is good but it is only tracking the object. As a wildlife photographer our focus is on a sharp eye and adding this feature would make it an even more than phenomenal camera so I keep my fingers crossed but if not I'm still very happy with the smart controller which is making it all already a lot faster and easier than the joystick!

[JensStahl]

Ohh @linded, the 1DX MKIII stays on the bird, even with changing backgrounds, grass, trees house bushes, no problem at all in the live view tracking mode, again, it's a beast! 7 out of 10 sharp(only, itcould be on a wing, tail etc. ) but the AF is sooo fast...

[butterfly2937]

Well I tried it with hummingbirds and it worked!

Tracking a hummingbird eye see examples 

[GladysKlip]

You've used the ordinary tracking on the 1dx that works great but is no animal eye detection. I've used the tracking on bigger birds in flight and the focus follows the bird but switches often to the whole body or wings and doesn't stay on the bird. Let's hope Canon announces a firmware update soon!