EOS R5 Eye detection and subject tracking not working in zone or spot

[LaneW]

My R5 is set up with 3 BBF. One is full frame, other a small zone and other spot.  Eye detection and subject tracking works in full frame but not in zone or spot. Is that feature only available in full frame focus?

[Waddizzle]

That is essentially correct.  

[p4pictures]

If this is the original EOS R5 then it's correct. Subject tracking only works when the camera is set to Face + Tracking AF or one of the three zone AF areas. For the Zone AF areas the tracking is only inside the area covered by the zone and the camera will not move the zone to follow the subject out of the zone.

Eye detection for people or animals is only possible with the Face + Tracking AF method. 

All other AF methods, spot, 1-point, expansion cross and surround do not track or detect the subject at all.

You may find that enabling the Initial AF point for servo AF is beneficial since this provides you with a target point to  direct the camera to a specific part of the frame to start detecting the subject. 

I've written about this on my blog https://www.p4pictures.com/2022/04/decide-where-to-focus-eos-r5-r6-face-detection/ 

[LaneW]

Brian,

Thanks for your reply.  Its very helpful. I have read it and the blog item that you attached and am starting to get it - sort of.  Here is what I am trying to accomplish and what I'm struggling with:

I shoot birds primarily. As I said initially, My R5 is set up with 3 BBF. One is full frame, other a zone and other spot.

Using Auto for Initial Servo AF point, I have eye detection and subject tracking working in full frame and in zone, where it did not before. Problem 1: In zone, it is tracking, showing the white box - but when I press the back button for zone, it drops tracking. Not in full frame

Problem 2: Also, now, when I press my back button set to spot, I get the full frame instead.  I have to  change the AF Method setting setting from face detection back to spot, and then I get the spot focus back on my back button, but lose tracking and eye detection (which I realize comes with the spot choice) but on the full frame and zone back buttons. I am trying to get the spot function to work, but also tracking in full and zone.

On another note, I also read your blog post about customizing buttons.  (I have all of the tied up except the light and lock.) You mention turning off eye detection and I only partially understand why I would do that, except that I THINK it is helpful with a bird that is distant in the frame and may speed up focusing?  If so, I am looking for a way to set that on/off function up, but cant find a button to do it with!

I realize some of this is off the track of your original reply, but look forward to what you may be able to tell me to get in the right direction. You can probably tell that I am just enough knowledgeable about the R5 to be dangerous :).

Thanks for your help.

Lane

[LaneW]

@p4pictures 

Brian,

I am still struggling with the above problems.  You have gotten me so close that i am hoping that you are seeing the reply above and can help me cross the finish line to getting set up with tracking in full frame and zone and working spot.  Thanks for your patience!

[Waddizzle]

Try switching the shooting mode to Auto. Does the subject ID and tracking work now?

[LaneW]

Yes, it seems to

[Waddizzle]

If it seems to work, then you may have a settings problem.  Reset the camera to factory defaults, all settings including custom controls.   

Take another go with P4Pictures post.  His advice is usually spot on. 

[p4pictures]

Hi Lane, here's the complete setup.

First step... make sure that you select whole area AF and ensure that animals is the selected subject and eye detection is on. As my second screen shows, if you use ay of the other AF methods then eye detection is greyed out and cannot be selected.

Now to configure your custom buttons. Please note my screenshots are from EOS R6 but this is essentially the same as EOS R5.

First step is make sure you stop the shutter from activating AF. 

AF-ON - face + tracking & eye detection

This sequence configures the AF-ON/ button to give subject detection (Animals) over the whole of the frame. Note the third screen needs you to press INFO to get to it, and then you choose to override the current AF method when AF-ON is pressed. In this case it needs to be face + tracking.

* or asterisk button - zone AF

You've asked for the Zone AF to be activated when you press the * or asterisk button. So this set of screens does that. Since my camera had nothing I needed to select a zone to use, and I have chosen Large Zone horizontal. 

AF point button

This button cannot override the AF method set on the camera as there is no INFO detail set. So we need to do this in two steps. I'm changing my camera's direct AF method selection to metering and AF start.

Then you need to visit the AF menu and change the AF method to spot or 1-point AF as your choice. This is the setting that will be used when the AF point button is pressed as it doesn't override this setting like AF-ON and asterisk do.

That's it you have setup the triple BBF on the EOS R5 (Mk1)

So here's some example screens from my camera aimed at a photo on a laptop.

I pressed the AF-ON button. The camera is using whole are, and eye detection is working so the AF point is on the birds eye.

I pressed the * / asterisk button and this uses large zone horizontal. You can see that if the head is in the zone then the camera will detect the head, but not the eye.

However if the zone is not including the bird head, then the camera tries to find something to focus on, but cannot focus outside the zone.

Lastly using the AF point button, I have 1-point AF. If I miss the eye or the bird then it would focus on the sky.

For reference.

If an EOS R5 or EOS R6 (both Mk1) is set to face + tracking AF method, then it can do subject detection - head / body, and optionally eye detection.

If an EOS EOS R5 or EOS R6 (both Mk1) is set to one of the Zone AF areas, then it can do subject detection - head / body, but not eye detection

For al the other AF areas, there is no subject detection or eye detection possible.

[p4pictures]

I was asked if it was possible to make the AF point button override the current AF method, and I found a way to do so.

Instead of using the metering and AF function, I assign the register/recall shooting function to the AF point button. This is a very powerful function and can override many camera settings, I only need it to override the current focus method, and actually cause the camera to focus. Once the function is set, press the INFO button to access the list of items. At the end is the AF method and AF operation. Put a check mark in the column to the left of those two, and on the right set the AF method you need - I'm using spot AF here, and make sure AF operation is ON.