FOCUSING Animal AF NINA BAILEY
Animal AF The EOS R5 and R6 models feature Canon’s latest advance in autofocus technology. These cameras can detect and focus on the head of an animal, tracking it around the fame as it moves. The result is nothing short of a revolution for wildlife photographers. Canon’s latest autofocus (AF) innovation was introduced with the EOS R5 and R6 models in 2020. It is commonly referred to as Animal AF, although it is actually a setting in the Subject to detect options, which are located in the camera’s AF menu. This most sophisticated of AF systems has proved to be very effective and reliable, and is likely to be rolled out on new cameras. Although the ability to recognise the faces of animals is recent, the ability to recognise people – Face detection – was introduced on the EOS 5D Mark II and 50D in 2008. Initially, Face detection was only available via the Live View system on DSLR cameras and activated by setting a focusing method called Face detection+tracking. Four years later, with the EOS-1D X, Face detection was introduced to focusing through the viewfinder via the iTR AF (intelligent tracking and Program mode. 1/200 recognition autofocus) system, where it works second at with the larger Auto select, Zone f8, ISO 400.and Large Zone AF areas.
Evolution of Animal AF The programming behind Face detection is relatively simple. It looks for distinct positioning of the eyes, nose and mouth, which for humans tends to be fairly standard regardless of age or ethnicity. When identifying animals, however, the relationship between the eyes, nose and mouth varies enormously – much more so than with humans – and even within a single species there can be a huge variation. Animal AF has been designed to work for dogs, cats and birds, and it is this variation between subjects that makes the performance of Animal AF system so impressive. In our tests, Animal AF worked flawlessly – not onlyShutter-priority when focusing on dogs, cats and 1/1600 birds, but mode. also on a wide variety of other second at f2.8, animals, including rhinoceroses, hippopotami ISO 400. and monkeys.
16 | EOS EOSmagazine magazine October-December 2021 preview 40 October-December 2021
An early test shot taken at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey to see how well the EOS R6 tracked a moving subject. It had no problems locking onto and tracking this fox. EOS R6, RF 100-500mm f4.5-7.1L IS USM lens at 300mm, 1/1000 second at f8, ISO 4000.
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