Canon has finally released the new highly anticipated firmware for the EOS R/RP. The new update features improvements to face tracking and Eye AF that should bring the EOS R into league with the likes of Sony and Nikon.
[Related Reading: Canon EOS R & RP Firmware Update Coming Soon To Improve Autofocus]
Features:
- Enhances eye detection Auto Focus (AF) for improved face and eye recognition at greater distances.
- Improved Auto Focus (AF) performance helps the camera to focus on and track smaller subjects.
- Reduces lag time between the actual Auto Focus (AF) and the AF frame display for images in the viewfinder or on the LCD.
- Fixes a phenomenon in which the AF frame size cannot be changed in the Servo AF setting.
- Fixes PTP communication vulnerability.
I’ve installed the new firmware and the improvement so far is dramatic. The autofocus on the EOS R locks onto faces and finds the eye almost instantly. I can’t wait to test it out more thoroughly in some real world tests but my initial impression is that this is the best face recognition autofocus I’ve ever used and it dramatically improves the usability of the Canon EOS R.
Download the Canon EOS R Firmware Update Version 1.4
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Face/Eye AF is still slow in low light or when the person is small part of the frame.
PS: two weeks owner, so I hope its a users error.
Did the firmware also update the EVF ‘freeze’ issue in which the picture freezes between shots in the continuous AF mode?. I am not sure what this fix was -‘Reduces lag time between the actual Auto Focus (AF) and the AF frame display for images in the viewfinder or on the LCD’.
I was shooting at a distance of around 15 feet doing group photos against a backdrop at a wedding reception, shooting with the 24-70mm f/2.8L II around 50mm most of the time. I was shooting groups of 4 or more (bride + groom + guests who were usually couples and sometimes even more) shooting in portrait orientation and full-length shots of the people.
Very impressive that it still grabbed the eye with it being so small in the frame. I was taking three shots of each grouping (in case of closed eyes, derp face, etc.) and if I would release the AF button (I’m a back-button focus guy) and press it again for the next picture it might jump from the groom to the bride but occasionally (but way too often) to the groom’s hand, he had his hands crossed in front of him (typical “groin guard” pose). Because his hand was about the same depth as the faces I chose not to worry about it since I was shooting at f/8 anyway.
Heading out to another wedding today and I’ll see what I get this time!
I updated my firmware and shot a wedding today. The eye detect is noticeably better as is the touch/drag responsiveness.
Still not perfect, it jumps from one person to the next each time you focus, and quite often today it thought the groom’s hands were a face for some reason. Other than that I’m really happy with it so far, I have another wedding tomorrow and will see what happens.