Eye AF struggles in bright sunlight

[VegasCameraGuy]

I did a photoshoot early Saturday morning and realized that eye autofocus has problems when people's eyes are not fully open. The light in Vegas is typically one of two types, too much and not enough. Early morning and late afternoon is the worst as the sun is on the horizon and often in the model's eyes, which causes squinting. If my R5 can't see enough of the eye, it refuses to lock on. It's not a major deal but I found it interesting that the camera couldn't see an eye if the model didn't have her eyelids mostly open. Logically, that's to be expected but it's something that I need to keep in mind when taking quick shots and don't have time to study the viewfinder before pressing the shutter button.

 

[YuengLinger]

I did a photoshoot early Saturday morning and realized that eye autofocus has problems when people's eyes are not fully open. The light in Vegas is typically one of two types, too much and not enough. Early morning and late afternoon is the worst as the sun is on the horizon and often in the model's eyes, which causes squinting. If my R5 can't see enough of the eye, it refuses to lock on. It's not a major deal but I found it interesting that the camera couldn't see an eye if the model didn't have her eyelids mostly open. Logically, that's to be expected but it's something that I need to keep in mind when taking quick shots and don't have time to study the viewfinder before pressing the shutter button.

Interesting. I thought that the shape and position of the eye within the shape of the face was more involved. So does the camera lose track completely of head movements while eyes are closed? Does the Eye AF snap back right away when the eyes are open again? I wonder if different makeup applications have an effect? Did you try with different lenses?

I'm also curious about how the EVF is in bright daylight. I was using the Hoodman Eyecup for my dSLRs for years. The R does not have any straightforward, aftermarket kind of eyecup that fits, so I often struggle in slanting morning and afternoon sunlight. In fact it can be a major PITA! (Or, more precisely, a major PITE(ye). )

 

[VegasCameraGuy]

Interesting. I thought that the shape and position of the eye within the shape of the face was more involved. So does the camera lose track completely of head movements while eyes are closed? Does the Eye AF snap back right away when the eyes are open again? I wonder if different makeup applications have an effect? Did you try with different lenses?

I'm also curious about how the EVF is in bright daylight. I was using the Hoodman Eyecup for my dSLRs for years. The R does not have any straightforward, aftermarket kind of eyecup that fits, so I often struggle in slanting morning and afternoon sunlight. In fact it can be a major PITA! (Or, more precisely, a major PITE(ye). )

I'm assuming that one of the things the camera looks for is a round shape and if you're squinting, it confuses the camera. One blogger tried making crude sketches of a duck's head and the camera locked onto the eye in the drawing. The camera will instantly react to an eye being exposed and if the model moves her head, it will jump to the other eye. If it can't find an eye, the camera will typically focus on the head. The big thing for me is understanding how the camera reacts in certain circumstances so I can anticipate its reaction.

I haven't had much of a chance to try the eye focus with my 100-500mm yet.

The EVF gets washed out by sunlight and I have the EVF brightness setting on my custom menu so I can jack it up easily. It is set normally at 3 and I move it to 4 for bright sunlight. I want to get an eye cup for mine as I think that will help. I don't wear glasses when shooting but it's still hard to block out the light that comes in from around your head.