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    Patent: Eye-controlled autofocus for mirrorless cameras

    By Updated:98 Comments1 Min Read Canon Patents
    patenteyeaf 728x462 - Patent: Eye-controlled autofocus for mirrorless cameras

    Is Canon preparing to return a feature from the days of the EOS-3? The feature being eye-controlled autofocus.

    A patent uncovered by Canon News shows us that Canon is working on the technology for eye-controlled autofocus for mirrorless cameras. Eye-controlled autofocus uses your eye to select the autofocus point, so no joystick or touchscreen interaction is required to move the autofocus point around.

    Canon News explains Japan Patent Application 2019-129461:

    We have a mirrorless camera (Canon specifically states this by including item 10, which is a display element for the viewfinder).  The important pieces are 13a-13f which are light sources for illuminating the line of sight of the photographer's pupil. The half mirror is in place so that 16 and 17 which is the image sensor that is used to monitor where the eye position based upon the pupil location. Read more analysis of this patent

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    98 comments

    1. Would be pretty neat but getting it to work with single point AF might be a stretch given how many focus points mirrorless cameras tend to have. Zone AF with eye control though would be nice. Either way, about time this technology was updated and returned to active duty, especially considering how we now have a gazillion focus points, rendering joysticks a less than optimal alternative.
    4. Would be pretty neat but getting it to work with single point AF might be a stretch given how many focus points mirrorless cameras tend to have. Zone AF with eye control though would be nice. Either way, about time this technology was updated and returned to active duty, especially considering how we now have a gazillion focus points, rendering joysticks a less than optimal alternative.
      Amount of af points isn't the issue (we won't be going back to 3 or so anyway), it's that you need to be able to compute accurately where the person is looking at. If you can manage that then the more af points the better.
    6. Wouldn't Eye controlled focus make framing a bit more difficult, or at least make the focus wander all around the frame while you check the framing? I never used it on the film camera's, so I don't know.
    7. Wouldn't Eye controlled focus make framing a bit more difficult, or at least make the focus wander all around the frame while you check the framing? I never used it on the film camera's, so I don't know.

      I'm curious about that as well.
    8. Wouldn't Eye controlled focus make framing a bit more difficult, or at least make the focus wander all around the frame while you check the framing? I never used it on the film camera's, so I don't know.
      Sure we'd get some "AI" to go with it to decide when you want to refocus.

      Realistically back button focus probably is the real way to go
    10. I had eye control on the A2E back in the 90’s. It was amazing!! Absolutely perfect for framing. The focus was activated the same as today...when you half-press the shutter release. So you frame your shot, look at your focus point, half-depress, the target focus point lights up, and you shoot.

      It was made for creative framing.

      Jim in Boulder
    11. Would be pretty neat but getting it to work with single point AF might be a stretch given how many focus points mirrorless cameras tend to have. Zone AF with eye control though would be nice. Either way, about time this technology was updated and returned to active duty, especially considering how we now have a gazillion focus points, rendering joysticks a less than optimal alternative.

      I think it will only be available on L+Tracking mode, so you can pick which face to focus on in groups.
    13. I had a couple of EOS 50e's and the eye -focus was great. I don't understand why Canon stopped it. With a DLSR or mirrorless it would need a button to activate it to prevent unwanted activity whilst scanning the frame.
    14. As I had never an oportunity to experience this technology, I wonder, how convenient it might be? What if I look elsewhere for a moment, because of framing, etc.? Would be nice, if it could be accompanied with the button press for e.g.
    17. I’m sure it wouldn’t work for all situations, in which case you’d just switch to a normal focus system. I’ve never actually heard a bad thing said about the old eye-focusing system!

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