RED Control App Adds Face Detect Autofocus

jonpais

jonpais

Well-known member
It looks like Face Detect AF is on the horizon for the RED Komodo, probably with a firmware update in December. Meanwhile, it's available through the Red Control App.

The free version of the RED Control App now offers Face Detect AF and it works with the RED Komodo. The feature will not work without the app being connected. It is a stop-gap until it is fully working with the camera. When activated, a green box will appear on the face. The app does not drive the focus itself but it drives the box while the camera does the focusing. The accuracy of the focus will depend on the stability of the network connection, the lens and the lighting conditions. There are two options: one is to have the app track the first face it finds and stick to that one and the second option is to track the last face it finds - every time there is a new face, it will track that one. App Face Detect Autofocus is located on the Lens page of the RED Control App.

 
looks like there are kinks to work out but it shows promise. one thing I found when testing AF on the gh5 was that the camera could tell where a face was (ie the box stayed in tne right place) but it couldn't keep up with subject movement enough to keep the face in focus. i'd be interested to see more challenging tests. but I think it breathes new life into the usefulness of RED cameras if they can eventually achieve AF on par with canon/sony
 
ahalpert said:
looks like there are kinks to work out but it shows promise. one thing I found when testing AF on the gh5 was that the camera could tell where a face was (ie the box stayed in tne right place) but it couldn't keep up with subject movement enough to keep the face in focus. i'd be interested to see more challenging tests. but I think it breathes new life into the usefulness of RED cameras if they can eventually achieve AF on par with canon/sony
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Let me know what you’d like to see and maybe I can do another test. I’m thinking maybe walking toward the camera from a few meters away at f/1.8.
 
Not f/1.8, but wearing a face mask, f/4. I just recorded some actual footage and even though the face detect box is green, the Canon RF 35mm just can't keep up.

 
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Thanks Jon. I'd be curious, if you have time, to see documentary style footage of two people having a conversation. For example, let's say there are two people talking to each other at a kiosk, ignoring the camera. So, the person you're focused on occasionally turns away. Occasionally there are passersby who cross in front of the camera. The camera moves in on him, circles behind the other person he's talking to. I'd be curious to see what sort of behavior the camera focus exhibits. Does it defocus right away if the subject is obscured. Will it shift to the other person's face if the subject turns away for a moment. Etc
 
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