What is the Eye controlled Focus feature in Canon SLR's?

[OverRunWithSons]

I think I want to get a Canon Rebel Ti but I see the more expensive Canons have this feature about "eye controlled Focus", what is this exactly? Thank you

[TPF Sponsor]

[tr0gd0o0r]

I'm not entirely positive on this one, but here is what I think it is. The camera has a sensor of some soft that detects which part of the focusing screen you are looking at. Whichever part of the screen you look at is the part that it autofocuses to. Did that make any sense?

[doxx]

exactly. But you need to 'train' your camera to your eyes.
Some photogs love the feature, some hate it...

[steve817]

exactly. But you need to 'train' your camera to your eyes.
Some photogs love the feature, some hate it...

I'm one of them that love it. But I wouldn't base my decision to buy a camera on that alone.

Steve

[marksw]

... with the EOS 5 (EOS A2 / EOS A2E) and has now appeared in the EOS 3. I am guessing that the eye control has improved in the 3, but to be honest I found it a waste of time. It worked, yes, but it only focuses in certain places which are usually not the places you want to focus on!

I have it turned off on my 5, focus using the centre sensor (which is the best focus sensor anyway) then recompose.

I agree with Steve: don't base your purchase decision on it!

Cheers,

Mark

[Osmer_Toby]

yup- there are a series of focal points spread in a cross hair- you calibrate your cam to your eye, so the cam always knows what part of frame your eye is focusing through and uses that fp.
i went from an eos V with this feature to the 10d, which does not, and i miss it not at all.

[havoc]

I bought an Elan 7e partially because this feature sounded so cool i had to have it. After i bought it, i calibrated it, said "hmm thats cool!" And i never have turned it on again. I never actually took a picture with it, its a cool gee whizz feature, but its not all that practical, and certainly not needed.