New cameras save face

If there’s a champion buzzword at PMA07, it’s probably “face detection.” Point-and-shoots from most major manufacturers now include this feature (sometimes calling it “face recognition”), with the promise of better portraits and family shots. The basic premise is that, for many photos, the human face is the subject of primary interest and should be well-focused, well-lit, and color balanced even at the expense of other subjects in the shot. (Landscape-only photographers: You can safely skip the rest of this posting).

That makes sense, because so many photos are shots of friends and family. How often have you reviewed a photo after the opportunity to reshoot it has passed, only to find the faces were out of focus, underexposed (as in the photo above), or off-color? Probably too often.

If you’re well versed in photographic technique, you know how to avoid such flaws: Using a camera’s manual exposure mode (that’s what the little “M” on the dial stands for) and metering on a face, for example, can avoid underexposing it when there’s strong backlight. Focusing on a face that’s not initially in the center of the frame, then locking that focus while you recompose, can avoid shooting it out of focus. Some cameras even let you change the focus point to someplace off center, so you don’t have to lock and recompose.

But let’s face it: Most people have neither the time nor interest to master such techniques. If you’re one of those people, face detection can fix the faces in your shots for you.

To find out more about the technology, I met with representatives of Fotonation, a company that supplies face detection technology to camera makers such as Samsung and Pentax. Fotonation won an innovative product award at this year’s show for technology that can track up 9 face simultaneously on a mobile phone. As of the show, no mobile phone manufacturers had announced the addition of this technology to their products, but I would certainly expect some announcements soon.

Here’s an example of a camera with Fotnation’s technology recognizing multiple faces:

 

As the Fotonation people explained, there are two main ways a camera with face detection technology can work with faces in a photo.

Face detection is the ability to detect that one or more faces are present somewhere within the image. The presence of the face is often indicated by framing it on the LCD with a small square. That alone is valuable, even if the software doesn’t “know” exactly where the face is within the frame, because if there’s strong backlighting, the software can increase the overall exposure of the image with some assurance that the faces will be better exposed. Below is an example Fotonation provided showing how its face detection helps fix exposure for the underexposed shot shown earlier:

 

Face tracking is the ability to keep track of one or more faces, even if they move within the frame or turn. That’s important, because it can help the camera adjust focus and exposure to keep up with the changing composition. Just because someone turns partially away from the camera doesn’t mean they should be treated as if they disappeared. When you use a camera with face tracking, you’ll see the little squares framing each face move within the frame as the person moves. That’s your assurance that the camera is tracking those faces. If someone’s face isn’t framed, it’s a warning that you should try to make adjustments (have them move, change the lighting, etc.) so that the camera will recognize them.

Of course, face detection isn’t limited to real people. In Fotonation’s exhibit, they trained a camera on a group of Barbie-sized dolls to demonstrate the ability to track multiple faces. So, if your kids like to photograph their dolls or human action figures that have faces large enough to recognize, face recognition will help them, too.

With so many cameras including this technology, it has become more important to know which ones work most effectively. As we test new cameras in the coming months, we will be testing and reporting on their face-detection features.

— Jeff Fox, Technology Editor

Comments

[debra Sheffield]

Dear Expert,

Re: — Jeff Fox, Technology Editor
Posted at 10:49 AM in Digital Cameras, PMA 2007

I enjoyed your sound bite and I found your information about digital cameras very interesting at the trade fair. ie.
18X zoom, GPS, face detection and 4th generation anti-shake, MP3.

I am a fourth year fine arts student wanting to specialize in photography. As well, I have a trained background in commercial photography of sixteen years. I really want portability and convenience now - a sophisticated sleek compact design that has it all in like a point and shoot. I would like all of the above capabilities mentioned and 10 megapixels.

Would you be able to recommend some camera makes and models? Around $600 Canadian with the case and 2 gig card. I live in Victoria, BC. I am hoping to photograph a series of 12 enlargements for a gallery over the summer, so I am hoping these cameras are available on the market.

If not, could you recommend an excellent quality compact camera with 10 mgpxls and 10X zoom in that price bracket or something as close to it. I'm thinking, Nikon, Panosonic, etc. Thank you very much for your assistance.

Sincerely,
Debra Sheffield