Yes, incredible as it sound, this fantastic technology does work. The Face detection technology, available from great manufacturers such as Canon, Pentax, FujiFilm and Sony, uses special and highly technical algorithms to judge the picture while you aim the camera. What is it looking for? I hear you ask, well it is looking for the shapes of human faces. When the digital camera locks onto a face, the camera automatically adjusts both the focus and the exposure to ensure you are provided with the best photo possible from the camera.
You will also be pleased to know that advancements are always being made with this technology, with some manufacturers actually managing to enhance their cameras to scan for a noses ears and chins to give a more comprehensive picture, this can normally work for parties upto 10. In normal circumstances, a scanned face has to cover around 10 percent of the height of the viewfinder LCD, remember that this requirement is important because this stops the camera from trying to focus on potential faces in the background.
The face identification process takes around four one-hundredths of a second, however remember that some manufacturers are better then others. Also note that you can turn off the face detection technology within most of the top of the range digital cameras when you are taking pictures without human subjects, although it is doubtful many people will turn off this feature because in a new report, it has been stated that at least 70% of all pictures taken have a human subject.
Face recognition can also be used for more than just the autofocus. Some cameras capture the location of the identified faces within each photo taken. This lets you zoom in and examine pictures after taking the shot, this is useful if for instance you want to check if everyone in the photo had their eyes open during the shot.
You will also not be surprised to hear, that continuous vast amounts of money is being invested in this type of technology, and in particular into developing these algorithms. The next stage of this technology involves a digital camera remembering a subject and tagging the person appropriately, next time the subject is seen, the camera will automatically tag the subject and adjust setting accordingly.
As for the question about animal faces, unfortunately current technology only focuses on human faces, however because of the love owners have of their pets, we will expect this to be a new addition into future digital camera.
As mentioned there are many high profile manufacturers who include this technology within their digital cameras, so if you are considering making a new purchase, ensure you do your homework and conduct a full comparison of the cameras. Once you have made your choice, enjoy!
Adam Westrop has a passion for delivering key information and showing the best prices on the Canon elph digital camera range
