Facial tracking on GH2 at DVinfo.net

Jim Snow · February 28th, 2011, 02:01 PM

I'm interested in hearing about peoples experiences with facial tracking in video mode on the GH2/

@Jeff Harper - I believe you recently shot a wedding and used this. I would love to hear more about how you set up and used facial tracking.

Jeff Harper · February 28th, 2011, 03:16 PM

Jim, I was a mess Saturday night. For a photographic amateur, things went well, but there were problems.

Actually used an new friend's cameras cause mine died the night before, so he saved my butt.

Anyway, I LIKED the facial tracking feature, it is awesome. The monitor is much too small for me to stay in manual, I just can't always get a good read with the 20mm lens. So for guest interviews, I set in on Facial tracking and it was like magic, very nice.

I found that being a newbie with this camera at a wedding to be exhausting. I don't know what I'm doing with it, I know it will be much easier as I learn it, but you really have to watch things closely, or at least till I learn how to run it properly.

I am absolutely getting a monitor for one camera, it will make things MUCH easier.

Brian Luce · February 28th, 2011, 03:50 PM

The EVF is much easier to focus with than the LCD, especially on wide shots. Also a loop with magnification is also a great, low tech focus assist accessory. AF scares me for video. I've never been able to control it. It either hunts or focuses on stuff I don't want, and I just don't like giving up sovereignty to a micro chip. I'm a Jedi shooter I guess.

William Hohauser · February 28th, 2011, 07:43 PM

Facial tracking works great in the shoots I have used it. Yesterday was funny when the facial tracking locked onto a bust of Elvis as a secondary tracker but fortunately it didn't lose the lock on the real subject. I didn't think about statues.

It's not infallible of course. Eyeglasses can confuse it, especially sunglasses. Group shots are also a potential problem if the subjects are different distances from the camera. Dim lighting seems to cause focus errors as well.

Jim Snow · February 28th, 2011, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by William Hohauser

Facial tracking works great in the shoots I have used it.

Can you tell us how you set up facial tracking? I haven't played with that feature yet but I have read a number of different and often conflicting reports on this and haven't been able to sort the fly 'droppings' from the pepper.

Jeff Harper · March 1st, 2011, 01:38 AM

Focus mode to AFS, then set your metering mode on the top left dial. It's one of the metering modes, but I don't have camera with me to look, but it's last icon as you turn the metering mode dial towards you. You don't know notice you are in facial tracking mode unless a face is available for it to track. when a face is in your viewing area a box will appear in your LCD and the box will then follow/track that face. It's very cool.

If you have multiple faces, boxes will appear on all or most of the faces and adjust focus accordingly. I stumbled upon it myself, glad I did, it is handy.

Jim Snow · March 1st, 2011, 02:44 AM

What happens if you are in facial tracking mode and there is no face in the frame? When there are multiple faces can you change from one to another by touching it on the LCD display?

Jeff Harper · March 1st, 2011, 05:26 AM

If there are no faces, I think it just doesn't do anything, and you have to change metering modes to focus on whatever...but I'm not sure about that, because Saturday I would leave that mode after I didn't need it. I tended to use the area metering mode much of the time, which seemed to work with the 20mm pretty well.

I used manual when I could, but it was awfully hard being in manual with the 20mm lens. As to whether you could choose which face to focus on, I didn't try, so I don't know Jim.

Jonathan Plotkin · March 2nd, 2011, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Focus mode to AFS, then set your metering mode on the top left dial....If you have multiple faces, boxes will appear on all or most of the faces and adjust focus accordingly.

So If you're in AFS mode, then it will only focus when you push the shutter button halfway, right? And the point of the facial tracking is that it will focus on the face. Have you tried holding down the shutter halfway while the subject is moving? Also, when you have multiple faces, do you simply select the face you want to focus on with the touchscreen?

Jeff Harper · March 2nd, 2011, 10:31 AM

You must play with it. I don't have my camera here...so I'm at at disadvantage right now.

Yesterday I was with a friend and his gh2 and when in the face metering mode it automatically found faces, no pushing the shutter required.

James Campbell · March 2nd, 2011, 02:36 PM

"If you're in AFS mode, then it will only focus when you push the shutter button halfway, right? And the point of the facial tracking is that it will focus on the face. Have you tried holding down the shutter halfway while the subject is moving? Also, when you have multiple faces, do you simply select the face you want to focus on with the touchscreen?"

I just tried this out on my GH2 to make sure I'm correct in stating this: in AFS mode with facial tracking on, it focuses on the face (MOST of the time). If it doesn't, or there isn't a face to focus on, you can touch the LCD screen, and the GH2 will automatically focus on the area you touch. After that -- again, if there are no faces to focus on -- it will continuously autofocus on that area of the screen that you touched, unless you either retouch the screen or a face is available to focus on. I'm not sure what is done with multiple faces (I'm off for the day and only have one child home to focus on so far!).

Pressing the shutter button in AFS will cause the square you determined above (by touching the screen) to focus.

Edit: I second Jeff's anxiety above when using the GH2 for live events. I'm used to capturing events with several VH1's, which I have since sold. It's a HUGE adjustment with the GH2, although I will say that it's light years ahead of the T2i, which I had for about a month, and quickly sold once the GH2 came out (T2i had no autofocus and was limited to 12 minute clips, throwing me into total panic when the T2i shut down automatically).

February 28th, 2011, 02:01 PM	#1
Jim Snow Trustee Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 1,104	Facial tracking on GH2 I'm interested in hearing about peoples experiences with facial tracking in video mode on the GH2/ @Jeff Harper - I believe you recently shot a wedding and used this. I would love to hear more about how you set up and used facial tracking.

February 28th, 2011, 03:16 PM	#2
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: Facial tracking on GH2 Jim, I was a mess Saturday night. For a photographic amateur, things went well, but there were problems. Actually used an new friend's cameras cause mine died the night before, so he saved my butt. Anyway, I LIKED the facial tracking feature, it is awesome. The monitor is much too small for me to stay in manual, I just can't always get a good read with the 20mm lens. So for guest interviews, I set in on Facial tracking and it was like magic, very nice. I found that being a newbie with this camera at a wedding to be exhausting. I don't know what I'm doing with it, I know it will be much easier as I learn it, but you really have to watch things closely, or at least till I learn how to run it properly. I am absolutely getting a monitor for one camera, it will make things MUCH easier. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described." Last edited by Jeff Harper; March 1st, 2011 at 01:27 AM.

February 28th, 2011, 03:50 PM	#3
Brian Luce Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 2,290	Re: Facial tracking on GH2 The EVF is much easier to focus with than the LCD, especially on wide shots. Also a loop with magnification is also a great, low tech focus assist accessory. AF scares me for video. I've never been able to control it. It either hunts or focuses on stuff I don't want, and I just don't like giving up sovereignty to a micro chip. I'm a Jedi shooter I guess.

February 28th, 2011, 07:43 PM	#4
William Hohauser Inner Circle Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: New York City Posts: 2,650	Re: Facial tracking on GH2 Facial tracking works great in the shoots I have used it. Yesterday was funny when the facial tracking locked onto a bust of Elvis as a secondary tracker but fortunately it didn't lose the lock on the real subject. I didn't think about statues. It's not infallible of course. Eyeglasses can confuse it, especially sunglasses. Group shots are also a potential problem if the subjects are different distances from the camera. Dim lighting seems to cause focus errors as well. __________________ William Hohauser - New York City Producer/Edit/Camera/Animation

March 1st, 2011, 01:38 AM	#6
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: Facial tracking on GH2 Focus mode to AFS, then set your metering mode on the top left dial. It's one of the metering modes, but I don't have camera with me to look, but it's last icon as you turn the metering mode dial towards you. You don't know notice you are in facial tracking mode unless a face is available for it to track. when a face is in your viewing area a box will appear in your LCD and the box will then follow/track that face. It's very cool. If you have multiple faces, boxes will appear on all or most of the faces and adjust focus accordingly. I stumbled upon it myself, glad I did, it is handy. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

March 1st, 2011, 02:44 AM	#7
Jim Snow Trustee Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 1,104	Re: Facial tracking on GH2 What happens if you are in facial tracking mode and there is no face in the frame? When there are multiple faces can you change from one to another by touching it on the LCD display?

March 1st, 2011, 05:26 AM	#8
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: Facial tracking on GH2 If there are no faces, I think it just doesn't do anything, and you have to change metering modes to focus on whatever...but I'm not sure about that, because Saturday I would leave that mode after I didn't need it. I tended to use the area metering mode much of the time, which seemed to work with the 20mm pretty well. I used manual when I could, but it was awfully hard being in manual with the 20mm lens. As to whether you could choose which face to focus on, I didn't try, so I don't know Jim. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described." Last edited by Jeff Harper; March 1st, 2011 at 09:44 AM.

March 2nd, 2011, 10:31 AM	#10
Jeff Harper Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 8,425	Re: Facial tracking on GH2 You must play with it. I don't have my camera here...so I'm at at disadvantage right now. Yesterday I was with a friend and his gh2 and when in the face metering mode it automatically found faces, no pushing the shutter required. __________________ "The horror of what I saw on the timeline cannot be described."

March 2nd, 2011, 02:36 PM	#11
James Campbell Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Cheshire, CT Posts: 110	Re: Facial tracking on GH2 "If you're in AFS mode, then it will only focus when you push the shutter button halfway, right? And the point of the facial tracking is that it will focus on the face. Have you tried holding down the shutter halfway while the subject is moving? Also, when you have multiple faces, do you simply select the face you want to focus on with the touchscreen?" I just tried this out on my GH2 to make sure I'm correct in stating this: in AFS mode with facial tracking on, it focuses on the face (MOST of the time). If it doesn't, or there isn't a face to focus on, you can touch the LCD screen, and the GH2 will automatically focus on the area you touch. After that -- again, if there are no faces to focus on -- it will continuously autofocus on that area of the screen that you touched, unless you either retouch the screen or a face is available to focus on. I'm not sure what is done with multiple faces (I'm off for the day and only have one child home to focus on so far!). Pressing the shutter button in AFS will cause the square you determined above (by touching the screen) to focus. Edit: I second Jeff's anxiety above when using the GH2 for live events. I'm used to capturing events with several VH1's, which I have since sold. It's a HUGE adjustment with the GH2, although I will say that it's light years ahead of the T2i, which I had for about a month, and quickly sold once the GH2 came out (T2i had no autofocus and was limited to 12 minute clips, throwing me into total panic when the T2i shut down automatically). Last edited by James Campbell; March 2nd, 2011 at 03:34 PM.