- In this report
- Overview
- Don't buy too big or too small
- Don't overspend on megapixels
- Weigh zoom range trade-offs
- Consider reliability
- Choose your time and place
- Brands
- Face detection
ELECTRONICS FORUMS  Get real-world advice from others about choosing a new TV, digital camera, computer or cell phone. |
November 2007
Face detection
Technology puts portraits in focus
LOCKING IN The number of faces a camera can detect varies by brand; some claim up to 15. Many models will also track faces as they move
within the frame.
More than the birthday cake, the vacation backdrop, even the family dog, the human face is the focal point for most photographs.
So a growing number of digital cameras, including about a dozen of our rated point-and-shoots, include a relatively new feature,
dubbed face detection, that tries to set the focus, exposure, and color balance so that faces appear sharp, well exposed,
and the proper color.
In some cameras, you must turn the feature on before you can use it. In others, it's enabled at the factory, but you can turn it off. All work pretty much the same way: Software analyzes the image, locates any faces in the frame, and places a little square icon around each in the LCD or electronic viewfinder. The largest face is usually selected as the focal point. Face detection is different from the portrait setting found on many point-and-shoots, which tries to make a face stand out from the background but doesn't optimize its sharpness, exposure, or color balance.
In our tests, the detection feature worked adequately on all the cameras. However, in scenes where lighting was uneven or distances varied between subjects, using face detection caused other subjects to appear less sharp, too dark, or too light--an unavoidable consequence.
If you take lots of pictures of people, face detection is a nice feature to have. Because it's not yet available on the majority of models, for now you might have to decide whether an otherwise-fine camera's price, performance, and other features outweigh its lack of face detection. The following cameras in the Ratings offer face detection: Fujifilm (FinePix F31fd, FinePix Z5fd, FinePix S6000fd); Nikon (Coolpix S10, Coolpix P5000, Coolpix S50c); Canon (PowerShot G7, PowerShot TX1, PowerShot SD800IS ELPH, PowerShot SD900 ELPH); Sony (Cyber-shot DSC-W80); and GE (G1). Other cameras with face detection include the 5-megapixel Nikon Coolpix L10, $120, with a 2-inch LCD; the 7-megapixel Pentax Optio T30, $300, with a 3-inch LCD; and the 8-megapixel Fujifilm Finepix F40fd, $250, with a 2.5-inch LCD.
In some cameras, you must turn the feature on before you can use it. In others, it's enabled at the factory, but you can turn it off. All work pretty much the same way: Software analyzes the image, locates any faces in the frame, and places a little square icon around each in the LCD or electronic viewfinder. The largest face is usually selected as the focal point. Face detection is different from the portrait setting found on many point-and-shoots, which tries to make a face stand out from the background but doesn't optimize its sharpness, exposure, or color balance.
In our tests, the detection feature worked adequately on all the cameras. However, in scenes where lighting was uneven or distances varied between subjects, using face detection caused other subjects to appear less sharp, too dark, or too light--an unavoidable consequence.
If you take lots of pictures of people, face detection is a nice feature to have. Because it's not yet available on the majority of models, for now you might have to decide whether an otherwise-fine camera's price, performance, and other features outweigh its lack of face detection. The following cameras in the Ratings offer face detection: Fujifilm (FinePix F31fd, FinePix Z5fd, FinePix S6000fd); Nikon (Coolpix S10, Coolpix P5000, Coolpix S50c); Canon (PowerShot G7, PowerShot TX1, PowerShot SD800IS ELPH, PowerShot SD900 ELPH); Sony (Cyber-shot DSC-W80); and GE (G1). Other cameras with face detection include the 5-megapixel Nikon Coolpix L10, $120, with a 2-inch LCD; the 7-megapixel Pentax Optio T30, $300, with a 3-inch LCD; and the 8-megapixel Fujifilm Finepix F40fd, $250, with a 2.5-inch LCD.
