Eyeball-controlled ficus

[Epicuros]

When film camera EOS 5 was launched it impressed everyone with its unique feature of eyeball-controlled focusing. I wonder why Canon did not equip any of its digital cameras with this so successful feature! Is it, possibly, incompatible with digital technology?
Vasilis

[El Sid]

Re: Eyeball-controlled ficus

Must say I have never seen an explanation of why it never made the leap to digital either. While not essential I did find that it worked quite well on my EOS 30v. Perhaps not so good on the 5 - in part because it didn't work in portrait format...

[taxboy]

Re: Eyeball-controlled ficus

I had it on my old 30 film camera. Had a play with it but then turned it off as my eye tends to flick around the frame and the focus kept shifting. Perhaps I was not alone ? May still make it back as manufacturers try to out gadget each other ?

[ColytonJohn]

Re: Eyeball-controlled ficus

I had (still have!) an EOS 5 but can't ever recall making use of the feature. Perhaps it just wasn't very good and this is the reason it didn't make it into the digital age. I keep meaning to get a battery for both it and my EOS 650 and put some film though them again for old times' sake - I even still have a small stock of film in the fridge! Something I've just remembered about the EOS 5 is that the rubberised grip got very sticky on old models.

Cheers,
John

[jk224]

Re: Eyeball-controlled ficus

Something I've just remembered about the EOS 5 is that the rubberised grip got very sticky on old models.

Cheers,
John

Has happened to my EOS 100 too. Must be made out of the same plastic.

[El Sid]

Re: Eyeball-controlled ficus

Has happened to my EOS 100 too. Must be made out of the same plastic.

And my 30...

Must check out the other old relics and see if the same has happened to them.

[Iron Man]

Re: Eyeball-controlled ficus

I had it on my old 30 film camera. Had a play with it but then turned it off as my eye tends to flick around the frame and the focus kept shifting. Perhaps I was not alone ?

Exactly the same reason

[TonyT]

Re: Eyeball-controlled ficus

When they were planning the moontrips etc NASA designed a system where due to the high G forces on take off, the crew could operate switches by simply looking at them, the problem they encountered is as your eyes naturally wander around he capsule, they were switching everything off and on, so they binned it, perhaps they suffered a similar problem, Eye E ( geddit) your focussing point might not be what you think it is due to distraction through the viewfinder

[scotsdave]

Re: Eyeball-controlled ficus

The 50E also had it and it worked in both landscape and portrait formats. There was also a small thing like a focus point up in the top left of the viewfinder which if you looked at worked as a depth of field preview. I had 3X 50Es at one time (after drowning one in a river and getting a replacement through my insurance). Having to calibrate the camera for landscape and portrait with and without glasses when I didn't need to wear them all the time was a pain in the proverbial. I decided that it was just a bit of a gimmick and that someone in Canon did it only to show what a clever-clogs he was!

I still have the "drowned" 50E and the eye-control autofocus still works.

scotsdave

[dazzlingdave1948]

Re: Eyeball-controlled ficus

ISomething I've just remembered about the EOS 5 is that the rubberised grip got very sticky on old models.

Cheers,
John

Just remove the grip and wash it with warm water and washing up liquid, worked on both my 5s and the 100. Main problem with the 5 was the control dial. One of mine is a bit iffy. Never really liked the camera but still use them when I don't want the bulk of the 1v-HS