Eye Detection (Eye AF) in the Nikon Z6 and Z7 Cameras
Darrell Young (DigitalDarrell)
Keywords: z6, z7, eye, af, focus, digitaldarrell, mirrorless
Beginning with firmware version C2.00, Nikon added eye detection to the Nikon Z6 and Z7 cameras. If you haven’t updated your camera’s firmware yet, you can download the needed update and instructions for installation at these Nikon web addresses: Nikon Z6 and Nikon Z7
Select the Firmware tab, download the latest firmware for your camera, and install it per the instructions on the download page.
Let’s examine when Eye AF is available to use, how to enable it, which AF mode it works in, and how to use it for accurate focus on the eyes and face of your subject. Remember, “the eyes make the portrait.”
Eye-AF is available only when using the Auto-area AF function and when the camera is in Photo mode; it will not work in Movie mode. When Eye-AF is enabled, the camera notifies you that it has detected a human eye by surrounding the eye with a yellow square (figure 1, red arrow).
Figure 1: Eye detection (Eye-AF)
The eye detection square can be manually moved to a different eye on your subject, or to an eye on a nearby subject, such as when you are photographing a group of people. This enables you to select the sharpest focus for a particular eye of the most important subject.
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7 comments
Art Alexion (artAlexion) on July 25, 2022
Thanks Darrell. Very helpful article. I have a Z7 and found that the AF was not as good as spot focus on my D800e. Not sure what I am doing wrong.
Darrell Young (DigitalDarrell) on October 28, 2019
Thanks for reading my article. I'm glad it was beneficial to you. I hope those of you who have my Mastering the Nikon Z6 or Z7 book will give it a good review on Amazon. Right now is a critical time for reviews and your review will affect the success of the book. Thank you in advance.
Kent Lewis (nkcllewis) on September 23, 2019
Darrell, Hi. Just thinking there are few things better than reading a well-written, thorough and easy to follow "how-to" guide; especially when it comes to technology. Thank you very much. Kent in VA
Dave Barnes (DBarnes) on September 21, 2019
This is a spectacular article, Darrell! Best one on Eye detection that I've read. Thank you so much for the information. You're making my shooting better moment by moment!
Jon Kirshner (jbk224) on September 20, 2019
Does Darrell share his suggested settings with a .bin file download when the book is purchased?
Dinesh Joshi (DRDCJOSHI) on September 17, 2019
I am happy that I have received Darrell Young's Mastering the Nikon Z7, rest I will go through step by step and raise query Regards
Marsha Edmunds (meadowlark2) on September 17, 2019
Thanks Darrell, My book has just been shipped. In the meantime I really enjoyed your information on this topic and will look forward to trying Eye AF out with family.