Canon · EOS R5 · Free lesson
Autofocus, set up right
How do you set up the R5's autofocus so it holds your subject?
THE ANSWER, UP FRONT
Servo AF for anything that moves, Face+Tracking as the method that follows it, the subject named exactly — People, Animals or Vehicles; there is no Auto — and Eye detection on, with the eye itself chosen live by tap or the multi-controller.
AF operation: Servo AF · AF method: Face+Tracking · Subject to detect: People / Animals / Vehicles · Eye detection: Enable · Servo AF Cases: AF tab — Case 1 default, Case 2 when obstacles cross
One-Shot locks, Servo follows
One-Shot AF focuses once and locks — right for still subjects. Servo AF keeps focusing while you hold the button halfway, and fires even if focus is not perfect — right for everything alive. AI Focus is not an option in this menu: the specifications list it only as the behaviour set automatically in A+ mode. Your menu holds two operations; choosing between them is your job.
Eight methods, three you will live in
Face+Tracking is the tracking method: a frame appears over any detected face and follows it across the frame. Zone AF and Large Zone AF (vertical and horizontal) focus inside a region you place. Spot AF and 1-point AF are the precision tools; the two Expand AF area methods lend a point some neighbours. Live in Face+Tracking and Zone; visit Spot when the subject is small and the background is busy.
Name the quarry — there is no Auto
Subject to detect: People (faces, heads, torsos), Animals (dogs, cats and birds), Vehicles (motorsports vehicles, with spot detection for key details), or None. There is no Auto setting on this body — you choose, and the camera prioritises in your order. It takes effect in Face+Tracking, Zone AF and both Large Zone methods.
Eye detection: on — the eye is chosen live
Eye detection is Enable or Disable — there is no Right eye / Left eye menu item. With it on, Face+Tracking puts the point on the subject’s eye; you choose which eye live, by tapping the screen or steering with the multi-controller. If your chosen eye is not detected, the camera selects one itself.
Cases: how stubborn should it be?
The Servo AF Cases (AF tab, Case 1 to Case A) tune Tracking sensitivity and Accel./decel. tracking. Case 1 (0/0) is the versatile default. Case 2 (Locked on −1/0) holds your subject through obstacles. Case 3 (+1/+1) jumps to subjects that suddenly appear; Case 4 (0/+1) follows speed changes; Case A sets both parameters automatically. Parameters can be adjusted per case.