Face recognition

I took photos at a party with indoor setting and face recognition. Shots of people across the room, say 6 or 8 feet away were out of focus. Was this a misuse of the face recognition focusing? I hate to admit it, but I just found the three exposure choices button hidden with the erase button, so hadn't ever used face recognition before.

I'm going to Peru--Machu Picchu, Sacred Valley etc.--next week. Is there anything special I should do to prepare? I've not used filters on the G7 so don't know if I should have them for this trip.


Thanks for any tips.

Hi Josieann

I think you most probably did stretch the face recognition system a little. Reason is the dark room. As is its a little slow on the G7 and if in the dark its even worse. Personally in such situations I will select one focus block on the G7 only and I will use that to focus. Then you know where to point your G7 and then you will get a clear signal for being locked on.

I hope you have a great trip. Any special tips....well no nothing, take two batteries if possible, enough memory or your laptop and go and enjoy. You could also consider a small desktop type tripod or a old fashioned bean bag. Practice your exposure skills and wind up the G7...its a awesome compact still in todays standards

Siegfried

Josie,
Face Recognition is a wonderful technology, but it is certainly still evolving. The improvement from just a few years ago (like the G7) to what more recent cameras can do as far as focusing speed is very impressive. Unfortunately, lighting and the way the person is facing have a huge impact on the results. And 6-8 feet is well within the range of what even the G7 should be able to successfully be able to recognize a face if the lighting was decent.
But as Siegfried suggested, you are probably better off picking a single AF point, focusing on a face, hold the shutter half way, recompose the shot and then shoot. The only time I use Face Recognition is when I am handing my camera to someone who does not know how the camera works.
Enjoy your trip,
Steve

Take advise from your doctor as this is at very high altitude, friends who went were very sick.
I have heard that it is best to stay a night at the hotel at the top as you get the dusk, dawn shot without millions of tourists around, these will be the best shots you can get of this place I was told this by a top travel photog.
If you don't stay the night you have a very short time there before you have to get the bus down.
Good luck and post the shots please.