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Click to EnlargeAbout Face!
Many video cameras now seem to include face detection capabilities. But what exactly is face detection? Our primer explains how it works and how it might stump you, too.
The story of face recognition technology begins back in 2005, when Nikon released the Coolpix 5900, a mid-range point-and-shoot still camera with what it called a Face Priority mode. The camera would use built-in algorithms to examine a scene and identify human faces. It would then adjust contrast, color balance and exposure to "properly" expose the faces. Other still camera manufacturers followed suit, and today even high-end DSLRs (digital single-lens reflex cameras) ship with the feature. Something this exciting wasn't about to remain solely in the still photography world. By 2008 Sony, Panasonic and Sanyo had all incorporated face-detection features into their current batch of video cameras. But what is face detection? A gimmick or a useful tool? Let's take a…
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