Why, oh why, did it take me two or three years to realise this!

I have a mixed relationship with Face Detect. I am usually photographing groups of people (musicians on a stage) and I do usually want the focus to be on one of them. And Face Detect usually  does its job. With focus zone set to wide it usually detects the face I want, which figures prominently in the frame. Sometimes, though, it goes off on its own trip, and decides that it prefers the face just behind that person, or even someone on the edge of the frame. And then it is going to be a fight, perhaps for the whole concert. So I set a flexible spot. Takes a little longer to get it on my person's face. And Face Detect overrides it! WhyOhWhy can't they have made it work with focussing zones, not independently of them? It would then be so easy to say, "Hey, this guy!"

At long last, yesterday, I found my way out of this: turn it off.  Such a relief! And the best thing is that Face/Eye Detect is still there, at the touch of a button (a6500, not full-time).

Maybe this is one of the simplest lessons to learn. Sometimes they take the longest to realise.

 

 

I too first envied the realtime eye AF in the newest camera's, without having to hold the eye-AF button as it is in the a6500. Now I've come to love eye-AF on a button. I always have face detect set to Off, to avoid the situations you described. When you then press and hold the eye-AF button, it simultaneously engages face detect. This way face detect doesn't interfere when you don't want it to but it's right there when you need it.

Totally agree with your idea that eye/face detect should be affected by zone focussing, makes no sense that it doesn't.