hogesinwa Loc: Dalyellup Western Australia

Hi. I have a query for the group. When I look through my viewfinder/eyepiece I see a circle. I also see 4 tiny squares and one larger square. The small squares are arranged N,S,E,W, with the larger square in the centre of the 4.
However, this arrangenent of squares sits to the left hand side of the circle, not in the centre of the circle where I would expect it to be. In fact, the large square sits exactly on the left hand edge of the circle.
This seems to me to be wrong but I do not know how to look it up in my manual because I do not know what terms to search for.
Can anyone enlighten me on either what the error is or else where to s4arch for an answer?
Thanks
Hoges

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

I don't know that camera, but I bet it may be the feature that allows you to move the focus points (probably with joystick/4-place selector button (N,S,E,W orientations). Look in your menu for the focus stuff, and try adjusting, or do a quick reset.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Two things are happening. The circle is because you have "spot metering" turned on. To make it go away use "Evaluative Metering"
The other thing is that the focusing position is off center and it can be adjusted with one of the dials, or with the joystick depending on how the focus points have been setup in the cameras menus. In other words, by choice, in the menus, you can set up which input device affects the position of the focus points, how many focus points etc. I have/had mine setup so that I can position the points with the joystick. So try giving your shutter a half press, this wakes up the camera, then pressing "in" on the joystick. This toggles between the center position of the focus points and the position it's already in. This only works if the joystick input has been configured to be the input for adjusting the position of the focus points. Otherwise you'll have to use one of the dials and try turning them.

Oh, and one other thing, you'll really need to sit down with the manual and camera and go over these settings and see which one makes the most sense for your style of shooting.

hogesinwa Loc: Dalyellup Western Australia

Thanks for that. I've gone through my Menu on the camera and can't find out how to change this - yet. I'm currently in the Douro Valley, back home next Wednesday where I can access a) my manual and b) my 7D how-to book. Thanks for the explanation.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

The circle in the center is the area that's measured when using the Spot Meter.

With one large "box" and four smaller ones surrounding it, you have the camera's AF system set to the Expansion Focus Pattern. It's one of five different autofocus patterns available on the 7D. The others are All Points/Auto, Zone Focus, Single Point/Manual and Spot Focus/High Precision Single Point. You an toggle through these modes using the AF button combined with the Function button (7DII has a dedicated "collar" to toggle through seven different patterns).

The reason those five boxes are off center is because you've somehow moved the AF point selection there. You can move it back to the center or around various places within the image area using the "joystick" on the back of the camera. Depending upon how your camera is set up, you may need to press another button first. I have mine set up to re-center the AF selection with a "click" of the joystick and to be able to directly move the selection just by tilting the joystick, without having to press another button first. This setup means it sometimes gets moved by accident, but a "click" of the joystick with my thumb immediately re-centers it.

This is all pretty basic stuff with the 7D's AF system. Did you just recently get the camera and are learning to use it? If so, I strongly recommend downloading the PDF manual (the printed one is highly abridged). Also look for a separate manual just for the AF system (not sure there's one for the 7D.... I know there is for 7DII). Some Youtube videos about the 7D's AF system might be helpful to you, too. There are also some good guide books available, check on Amazon.

The 7D's 19-point AF system is fairly customizable and high performance. (7DII's is even more so in various ways.)

I mostly use Single Point/Manual Selection with my Canon cameras. It's more work, but puts me fully in charge of where the camera and lens focus.

Expansion Point (like you've set up) allows you to select the "starting point" (the larger, center AF point), same as with Single Point, but allows the camera to switch to using those adjacent points if you don't keep the subject exactly under that center point. This can be handy when shooting moving subjects that change direction unexpectedly. You can move the set of points around the image area with the joystick.

Zone Focus looks similar with a group of AF points, but they are all displayed the same, larger size. This limits AF to using only the selected group of points, but leaves it to the camera to decide which of them it uses. I occasionally use Zone when shooting fast moving subjects that are against a very distant background that has little detail, that won't "distract" the AF system. For example, I might use this if photographing birds flying past against a blue sky or distant clouds. Obstructions between the photographer and the subject, that the subject might pass behind, also can "distract" the AF system (there's a setting in the menu to delay this). Zone Focus is sort of like having a gigantic AF point... or maybe a scaled down version of All Points. You can move the Zone group around using the joystick.

All Points/Auto simply enables all the camera's AF points and leaves it to the camera to choose which it will use. I never use this pattern. You cannot move anything around and all selection of AF points is left to the camera. It leaves way too much up to chance and I end up with too many missed focus shots.

Spot Focus/Precision Single Point is probably my second most used (after Single Point). This uses only one point, but it's reduced in size for greater precision. This is handy, for example, if shooting a bird that's sitting among a tangle of branches. You can use the joystick to select any of the camera's 19 AF points in this higher precision manner. One slight drawback is that it's not quite as quick as the regular size Single Point (focus speed and tracking ability are also influenced by the lens type, lens max aperture, ambient light conditions, subject contrast/detail and other factors).

Hope this helps!

hogesinwa Loc: Dalyellup Western Australia

Thanks for the detail. I'm in Portugal at the moment and I've managed to shift the squares somehow. I have the full manual on my desktop, and also have a very good 7D mkII guide book I bought. Both are in SW of Western Australia so I can't look at them until I get home end of next week.
I really shouldn't be fiddling with stuff I don't fully understand, until I understand it.

RRS Loc: Not sure

The "Joy Stick" is the button up from the "Set" button in the 11 o'clock position. If you push it straight in the focusing should re-center the focusing points. You are in the manual select AF point expansion. Push the small button in the upper most left back of the camera, it's the small button with a "q" on it. You should get the option screen up that allows you to make many selections. Use the joy stick button to select the first small square second row up and there you can change your focus points. I hope it all comes back now for you.

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Is your camera 7D or 7DII?

If yours is the original 7D, a guide book for the II might be a bit confusing. In particular, there were a number of changes to the AF system, between the original 7D and the II.

As pointed out in another response, on either camera there are several ways to access and change the AF pattern and point selection. The "Q" screen is one. The joystick and various buttons/collars are another.

Worst case, if you can't sort it out, you could do a reset (in the menu) that would take you back to the factory default settings. The only problems with doing so are that you'll lose any customization you've set up and you don't learn how to make and change the settings.

Some folks download the PDF manual from the Canon website (free) and keep a copy of it on their phone, to have available when traveling.

hogesinwa Loc: Dalyellup Western Australia

7D MkII. Should have put it on my phone, but didnt. While I was fiddling (stumbling) about, I managed to set the screen to a grid, which I like. I remembered that 40 years ago, I paid more than pocket money to have the screens on my Minolta X-700 and X-300 changed out. Now I can do it myself by accident!!

Bill_de Loc: US

Get owners manual here:

https://www.usa.canon.com/internet/portal/us/home/support/camera-user-manual

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Ron Dial Loc: Cuenca, Ecuador

I think what you are seeing is the built-in GPS system in the camera that records where you take each photo and puts it in the metadata of the image. Try looking up GPS system in your manual.

RRS Loc: Not sure

OK, 7D MKII, Q button right above and to the left of the set button and joy stick (button) above and slightly to the right. The joy button has a small spring loaded lever and you can activate different focusing configurations after pressing the AF point selection button. Push the joy stick button straight in and it should center your focusing points.