Auto Focus
Mar 13, 2022 12:14:44 #
dbrugger25
Loc: Raleigh, NC
Most of my issues with Canon cameras have been solved with a full reset, firmware updates and contact cleaning. I have screwed-up cameras just by fussing too much with the menu settings. There must be many thousands of menu setting combinations and I can't seem to keep myself from fussing with them just to see what they do.
The only way to straighten things out is to reset the camera to factory defaults. Then, I begin the process of screwing everything up again. This is an endless process and, due to my old age, I can't seem to learn when to leave well-enough alone.
Back when cameras were simple, I did manage to capture a good photo now and then.
The worst case screw-up is when I allow one of my grandchildren to use the cameras. They take some great photos because they see the World in their own, wonderful, unique way but that can't resist playing with the setup once they discover the menu. I guess they inherited their impulsiveness from me.
The only way to straighten things out is to reset the camera to factory defaults. Then, I begin the process of screwing everything up again. This is an endless process and, due to my old age, I can't seem to learn when to leave well-enough alone.
Back when cameras were simple, I did manage to capture a good photo now and then.
The worst case screw-up is when I allow one of my grandchildren to use the cameras. They take some great photos because they see the World in their own, wonderful, unique way but that can't resist playing with the setup once they discover the menu. I guess they inherited their impulsiveness from me.
Mar 13, 2022 14:40:07 #
conejas
Loc: Miami Florida
I remove the lens and the battery, but when I remove the sliver cover where the date is it have no battery. I shut down for about 1 to 2 minutes. Now is working I try all four lens and they focus. I had done this yesterday, but it did not work. Maybe I didn't wait long enough. Should I buy a battery for the date?
THANK you so much you are best. Connie
THANK you so much you are best. Connie
Mar 13, 2022 14:50:26 #
conejas
Loc: Miami Florida
I remove the lens and the battery, but when I remove the sliver cover where the date is it have no battery. I shut down for about 1 to 2 minutes. Now is working I try all four lens and they focus. I had done this yesterday, but it did not work. Maybe I didn't wait long enough. Should I buy a battery for the date?
THANK you so much you are best. Connie
THANK you so much you are best. Connie
Mar 13, 2022 15:02:51 #
amfoto1
Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA
If the 7D's AF system has failed, it may not be possible to have it fixed. That's a 13 year old camera, so there may not be any replacement parts available.
It also may not be cost-effective to repair. I noted another response above states it cost $600 for a similar repair on their camera, which is more than a 7D is worth now. You can find good to very good copies of the camera for between $250 and $400. Of course, just because it cost that much to repair another camera doesn't mean it will cost the same this time... or even if repair is actually needed.
The first thing to do is determine if there actually is a problem. Ideally, test the camera by using someone else's lens that is known to work properly on another camera. Also test your lenses on their camera (very unlikely that more than one lens would have a problem, but still should be checked).
What focusing mode have you got set? One Shot, AI Servo or AI Focus?
One Shot is for stationary subjects. It focuses, then locks focus. You'll get a green LED focus confirmation in the viewfinder, and if you have it enabled an audible "beep".
Ai Servo is for moving subjects. It focus and then continues focusing as long as you press the AF On button or half-press the shutter release button (unless you have BBF set, see below). There is no focus confirmation, since focus never stops and locks in this mode.
Ai Focus is not really a focus mode at all. It is automation where the camera is supposed to detect whether or not the subject is moving, then switch to use the correct mode: One Shot or Ai Servo. I experimented with this mode many years ago on older Canon models and found it caused a delay. I've never used it since. (I mostly just use AI Servo, along with BBF which makes it usable full time, even with stationary subjects.) In fact, Canon's most advanced 1-series cameras don't even have that AI Focus mode... they only have two: One Shot and AI Servo (I think these are called something different on some of the most recent model mirrorless R-series).
Warning: NEVER use a household cotton bud (Q-tip) anywhere inside a camera! Those shed tiny cotton fibers that can find their way into mechanisms like the shutter and jam it, leading to expensive repairs. Paper towels and tissues might be used instead, but are still a little risky. Best is lint free cloth or optical swabs that don't shed.
If the camera seems at fault, the reset may be a good idea but you will lose other settings you've made. Someone asked, and they are correct to do so, whether you might have "back button focusing" set up? If so, that's a custom button setup where the focus function is removed from the shutter release button. BBF is actually halfway set up by default... initially at both the shutter release half press and the AF On button on the rear of the camera. So to fully implement it means removing it from the shutter release button half press. (It also is possible to swap the function of the AF On and */AE Lock buttons.) BBF is set up in Custom Function IV, 1 (the fourth page under the yellow "wrench" tab).
While you are in the menu, also check a couple other things. In the Custom Function III, 6 you can enable or disable various of the 7D's AF patterns. It has five choices: All Points/Auto, Single Point/Manual, Zone, Expansion Points and High Precision Single Point/Manual. There needs to be a check mark next to each of those you want to be able to use. (I enabled and used them all when I shot with 7D and still do use all in my 7DII's, which has even more AF patterns). I don't know if it's even possible to deselect all five of those..... but if it is, the camera would have no means of auto focusing! (Even then it might still AF in full Auto "green box" mode, which overrides almost everything and turns it into a "point n shoot" camera. For that reason you also might try setting the mode dial on the left shoulder of the green box to see if it will auto focus. If it does, that suggests you've got something set incorrectly.)
Another thing to check in the menu is Custom Function III, 4. By default this should be set "enabled" so that AF continues to try even when focusing is very difficult, such as in low light conditions. In other words, the AF would "hunt". Setting this to "disabled" will cause the camera to quit trying sometimes when lighting is poor.
If changing settings doesn't get AF working again for you, then perhaps....
Yes, cleaning the gold contacts on the back of the lens might help. Usually it's some oils (perhaps finger oils from handling the lens) that interrupts the low voltages used for the camera and lens to communicate. The best way to clean the contacts on the lens is with a small, clean, lint free rag lightly dampened with a little rubbing alcohol. Be careful to keep off the optical elements and away from painted on lettering on the lens.
In addition, remove the lens and closely inspect the little gold pins just inside the camera's bayonet mount. Those are spring loaded to insure they make good connection with the corresponding gold plated contacts on the rear of the lens. Look to see if all those pins are fully extended when the lens is off... if about the same amount of all eight or nine pins are visible. If any of them got stuck and aren't protruding properly, that might prevent good connection with the lens and failure of focus, IS or aperture control.
BTW: With the lens on the camera you also might set a middle aperture such as f/8 or f/11 and then use the camera's depth of field preview button while watching through the viewfinder or the front of the lens to see if the aperture appears to stop down. Also, if yours is an IS lens, listen for the slight noises of image stabilization working when you half-press the shutter release or press the AF On button. If these other lens functions work it suggest the camera and lens are communicating at least partially, that the problem is in the auto focus system alone. But if they both also don't work that suggests there is something else going on, such as a short in the grounding circuit between the camera and lens.
You say that AF appears to fail with multiple lenses, so this is unlikely to help. Sometimes a little oxidization gets into the AF on/off switch on the lens. This usually happens when the switch isn't ever used and can cause a loss of communication. The off/on switch is self-cleaning. Simply operating it five or ten times will usually clear any oxidization and reestablish communication (same with other switches such as IS controls, focus limiters, etc.) It would be odd for this to happen to multiple lenses at the same time, which is why I think it unlikely. But, hey, it's free and easy to check yourself.
There are only a couple other things that you can try yourself, though frankly they aren't likely to solve this problem:
Update or replace the camera's firmware. The latest version can be downloaded for free from the Canon website. If you have never done it, there are instructions there how to do an update (or replace possibly corrupted firmware if you already have the latest update). Incidentally, the 7D got a major firmware update mid-production. An unusual thing for Canon, the 1.x.x versions were superseded by 2.x.x versions that significantly improved the camera's performance. Most notable it made the continuous drive mode more reliable (orig. it would slow down a lot), and it greatly increased the number of shots that could be buffered before the camera needed to pause. If your camera has a 1.x.x version installed, definitely do an update! It made my 7D's considerably better performers.
Have you ever replaced the time/date battery? This probably has nothing to do with the AF system, but who the heck knows! Beside the main, rechargeable battery (LP-E6) is a little drawer that contains a small, silver "watch" battery... a CR1616 lithium. These are not rechargeable and typically last 5 or more years. If it's never been changed in your camera, probably is overdue and might lead to lost settings whenever you turn the camera off. Buy a new CR1616 and put it in there. They aren't very expensive. (Note: I think the 7D was one of the last Canon to use a replaceable date/time battery like this. Later models have a built-in, "permanent" rechargeable battery. If that ever goes bad, it will be a pretty big deal to get it replaced. I kinda like the "old way" battery, though it meant occasionally buying a replacement battery.)
How old are your main, rechargeable batteries (LP-E6)? Have you checked their status in the camera lately? So long as they are Canon OEM batteries that have been registered in the camera, it can tell you something about the battery condition. This also may not help with AF problems, but who knows?
It also may not be cost-effective to repair. I noted another response above states it cost $600 for a similar repair on their camera, which is more than a 7D is worth now. You can find good to very good copies of the camera for between $250 and $400. Of course, just because it cost that much to repair another camera doesn't mean it will cost the same this time... or even if repair is actually needed.
The first thing to do is determine if there actually is a problem. Ideally, test the camera by using someone else's lens that is known to work properly on another camera. Also test your lenses on their camera (very unlikely that more than one lens would have a problem, but still should be checked).
What focusing mode have you got set? One Shot, AI Servo or AI Focus?
One Shot is for stationary subjects. It focuses, then locks focus. You'll get a green LED focus confirmation in the viewfinder, and if you have it enabled an audible "beep".
Ai Servo is for moving subjects. It focus and then continues focusing as long as you press the AF On button or half-press the shutter release button (unless you have BBF set, see below). There is no focus confirmation, since focus never stops and locks in this mode.
Ai Focus is not really a focus mode at all. It is automation where the camera is supposed to detect whether or not the subject is moving, then switch to use the correct mode: One Shot or Ai Servo. I experimented with this mode many years ago on older Canon models and found it caused a delay. I've never used it since. (I mostly just use AI Servo, along with BBF which makes it usable full time, even with stationary subjects.) In fact, Canon's most advanced 1-series cameras don't even have that AI Focus mode... they only have two: One Shot and AI Servo (I think these are called something different on some of the most recent model mirrorless R-series).
Warning: NEVER use a household cotton bud (Q-tip) anywhere inside a camera! Those shed tiny cotton fibers that can find their way into mechanisms like the shutter and jam it, leading to expensive repairs. Paper towels and tissues might be used instead, but are still a little risky. Best is lint free cloth or optical swabs that don't shed.
If the camera seems at fault, the reset may be a good idea but you will lose other settings you've made. Someone asked, and they are correct to do so, whether you might have "back button focusing" set up? If so, that's a custom button setup where the focus function is removed from the shutter release button. BBF is actually halfway set up by default... initially at both the shutter release half press and the AF On button on the rear of the camera. So to fully implement it means removing it from the shutter release button half press. (It also is possible to swap the function of the AF On and */AE Lock buttons.) BBF is set up in Custom Function IV, 1 (the fourth page under the yellow "wrench" tab).
While you are in the menu, also check a couple other things. In the Custom Function III, 6 you can enable or disable various of the 7D's AF patterns. It has five choices: All Points/Auto, Single Point/Manual, Zone, Expansion Points and High Precision Single Point/Manual. There needs to be a check mark next to each of those you want to be able to use. (I enabled and used them all when I shot with 7D and still do use all in my 7DII's, which has even more AF patterns). I don't know if it's even possible to deselect all five of those..... but if it is, the camera would have no means of auto focusing! (Even then it might still AF in full Auto "green box" mode, which overrides almost everything and turns it into a "point n shoot" camera. For that reason you also might try setting the mode dial on the left shoulder of the green box to see if it will auto focus. If it does, that suggests you've got something set incorrectly.)
Another thing to check in the menu is Custom Function III, 4. By default this should be set "enabled" so that AF continues to try even when focusing is very difficult, such as in low light conditions. In other words, the AF would "hunt". Setting this to "disabled" will cause the camera to quit trying sometimes when lighting is poor.
If changing settings doesn't get AF working again for you, then perhaps....
Yes, cleaning the gold contacts on the back of the lens might help. Usually it's some oils (perhaps finger oils from handling the lens) that interrupts the low voltages used for the camera and lens to communicate. The best way to clean the contacts on the lens is with a small, clean, lint free rag lightly dampened with a little rubbing alcohol. Be careful to keep off the optical elements and away from painted on lettering on the lens.
In addition, remove the lens and closely inspect the little gold pins just inside the camera's bayonet mount. Those are spring loaded to insure they make good connection with the corresponding gold plated contacts on the rear of the lens. Look to see if all those pins are fully extended when the lens is off... if about the same amount of all eight or nine pins are visible. If any of them got stuck and aren't protruding properly, that might prevent good connection with the lens and failure of focus, IS or aperture control.
BTW: With the lens on the camera you also might set a middle aperture such as f/8 or f/11 and then use the camera's depth of field preview button while watching through the viewfinder or the front of the lens to see if the aperture appears to stop down. Also, if yours is an IS lens, listen for the slight noises of image stabilization working when you half-press the shutter release or press the AF On button. If these other lens functions work it suggest the camera and lens are communicating at least partially, that the problem is in the auto focus system alone. But if they both also don't work that suggests there is something else going on, such as a short in the grounding circuit between the camera and lens.
You say that AF appears to fail with multiple lenses, so this is unlikely to help. Sometimes a little oxidization gets into the AF on/off switch on the lens. This usually happens when the switch isn't ever used and can cause a loss of communication. The off/on switch is self-cleaning. Simply operating it five or ten times will usually clear any oxidization and reestablish communication (same with other switches such as IS controls, focus limiters, etc.) It would be odd for this to happen to multiple lenses at the same time, which is why I think it unlikely. But, hey, it's free and easy to check yourself.
There are only a couple other things that you can try yourself, though frankly they aren't likely to solve this problem:
Update or replace the camera's firmware. The latest version can be downloaded for free from the Canon website. If you have never done it, there are instructions there how to do an update (or replace possibly corrupted firmware if you already have the latest update). Incidentally, the 7D got a major firmware update mid-production. An unusual thing for Canon, the 1.x.x versions were superseded by 2.x.x versions that significantly improved the camera's performance. Most notable it made the continuous drive mode more reliable (orig. it would slow down a lot), and it greatly increased the number of shots that could be buffered before the camera needed to pause. If your camera has a 1.x.x version installed, definitely do an update! It made my 7D's considerably better performers.
Have you ever replaced the time/date battery? This probably has nothing to do with the AF system, but who the heck knows! Beside the main, rechargeable battery (LP-E6) is a little drawer that contains a small, silver "watch" battery... a CR1616 lithium. These are not rechargeable and typically last 5 or more years. If it's never been changed in your camera, probably is overdue and might lead to lost settings whenever you turn the camera off. Buy a new CR1616 and put it in there. They aren't very expensive. (Note: I think the 7D was one of the last Canon to use a replaceable date/time battery like this. Later models have a built-in, "permanent" rechargeable battery. If that ever goes bad, it will be a pretty big deal to get it replaced. I kinda like the "old way" battery, though it meant occasionally buying a replacement battery.)
How old are your main, rechargeable batteries (LP-E6)? Have you checked their status in the camera lately? So long as they are Canon OEM batteries that have been registered in the camera, it can tell you something about the battery condition. This also may not help with AF problems, but who knows?
Mar 13, 2022 15:11:49 #
dbrugger25 wrote:
Most of my issues with Canon cameras have been solved with a full reset, firmware updates and contact cleaning.
Do this. Do a factory reset and if that doesn't work, update firmware. Call Canon support before sending in for repair or if you need help with the update.
Mar 13, 2022 15:19:21 #
larryepage
Loc: North Texas area
conejas wrote:
I remove the lens and the battery, but when I remove the sliver cover where the date is it have no battery. I shut down for about 1 to 2 minutes. Now is working I try all four lens and they focus. I had done this yesterday, but it did not work. Maybe I didn't wait long enough. Should I buy a battery for the date?
THANK you so much you are best. Connie
THANK you so much you are best. Connie
The small battery's purpose is to maintain the date and time when the main battery is removed. In some cases, the clock will keep running for a short time with the battery removed even without that battery. I'd suggest that your frustration level over time will remain lower if you keep a battery in that little holder. Otherwise the files representing your photographs are likely to have random dates and times unless you continually look to make sure the clock and calendar are correct.
Mar 13, 2022 15:20:52 #
conejas wrote:
Not sure if this is where I need to post this. I own a Canon 7D camera and the auto focus is not working. I tried
different lens and it's not the lens. Could it be something with the camera? Before I take it for repair, could it be one of the setting.? I can adjust the distance, but it does not focus back and forth. Thanks
Connie
different lens and it's not the lens. Could it be something with the camera? Before I take it for repair, could it be one of the setting.? I can adjust the distance, but it does not focus back and forth. Thanks
Connie
Do a reset to original settings. If that doesn;t work call canon tech services. They can be very helpfull
Mar 13, 2022 21:03:02 #
conejas
Loc: Miami Florida
After taking the battery and removing the lens the camera is working. I did try to clear the sitting but it keeps telling me is busy. I will try your recommendation and also call Canon. Thank you for all your help.
Connie
Connie
Mar 14, 2022 09:57:30 #
conejas
Loc: Miami Florida
I call Canon this morning and they no longer do repair on the old 7D. He did advice I should update the firmware.
Again thank you for all your suggestions
Connie
Again thank you for all your suggestions
Connie
Mar 14, 2022 14:16:37 #
mwsilvers
Loc: Central New Jersey
RJN wrote:
I had the same problem with my Canon 5D III. It needed new internal computer. Cost: About $600.
If that were the case here, it would be hardly worth it since the Canon 7D was discontinued almost 8 years ago and has very little value. Even spending $600 to repair a Canon 7D Mark II, which replaced the 7D, would be problematic since this recently discontinued model was originally released in 2014 that is an expensive fix for an old design. If it is very expensive fix it, the OP might be better off purchasing a new or used Canon 90D or perhaps a used/refurbished Canon 7D.
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