11dale Loc: Texas

Hang in there, you will will get the picture you want. Animal shots are difficult due to there eyes being different than human eyes. You have received all of the hints I can think of except; are you pressing half way down on the shutter button before you press all of the way down. If you have this problem with focusing all of the time, it might be a good idea to have the camera checked. Good luck.

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

Practice Practice Practice. That camera should do a fine job. It just takes practice to use it. I used a T2i for quite a while on flying birds and got great focus on them in the air moving quite fast. It just take time to acquire the skill to do it.

persians1

Thank you...yes, I have tried the AF pressing 1/2 way down to focus but the problem is by the time it's focused itself, I've lost the shot. Eyes have to be full open & round. Persians & Exotic SHs get bored so I need a camera ready to go when I get the look not wait for it everytime to focus. I always got good pics shooting early to compensate for slow shutter w/old Kodak but too often I got flash eyes. I'm returning the Canon, have researched the Nikon L820
which looks more my speed...I actually turned off the AF and just
shot away using close up selection but it blurs cause it's macro
mode can't handle 3 ft...The Nikon research of higher end point/shoot cameras claim they can handle this...I'll see. I like the simplicity of Kodaks I've used in past but not the flash eye issues and rarely got blurrs w/them...

Annie_Girl Loc: It's none of your business

well if you are going to use a DSLR as a fancy point and shoot then you are going to get craptastic results. if you don't want to invest the time or energy into learning how to use it, then there is nothing anyone here can say or teach you. stick with your cell phone camera, you will be happier with the sub- results that take no effort.

persians1

No It's NOT me yet it is...I don't care to fool around everytime for shots...if you ever had any experience shooting Persian cats to get big open round eyes, etc. you'd understand. They get bored and if you can't capture their moments, forget it. The Nikon reviews for bridge cameras sound much better w/quicker & auto settings and better macro mode for close up...I need simplicity not complexity..I know I can teach myself to use the Canon but it's got way too many bells n whistles I really don't need for what I want...The main reason I thought I needed a DSLR was fast shutter speed. I've shot for many years w/slow shutter speed, compensating shooting earlier to anticipate the look I wanted & it has worked just fine. I feel I can find what I want particularly since my cellphone which is much newer than my Kodak can take shots a lot easier then the Canon....The Nikon L820 reviews are very promising.

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

A very LONG lens! Oh, you meant CATS, sorry:o)

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

I don't know if you will get better results with a different camera or lens. In the example you posted the subject was not looking at the camera and against an uninteresting background. The best photos of cats can be spontaneous. In this case I would have used the sports mode with flash, ISO 400. I would have taken at least three photos as quickly as I could in the highest quality the camera permits. The T3 is an excellent camera and can take great photos. This photo of my cat was taken with the standard lens using the settings I suggested. I fixed the eyes from the flash reflection in Photoshop.

GordonB. Loc: St. Petersburg, Fl.

As others have said, don't blame the camera nor the cat's
lack of patience. It's YOU.

Cheers!

persians1

The cat does not have to always look at the camera. In purebreds,
we often take side photos to show "doming", ear set, body squareness in the persian group....Is the photo you took of your cat w/the Canon EOS T3 Rebel...were you using AF...how far away where you in taking the pic? Did you cat hold that pose for minutes.
I often time have only a second to capture the look I want. Shooting w/head up as you have in your photo will make ears look higher & longer...won't show roundness of eyes, and make everything about a cat's head show incorrectly. Even though I know how to photo a purebred cat, the CNet critique of this camera that
I should have read before I bought it, has a bad review for the focus aspect of this camera & recommends it's NOT good to photo children nor pets. Now I have a fight w/Target cause they claim the receipt 5/28/2013 return date is incorrect and I so far I'm stuck w/this camera. I'm accusing them of fraud and will file w/every agency I can & never shop there again...

My credit card company said they wouldn't have a problem to reverse the $$$...I hope so cause I will have to buy a more competent camera like a Nikon which has better macro, VR, etc. supposedly and they are $200 to $300 bridge type cameras reportedly as good or better than this DSLR...

I got 2 lenses w/this Canon...an 18/35 and a larger one...they are all out in my car & in the box...I know it has a sport setting and probably can set the ISO neither of which I've ever had to use w/my old cheap 10 yr old Kodak....Thank you for your suggestion,,,as I will try it but I had the same problem shooting inanimate objects...It seems that this camera needs to always be fiddled w/and I want a camera that doesn't!!!!!Lora

RixPix Loc: Miami, Florida

Cat was in constant motion watching a laser light. I took about a half dozen shots of the six three were great. One was terrible and the other was passable. You will need to learn how to use any camera and all cameras will require fiddling to obtain the best results. When you move away from a DSLR you are placing limitations on your results not improving your chances of better images. My suggestions about using the sports mode and flash will yield the best results.

persians1

I just spent an hour or more w/Canon tech...He felt the sports mode would be great but the flash won't work if I leave it in AF and
their sports mode has auto ISO settings...He said I still have to set AF for 1st photo but just leave the button down after that for several rapid fire photos. He said the 18-55 lense is best for what I'm doing and that I should be using the eye photo
viewer vs. the LCD. So I'm going to do some of these in case I'm
stuck w/it. He did admit the poke n shoots are easier.

Thanks again.

jjadeco25 Loc: Alma, AR

Hi persians1 and welcome to the forum. There are so many cameras out there on the market that can do the job that you are looking to do, but unless you fully understand the camera, the pictures will not give you the "it" shot. Just practice with the camera you have, look on line for tutorials and also see if there are any books that can help. My first DSLR was very difficult for me until I took the time to use the different settings, write down the effects and just kept adjusting. With a little bit of time and patience you will get the hang of it. In the meantime, don't get frustrated, just enjoy the learning process and the wonderful pictures you will get along the way.

My Maine Coon Sabrina and her attitude look.

steenowitz

[quote=Bruce with a Canon]I see your problem
YOUR CAT IS FUZZY!

Good one! I can't stop chuckling, thanks for that!

n3eg Loc: West coast USA

Sounds like your list of type of shots is more technical than the camera instructions! I can understand why you want a more automatic approach to using the camera. My amateur approach is to do all the settings beforehand, say "Hey kitty" and shoot. You need to probably spend some free time with the Canon to get used to the settings and see if you can speed up the process any further - and if not, find a good bridge camera with fast focus and good sharpness.

lovemypups Loc: Kentucky

I had to laugh, you're right, that is certainly an attitude :)
Debbie