Canon 700D often shows as "busy" and I can't take a picture

[Veronica]

This has been an ongoing and random problem.  I contacted Canon last year and they suggested I reset to default settings which I did however the problem persists. I have tried different SD cards & different settings and there doesn't seem any one thing which causes the problem.  After "Googling"  it does seem that it is reasonably common amongst Canon cameras which is very frustrating. I did take the camera to my local Camera House and they advised that if they sent the camera away it could possibly cost several hundred dollars!

[Stephen]

I'd like to hop in and offer a suggestion, if I may?

Could it be lack of ability to auto focus? If your lens is in AF mode, or if you're in full auto (Green Box/A+) and the camera doesn't have sufficient light, your flash will pop up, and the lens will search, the flash will fire multiple times, and you'll see a green indicator light in the viewfinder that will blink multiple times. That is the camera letting you know "Hey, I tried, but I can't find anything to focus on, so I'm not going to let you take a bad picture on purpose." 

You might try to put the camera in "P" mode on the top dial, ensure you've got plenty of light, and you're taking photos of "normal" things (not plain white walls, or objects that are super close, or overly dark rooms, or trying to use your pop-up flash in an auditorium). 

If you try this, and that solves the problem, then you know it's not an issue of the camera malfunctioning, it's an issue of lack of lighting and focus. 

If that doesn't work, you might try a different lens. If you don't have another one, see if you can borrow a friend's - they're all interchangeable! If that works, it's an issue with your lens, and it'll need to be worked on. 

[Veronica]

Thanks!  The problem seems to happen completely randomly so it is hard to pin point why the problem happens.  Thankfully I can turn it on and off several times and eventually it comes good.  I am generally in "auto" mode because the camera takes a very good shot on auto and I am not an expert...lol. As mentioned to one of the other contributors, I think I will reset to factory settings again and see how that goes.  I did do that last year and it seemed to be a lot better, although the problem definitely wasn't fixed completely.  I have Googled and it does seem that quite a few people have this type of problem with Canon cameras.

[Waddizzle]

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@Veronica wrote:

Thanks!  The problem seems to happen completely randomly so it is hard to pin point why the problem happens.  Thankfully I can turn it on and off several times and eventually it comes good.  I am generally in "auto" mode because the camera takes a very good shot on auto and I am not an expert...lol. As mentioned to one of the other contributors, I think I will reset to factory settings again and see how that goes.  I did do that last year and it seemed to be a lot better, although the problem definitely wasn't fixed completely.  I have Googled and it does seem that quite a few people have this type of problem with Canon cameras.

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Sounds like you might be shooting JPEGs, and not RAW files, where you have to post process the RAW files into JPEGs.

Try using P mode.  It works just like Green [A] mode, except you are allowed to adjust more settings.  You also need to manually raise the flash when, and if, you need to use it.

In P mode, you can disable all of the noise reduction settings, because they can and do slow down the camera.  This is where shooting RAW and post processing has the advantage over shooting JPEGs in the camera.  If you are shooting JEPGs, then you may want one of those settings enabled, if shoot with high ISO or use long exposures.  

[michfallon]

I’ve had this problem. I’m still learning about my camera 700d but notice this happens with slow shutter speed.
Camera gets stuck on busy and can’t do a thing!
Have resolved to get working again by taking the battery out and put back in!

[Veronica]

Thanks for the suggestion and I will try it although it can be very frustrating if you only have seconds to take a shot.  I can usually fix the problem by turning the camera on and off a few times and it mostly comes good eventually.  I take a lot of shots on auto which is when it happens.  I have also switched the camera to manual which sometimes fixes the problem.