topic Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service? in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:05:14 GMT

I bought a used T7 with the kit lenses. Also bought a new Canon 50mm STM prime lens. With ALL of my lenses, AF photos are more likely to be blurry than not. (The photo below is sort of a sample of what I often get.)

I've tried using tripods, ensuring my AF area is set correctly (it's centered), making sure I have ISO/aperture/shutter speeds adequate, etc. With my old Nikon, I did the half-press thing to focus, then shifted the camera's target, then finished the shot and never had a problem that I didn't initially cause. But I can't even get dead-on targets to be consistently in focus with this body.

Manual shots are fine and I have done some astrophotography with a Rokinon 135 and got very good results.

Since I'm having the problem with all lenses, I expect something is going on in the camera. Is this something that Canon's Alignment Service can rectify? Or am I barking up the wrong tree? (I don't need to send in my lenses as a 'factory' reset will likely get me 'good enough' and the quote comes in at $139, which I'm willing to pay.)

Thanks for any feedback.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

jrhoffman75 — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:06:22 GMT

@nhanimator wrote:

I bought a used T7 with the kit lenses. Also bought a new Canon 50mm STM prime lens. With ALL of my lenses, AF photos are more likely to be blurry than not. (The photo below is sort of a sample of what I often get.)

I've tried using tripods, ensuring my AF area is set correctly (it's centered), making sure I have ISO/aperture/shutter speeds adequate, etc. With my old Nikon, I did the half-press thing to focus, then shifted the camera's target, then finished the shot and never had a problem that I didn't initially cause. But I can't even get dead-on targets to be consistently in focus with this body.

Manual shots are fine and I have done some astrophotography with a Rokinon 135 and got very good results.

Since I'm having the problem with all lenses, I expect something is going on in the camera. Is this something that Canon's Alignment Service can rectify? Or am I barking up the wrong tree? (I don't need to send in my lenses as a 'factory' reset will likely get me 'good enough' and the quote comes in at $139, which I'm willing to pay.)

Thanks for any feedback.

Can you post the actual file or two to a sharing service like OneDrive or Dropbox? Preferably RAW, but JPEG if that is all you have.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 19:40:15 GMT

Google Drive link to photos

Photo 5367 was shot by hand with a slow shutter, so I don't expect it to be super clear. But there doesn't appear to be any significant motion blur and the bottom of the image seems to be more in focus than the target area (center of frame).

The other two photos certainly don't seem good, however. The target was about an inch below the center wood stake.

Thanks.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

jrhoffman75 — Fri, 17 Jan 2025 20:10:14 GMT

@nhanimator wrote:

Google Drive link to photos

Photo 5367 was shot by hand with a slow shutter, so I don't expect it to be super clear. But there doesn't appear to be any significant motion blur and the bottom of the image seems to be more in focus than the target area (center of frame).

The other two photos certainly don't seem good, however. The target was about an inch below the center wood stake.

Thanks.

I agree with your assessment of all the photos. What if you try manually focusing using LiveView.

One test you could try is manually focus using LiveView and then carefully switch lens to AF and press shutter button. Does the focus move?

Is the nh in your screen name New Hampshire?

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

Ron888 — Sat, 18 Jan 2025 14:37:34 GMT

Hi nhanimator, your camera is 'front focusing',there's no doubt about it!
Notice in the first image the flower pot on the right (which is closer) is in focus instead of the center pot.
The RAW image 5267 proves it- the focus point is centered on the WD40 can but the foreground is in focus.
Given that all your AF lenses are doing this,it's the camera that's at fault.
Contact Canon support,they should have no problem repairing it 🙂
Cheers,Ron

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 13:00:15 GMT

Thanks for the test. I usually avoid using LiveView as it involves me finding my readers. 😄 Will try out your suggestion. And yes to New Hampshire.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 13:00:30 GMT

Thank you so much. I'll get in touch with them today.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

jrhoffman75 — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 14:24:49 GMT

@nhanimator wrote:

Thanks for the test. I usually avoid using LiveView as it involves me finding my readers. 😄 Will try out your suggestion. And yes to New Hampshire.

LiveView focusing uses the actual image sensor, so you see what you get. "Regular" focusing uses a special AF sensor. It is calibrated to ensure that when it says focus is achieved it is actually focused on the sensor. If there is a focus calibration error there will be lens motion if you press the shutter button after you focus using LiveView.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

Stephen — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 14:44:40 GMT

Hey there!

Have you tried using Live View (the LCD) to focus at all?

This is an important troubleshooting step because it uses a different focusing system. Depending on the results, it could indicate that your diopter is out of focus or that the focusing system needs alignment.

When I was a phone tech, one of the first things I'd do was put the camera in full auto and autofocus and look through the viewfinder like you're going to take a photo of a nearby stationary object (just a normal outdoor photo like 5369 in your Google Drive). You should see the AF points illuminated in red. Are they in focus? If the red AF points aren't in focus, use the dioptric adjustment knob to adjust the viewfinder to your vision. https://canon.us/3PFpqCr

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 14:59:42 GMT

Are you talking about using Live View to focus in manual mode? Because manually-focused shots come out fine. I do astrophotography with this camera and manually focusing is the only method.

Regarding the diopter, the black dots are 'soft' (and I cannot get them to be solid), but the square outlines are crystal clear. The squares go out of focus the more the dial is moved from approximate center?

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

jrhoffman75 — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:02:58 GMT

@nhanimator wrote:

Are you talking about using Live View to focus in manual mode? Because manually-focused shots come out fine. I do astrophotography with this camera and manually focusing is the only method.

Regarding the diopter, the black dots are 'soft' (and I cannot get them to be solid), but the square outlines are crystal clear. The squares go out of focus the more the dial is moved from approximate center?

What I am recommending is focus manually using LiveView with an AF lens switched to MF. Then carefully shift the lens to AF and press the shutter button. If there is a calibration error, which is what I believe is your problem, you will see the lens shift focus.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:30:25 GMT

New photos posted here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j7YNztuOudrNZSNNKog6pEm5V94KWfm9?usp=sharing

Okay, so here's what I did:

Turned camera off. Set focus to manual. Turned on Live View. Digitally zoomed in on text and manually focused as well as these old eyes can. Took photo 5407. Then I turned off Live View. Set focus to AF. Took photo 5408.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

jrhoffman75 — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:44:36 GMT

@nhanimator wrote:

New photos posted here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j7YNztuOudrNZSNNKog6pEm5V94KWfm9?usp=sharing

Okay, so here's what I did:

Turned camera off. Set focus to manual. Turned on Live View. Digitally zoomed in on text and manually focused as well as these old eyes can. Took photo 5407. Then I turned off Live View. Set focus to AF. Took photo 5408.

5407 appears a little sharper. It might be a better test if you pick a feature maybe 8-10 feet away like something on the wall - maybe a clock or a calendar.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 18:39:11 GMT

Another test: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1wixv19qva3DTZBA2clDM33OyUf8CNilN?usp=sharing

5412 taken manually. 5413 on AF. Same method as my previous post.

It's pretty clear to me that the AF is messed up. So I'll circle back to my original question: Is their Alignment Service what I'm looking for to address this?\

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

jrhoffman75 — Mon, 20 Jan 2025 19:45:10 GMT

I suggest you call Canon and discuss what the possible service options are.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 22:45:49 GMT

Just a couple of final notes: I did some additional testing (method described above, photos here) with a borrowed Rebel T100. Photos 6227 and 28 were taken in Manual, then AF modes with the 18-55mm lens that the camera came with. 29 and 30 were taken with the T100, but with my own 18-55mm lens (just to once again verify it wasn't a lens issue). All of these photos came out adequately focused.

Photos 5430 (MF), 31 (AF), 32 (MF) and 33 (AF) were taken with the T7 I'm having trouble with by two different operators. Shutter speeds are adequate considering the camera was on a good tripod, a timer was used, and I was being extra cautious about any movement.

I'm kind of disappointed that in writing to Canon a couple of times and have been told that my shutter speed is too slow (despite it being as high as 1/250th including when used in conjunction with a tripod on some tests), plus other 'user' errors.

I appreciate the fact that they may be trying to save me money, but not once in all of my testing have I gotten an AF shot to come out clearly while every matching MF has been fine. So it's going in. Thanks again for all of the suggestions and assistance.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

Ron888 — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 01:55:51 GMT

Can you let us know how it turns out? I have a feeling any fix they do will be consistent across all your lenses but don't know this for sure

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Tue, 28 Jan 2025 14:01:41 GMT

I will and that's what I expect as well.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 12:25:53 GMT

Follow-up:

Through Canon's site, I was quoted $139 for the Precision Alignment Service. I sent the camera in and was surprised to see a "Charged Repair Estimate" come in within what was likely only a few hours of them receiving the camera. Unfortunately, the estimate quoted $179 instead. The work order did not state "Precision Alignment Service" anywhere (the Packing Slip did note that that was the service being requested), but instead only stated "Customer states AF shots are not in focus (see notes/sample images). This is a Tiered Rate Repair; parts are included in the labor cost." The only line item listed was "Labor" for the $179.00.

I contacted an outstanding tech support gentleman to try to get the quote corrected and we had a really good conversation. However, he stated that he could not find a price of $139 for any type of repair service and was not able to adjust the quote.

I attempted to go back to Canon's site to verify what I had seen, but as my camera was already in their possession, I was no longer offered the option to go through with any service options and could not get back to the pricing section.

This morning, I temporarily added a new Rebel T7 to my account with a serial number and purchase date close to my own. I then requested the same PAS and was once again presented with the same $139 quote. (Screenshot attached.)

I assume that this is some kind of error on Canon's part (between what's listed on the website and what their billing system reflects). I have contacted Canon again via e-mail and hope that they will address this fairly. This is my first Canon camera and I have been very happy with it as an intro astrophotography camera. It is clean and has performed well in all MF situations. Just looking to start using it for AF scenarios now.

Will update.

Re: EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

nhanimator — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 13:04:30 GMT

UPDATE: Canon e-mail support was VERY quick to at least address the issue. They said that they would put in a request at the factory service center to adjust the price, but that it COULD take a few days to resolve.