topic Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus in EOS DSLR & Mirrorless Cameras

Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 16:00:28 GMT

The autofocus on my Canon Rebel is not as sharp as it should be. I have tried different lenses and get the same result. The autofocus works but not as sharp as it could be. Any suggestions?

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

kvbarkley — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 16:03:36 GMT

Can you get it sharper if you manually focus? Is it sharp in Live View?

How are you determining sharpness?

If you can manually focus it to be sharper (at the same focus point!) and live view focuses sharply, you have to send it back to Canon for an adjustment with your lenses.

But be careful, it is very easy to get fooled here.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 16:51:42 GMT

I usually don't shoot in Live View - its easier to shoot without wearing my glasses.

I determined sharpness by how clear printing is on someone's shirt. I take pictures of students in school and I found that my iPhone was getting better results than my Canon.

I just did a test - AF both with and without LV and manual with and without LV. The best result was manual without LV.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 17:01:48 GMT

I did a second test with the maual settings for light being equal and got different results - I think the AF without LV is the best so maybe the focus is fine and its the settings that are throwing it off. I have to look into this more.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Stephen — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 17:01:43 GMT

If you wear glasses, and you're not getting sharp focus in the viewfinder, you might need to adjust the diopter to get the clearest photos.

First, do try using Live View, to see if the camera focuses properly in Live View. It uses a different focusing system in Live View. If this works, your lens is fine.

Then, put the camera in the GREEN auto mode, and put the lens in AF mode. Make sure you have plenty of light, and your subject is an easy subject to focus on - something a normal person would photograph, not a piece of paper, or a plain white wall.

Looking at the viewfinder, you'll see a little "gear" or wheel just to the right of the viewfinder. That's the dioptric adjustment. Remember where this is, you'll need it in a minute!

Put the camera up to your eye, and push the shutter button halfway down until you hear the focus confirmation beep and you see at least one AF point light up. Is your red focus point blurry to you? Is your scene blurry? If so, adjust that little wheel to the right of the eyepiece until it becomes clear, and try again. If your prescription is too strong for the dioptric adjustment, you may find that you need to get a different eyepiece that accounts for your vision. We make those, too!

You can learn about the Diopter on page 36 of the manual, HERE.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

kvbarkley — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 17:08:32 GMT

@Fdmcgady wrote:

I determined sharpness by how clear printing is on someone's shirt. I take pictures of students in school and I found that my iPhone was getting better results than my Canon.

What was the camera focusing on? Which little dot lit up?

Remember, your DSLR will have much less Depth of Field than the iPhone.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 17:39:59 GMT

First of all - using the diopter in itself was amazing - It made a huge difference looking through the viewfinder - everything is sharp - wow - thank you.

I did a test using a flash and w/o a flash (though the same settings) using AF and manual both with LV and w/o LV. The best overall was manual LV though it was very close to manual w/o LV - the AF was not as sharp.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 17:41:25 GMT

The subject was indoors about 10 feet away using a flash - it probably focused on the group (4 people).

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

kvbarkley — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 17:49:30 GMT

"probably" isn't good enough. You have to pay attention to what focus point lights up. Again, it is easy to get fooled.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 17:59:13 GMT

I have been testing this and have found that the manual focus - either with LV or w/o is giving me better results for sharpness.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

kvbarkley — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 18:01:35 GMT

Then your camera needs to be adjusted to your lens. On the Rebels, it has to be sent back to Canon.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 18:09:25 GMT

OK thanks for the help - I will look into how I can do that

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

RobertTheFat — Fri, 23 Jun 2017 21:52:47 GMT

@kvbarkley wrote:
Then your camera needs to be adjusted to your lens. On the Rebels, it has to be sent back to Canon.

And since your camera is out of warranty, they'll probably charge you for the work they do. So ...

The T2i was a fine camera in its time, but its technology is not really up to today's standards. If you were to upgrade to, say, a new or refurbished 80D, and if the autofocus problem still persisted, that camera would allow you to make the necessary adjustments yourself, without having to spend the money to have Canon do it. Just something to consider.

BTW, while a refurbished 50D or 70D would also have that self-adjustment feature, the 60D does not. So a refurbished 60D wouldn't meet your needs. Nor would any Rebel, even the most recent models.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Sat, 24 Jun 2017 15:46:35 GMT

I was thinking about a new camera instead of going through the expense of repairing what I have. Thanks again for your help - its very much appreciated.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Sat, 24 Jun 2017 15:57:09 GMT

I see on Amazon that the 80D is $1,100 - the 70D is $800 and the 50D is $400

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Waddizzle — Sat, 24 Jun 2017 16:16:54 GMT

@Fdmcgady wrote:
I see on Amazon that the 80D is $1,100 - the 70D is $800 and the 50D is $400

I would never buy anything from Amazon more costly than a paperback. But, I know lots of folks who swear by Amazon.

https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/eos-80d-ef-s-18-55mm-f-3-5-5-6-is-stm-kit-refurbished

How does $849 for an 80D with 18-55mm STM lens sound? One year warranty from Canon.

Re: Canon Rebel T2i autofocus

Fdmcgady — Sun, 25 Jun 2017 21:06:54 GMT

and free shipping too

Re: Canon EOS 6D

ARNALDO — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 05:27:34 GMT

Hey. I am using a Canon 6D for two years now. I have been matching it with the Canon USM EF 27-70 mm. It is a great lens but I have been looking for a wider lens as in some monuments and interior photos some details are not captured. Does anybody have experience with the Canon - EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Wide-Angle Lens? It is just a 4 mm gain to my current lens and I am really indecisive in buying it or not. I appreciate any comment. Regards. Arnaldo

Re: Canon EOS 6D

RobertTheFat — Sun, 23 Jul 2017 05:42:48 GMT

@ARNALDO wrote:
Hey. I am using a Canon 6D for two years now. I have been matching it with the Canon USM EF 27-70 mm. It is a great lens but I have been looking for a wider lens as in some monuments and interior photos some details are not captured. Does anybody have experience with the Canon - EF 20mm f/2.8 USM Wide-Angle Lens? It is just a 4 mm gain to my current lens and I am really indecisive in buying it or not. I appreciate any comment. Regards. Arnaldo

I assume that your current lens is one of the two versions of the 24-70mm f/2.8L, as Googling turns up no 27-70.

What you need may be the 16-35mm f/2.8L II or the 16-35mm f/4L. They're both good.