AF not working consistently

[kkuenstler20]

Hello,

I work for a company who does real estate photography and we use the Canon Rebel SL1 with a Canon 10-18mm lens. We realize this probably isnt the best camera for the large amount of pictures we are taking with it each day, but recently we have had issues with some of the cameras not auto focusing correctly. Sometimes they won't auto focus at all or they focus on the floor or something else random. Just wondering if this is maybe due to how we have the AF set? Or if this is a consistent mlfunction in the camera/lens. 

Thank you!

[kvbarkley]

If you are using all the points, the camera will focus on the closest one, which could be the floor. If you just pay attention, the camera will tell you what it is focusing on, those points will flash. I suggest setting the center focus point.

[kkuenstler20]

Thank you! I don't know a whole lot about cameras but I hadn't realized the cameras identify where they are focused. I switched the camera to manual center focus so it doesnt have the wide spread of differental focal points I am hoping this helps with what we are using these cameras for (real estate photography).

[kvbarkley]

The important thing is to press the shutter half way. The camera will focus and indicate the focus point. If you like it, push the button all the way. If it is focusing on the wrong thing, you can re-compose.

Pushing halfway is so second nature to me, that I forget to tell people to do it.

[Waddizzle]

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@kvbarkley wrote:

The important thing is to press the shutter half way. The camera will focus and indicate the focus point. If you like it, push the button all the way. If it is focusing on the wrong thing, you can re-compose.

Pushing halfway is so second nature to me, that I forget to tell people to do it.

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What he is saying is that the shutter button will click twice before it is fully depressed.  The first click is pretty soft, but you can feel it you only press the button halfway.  Don't bottom it out.  In One Shot focusing mode, the selected AF point will try to focus.  When it attains focus, it will flash red, and the camera should issue a beep.  Both the flash and the beep can be disabled.

Holding the button halfway will keep the focus locked at the distance, or subject, where it locked focus.  Pressing the shutter all the way to the bottom, you should feel a second soft click.  The second click activates the shutter.

First click is focusing.  Second click is shooting.