AutoFocus is Acting Wacky on my Canon EOS Rebel SL3 camera

[Mideko]

I'm having an issue with the autofocus on my Canon EOS Rebel SL3 camera. So, in the past months, the autofocus has been acting wacky. Whenever I record a video, the autofocus would go in and out of focus. I always have to move my head around to bring it back to focus. And it takes a while to focus again. I have the AF operation set to AI SERVO. I don't know what is going on with the autofocus. I never had an issue with the autofocus until this year. I bought the camera in May of last year.

Can someone help me?

[jrhoffman75]

Try resetting all camera settings and custom functions. If that doesn’t resolve give Canon a call at (866) 261-9362.

[Mideko]

I did reset the camera. I'm still having the same problem with the autofocus, so I will call the number you gave me. 
Thanks for the help.@jrhoffman75

[Waddizzle]

If the camera is left unattended during a video shoot, then do not expect it to auto focus very well on moving subjects.  The camera can recognize faces, but someone operating the camera must tell it where to look to acquire a subject's face.

While you may have a hardware issue, try operating the camera yourself.  Place the AF point where you want it to focus, and it should lock on and track that subject, provided the subject is not far away from the camera and there is sufficient light.

[Mideko]

Your solution didn't work, but thanks.@Waddizzle

[stevet1]

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@Mideko wrote:

I'm having an issue with the autofocus on my Canon EOS Rebel SL3 camera. So, in the past months, the autofocus has been acting wacky. Whenever I record a video, the autofocus would go in and out of focus. I always have to move my head around to bring it back to focus. And it takes a while to focus again. I have the AF operation set to AI SERVO. I don't know what is going on with the autofocus. I never had an issue with the autofocus until this year. I bought the camera in May of last year.

Can someone help me?

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Mideko,

Read up on contrast detection vs.dual pixel autofucus, especially when shooting video.

Unforunately, the SL3 does not offer dual pixel autofocusing in movie mode..

That was one of the reasons I bought a T8i when I was upgrading.last year

https://petapixel.com/2019/04/10/canon-rebel-sl3-a-tiny-dslr-with-4k-dual-pixel-af-and-eye-detection...

“The bad news is that, like the EOS M50 with which it shares so much, the SL3 has an enormous 2.64x crop, relative to full frame, so the wide end of your 18-55mm is equivalent to 47mm in full-frame terms,” DPReview points out. “In addition, Dual Pixel AF is not available in movie mode, leaving you with regular contrast detection.”

Steve Thomas