Canon 7D mark 1 autofocus inconsistent

[Jshemnitz]

Hi All,

I picked up a Canon 7D used recently and I'm having some really big problems with the autofocus. Basically, the autofocus is extremely inconsistent. It's happening on multiple lenses so I'm pretty sure it's the body and not the lenses. I've done a hard reset, cleared all the settings, cleaned the sensors, and done micro AF adjustments on all my lenses. I'll take a shot (single shot, manual single center point) and the focus will be too far out.. take another pic and the focus is fine.. take another pic and the focus is too far in. It's just all over the place and I'm not sure what's wrong...I'm basically losing my mind because I'll so the micro adjustment again thinking its fine and then it's off.. even taking multiple shots in the microadjustment process will he all over the place in the same session. Not sure what's going on. The body itself is in great condition and has a total shutter count under 40k

[FloridaDrafter]

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@Jshemnitz wrote:

I did all of those things.. and it's still inconsistent..something is off with the camera itself and it's outside of the microadjustments. I just don't know what internal issue would throw it off that much

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Have you tried autofocusing in Live View? I understand it's not how you normally do it, but it will help diagnose the issue.

Newton

[Jshemnitz]

The focus seems to be much more consistent in live mode vs shooting through the viewfinder. What does that indicate?

[FloridaDrafter]

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@Jshemnitz wrote:

The focus seems to be much more consistent in live mode vs shooting through the viewfinder. What does that indicate?

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It indicates that the AF sensor in the floor of your camera may be out of adjustment or broken. Light coming through the lens hits the main mirror and is directed to your viewfinder but some of that light/image is split and directed to a focusing sensor in the floor of the camera. When in live view, that AF sensor is bypassed and the main image sensor does the focusing.

Someone with more tech knowledge may be able to explain it better, but that's it in a nutshell.

Newton

[Jshemnitz]

If if the autofocus sensor is broken, then it's probably not worth fixing as I'm sure that would be expensive to fix 

[FloridaDrafter]

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@Jshemnitz wrote:

If if the autofocus sensor is broken, then it's probably not worth fixing as I'm sure that would be expensive to fix 

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If that is the problem, yes it could cost more to repair than you paid for it. But you would need to get an estimate from a reputable shop. I'm not sure if Canon still supports the 7D, I think it was released in 2009.

Newton

[Jshemnitz]

If it's not broken, but needs adjustment, how would that be done? Or are you just referring to the micro adjustment because I've tried that 10x 

[deebatman316]

No there's a physical problem with the sensor itself that an AFMA can't fix the problem. The camera will have to be sent to a shop to get fixed. Canon no longer services the EOS 7D DSLR camera anymore.

[Waddizzle]

The AF sensor could simply be dirty and dusty, too.

[Jshemnitz]

Is there a way I can clean the sensor myself? I've blown all the dust out

[Waddizzle]

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@Jshemnitz wrote:

Is there a way I can clean the sensor myself? I've blown all the dust out

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No.  I was suggesting blowing out the dust.