Canon EOS Rebel T6 wont focus

[SofiaC]

Ive just gotten my camera yesterday and it was working fine but today it will not focus and take pictures. Its set on AF and the green box, but it still wont focus and therfore not take pictures.

[StanNH]

Make sure the switch on the lens is on AF and not MF.  Try moving it back and forth to make sure it is seated properly.  Make sure the lens is firmly attached.  Also try using the P mode and see if that works.  

Are you using the camera outdoors, or is this happening just indoors?  If indoors, Have you tried popping up the flash?

[Waddizzle]

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@SofiaC wrote:
Ive just gotten my camera yesterday and it was working fine but today it will not focus and take pictures. Its set on AF and the green box, but it still wont focus and therfore not take pictures.

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Okay.  If you are just starting out with DSLRs, then the green [A] mode is best to use.  It will help you to best understand the auto focus system and the interchangeable lenses.  Once you understand lenses and focusing, then "P" mode will help you to understand the camera.  

Please note.  The camera and lenses will not teach you about photography, no more so than a sewing machine can teach you how to sew clothes.  The first thing to learn about is the "Exposure Triangle."  Do a web search.

Back to your problem.  The camera needs sufficient light to focus.  It should focus properly in a brightly it room, or outdoors on a sunny day.  The camera has different shooting and focusing modes.  The camera should give you focus confirmation beep. 

The green [A] mode presets everything for you so that all that you should need to do is "point and shoot" with the camera.  It should even raise and fire the flash as needed.  Just remember that the camera AF system may not lock focus in the dark or low light.

The lens has an "AF/MF" switch, which switches between AF, auto focus mode, and MF, manual focus mode.  Make sure the lens is set to AF.  In green [A} and AF modes, the camera will not fire the shutter until it locks focus.  However, it should fire the shutter no matter what when the lens is changed from AF mode to MF mode, which does not guarantee a focus lock. 

[ebiggs1]

"Its set on AF and the green box, ..."

Need more info than this.  Shooting conditions?  What subject? Camera settings like ISO, etc.  Nobody can give you an answer besides guesses with out more info.

I have a differing opinion of the 'green square.  It is a convenience not a learning tool.  You will learn nothing from it. Everybody started not knowing anything about photography.  They learned, so can you.  If you haven't read the T6 manual, that is a good place to start.

[RobertTheFat]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

"Its set on AF and the green box, ..."

Need more info than this.  Shooting conditions?  What subject? Camera settings like ISO, etc.  Nobody can give you an answer besides guesses with out more info.

I have a differing opinion of the 'green square.  It is a convenience not a learning tool.  You will learn nothing from it. Everybody started not knowing anything about photography.  They learned, so can you.  If you haven't read the T6 manual, that is a good place to start.

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When I first started in digital photography by borrowing the departmental Olympus to photograph my grandchildren, those with a bit more experience told me to use the "P" setting. That worked fine for me until I got my own camera and started branching into event photography, at which time I started using Tv and sometimes Av. To this day, I still use Tv most of the time.

[John_SD]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

If you haven't read the T6 manual, that is a good place to start.

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As a mere beginner with DSLR photography, I agree 100 percent. I read mine daily. From an operational standpoint, nearly everything I have learned so far about my T6 has come from studying that manual. I believe I'll be relying on the manual for some time to come. In looking through the forum, I find so many questions asked that are clearly answered in the manual. I don't know why people spend so little time with it. But it has been very helpful to me in helping me get acquainted with the camera itself. A few other books are helping me to learn composition and exposure. 

Sometimes I hear guys say they don't know what to photograph. I don't have that problem. I have more ideas of places, near, not far, to visit, than I have time for. This weekend, I'm going to be spending some time in an old graveyard up in Julian after sundown and hope to learn some more about light, shutter speed, aperature, tripod use and composition, particularly as it relates to this time of day. But without that manual, I wouldn't know what to set or why. 

Edit: See www.canon.com/icpd for access to the full Instruction Manual and others. Indispensible. I saved mine to the desktop and on my phone. The instruction manual that came with my refurbished T6 was the Basic Instruction Manual. This was helpful but limited in scope.