EOS Rebel T7 Blurry pics w/AF - Do I need the Canon Alignment Service?

[nhanimator]

I bought a used T7 with the kit lenses. Also bought a new Canon 50mm STM prime lens. With ALL of my lenses, AF photos are more likely to be blurry than not. (The photo below is sort of a sample of what I often get.) 

I've tried using tripods, ensuring my AF area is set correctly (it's centered), making sure I have ISO/aperture/shutter speeds adequate, etc. With my old Nikon, I did the half-press thing to focus, then shifted the camera's target, then finished the shot and never had a problem that I didn't initially cause. But I can't even get dead-on targets to be consistently in focus with this body. 

Manual shots are fine and I have done some astrophotography with a Rokinon 135 and got very good results. 

Since I'm having the problem with all lenses, I expect something is going on in the camera. Is this something that Canon's Alignment Service can rectify? Or am I barking up the wrong tree? (I don't need to send in my lenses as a 'factory' reset will likely get me 'good enough' and the quote comes in at $139, which I'm willing to pay.) 

Thanks for any feedback.

[jrhoffman75]

---

@nhanimator wrote:

I bought a used T7 with the kit lenses. Also bought a new Canon 50mm STM prime lens. With ALL of my lenses, AF photos are more likely to be blurry than not. (The photo below is sort of a sample of what I often get.) 

I've tried using tripods, ensuring my AF area is set correctly (it's centered), making sure I have ISO/aperture/shutter speeds adequate, etc. With my old Nikon, I did the half-press thing to focus, then shifted the camera's target, then finished the shot and never had a problem that I didn't initially cause. But I can't even get dead-on targets to be consistently in focus with this body. 

Manual shots are fine and I have done some astrophotography with a Rokinon 135 and got very good results. 

Since I'm having the problem with all lenses, I expect something is going on in the camera. Is this something that Canon's Alignment Service can rectify? Or am I barking up the wrong tree? (I don't need to send in my lenses as a 'factory' reset will likely get me 'good enough' and the quote comes in at $139, which I'm willing to pay.) 

Thanks for any feedback.

---

Can you post the actual file or two to a sharing service like OneDrive or Dropbox? Preferably RAW, but JPEG if that is all you have.

[nhanimator]

Google Drive link to photos

Photo 5367 was shot by hand with a slow shutter, so I don't expect it to be super clear. But there doesn't appear to be any significant motion blur and the bottom of the image seems to be more in focus than the target area (center of frame). 

The other two photos certainly don't seem good, however. The target was about an inch below the center wood stake. 

Thanks. 

[jrhoffman75]

---

@nhanimator wrote:

Google Drive link to photos

Photo 5367 was shot by hand with a slow shutter, so I don't expect it to be super clear. But there doesn't appear to be any significant motion blur and the bottom of the image seems to be more in focus than the target area (center of frame). 

The other two photos certainly don't seem good, however. The target was about an inch below the center wood stake. 

Thanks. 

---

I agree with your assessment of all the photos. What if you try manually focusing using LiveView.

One test you could try is manually focus using LiveView and then carefully switch lens to AF and press shutter button. Does the focus move?

Is the nh in your screen name New Hampshire? 

[nhanimator]

Thanks for the test. I usually avoid using LiveView as it involves me finding my readers. 😄 Will try out your suggestion. And yes to New Hampshire. 

[jrhoffman75]

---

@nhanimator wrote:

Thanks for the test. I usually avoid using LiveView as it involves me finding my readers. 😄 Will try out your suggestion. And yes to New Hampshire. 

---

LiveView focusing uses the actual image sensor, so you see what you get. "Regular" focusing uses a special AF sensor. It is calibrated to ensure that when it says focus is achieved it is actually focused on the sensor. If there is a focus calibration error there will be lens motion if you press the shutter button after you focus using LiveView.

[Ron888]

Hi nhanimator, your camera is 'front focusing',there's no doubt about it!
Notice in the first image the flower pot on the right (which is closer) is in focus instead of the center pot.
The RAW image 5267 proves it- the focus point is centered on the WD40 can but the foreground is in focus.
Given that all your AF lenses are doing this,it's the camera that's at fault.
Contact Canon support,they should have no problem repairing it 🙂
Cheers,Ron

[nhanimator]

Thank you so much. I'll get in touch with them today. 

[Stephen]

Hey there!

Have you tried using Live View (the LCD) to focus at all? 

This is an important troubleshooting step because it uses a different focusing system. Depending on the results, it could indicate that your diopter is out of focus or that the focusing system needs alignment. 

When I was a phone tech, one of the first things I'd do was put the camera in full auto and autofocus and look through the viewfinder like you're going to take a photo of a nearby stationary object (just a normal outdoor photo like 5369 in your Google Drive). You should see the AF points illuminated in red. Are they in focus? If the red AF points aren't in focus, use the dioptric adjustment knob to adjust the viewfinder to your vision. https://canon.us/3PFpqCr 

[nhanimator]

Are you talking about using Live View to focus in manual mode? Because manually-focused shots come out fine. I do astrophotography with this camera and manually focusing is the only method.

Regarding the diopter, the black dots are 'soft' (and I cannot get them to be solid), but the square outlines are crystal clear. The squares go out of focus the more the dial is moved from approximate center?