Green/Red Focus Box Missing and Flicker/Flash on LCD

[mut]

Greetings:

1) I recently reset my T3i and can't figure out why the center focus box that turns green or red isn't performing as it used to. When I depress the shutter button for AF the box is there but doesn't turn green or red. It also used to stay on the LCD as green as I took the picture which isn't anylonger as well.

What happens now is it does its focus thing without turning colors and then snaps.

2) Also, all info on the screen disappears when I snap. All info meaning the grid I have up, the focus box and all other info ie. histogram and settings that are on the left side of the LCD. If I recall correctly, all info stayed on screen including the focus box green or red.

3) Lastly, the focus box will flash green when I snap the shot but that only happens "sometimes" and not always.

4) One other thing I noticed too is as I depress the shutter button or snap the shot I get a pink flicker on the LCD which wasn't happening before.

Any ideas how to fix these issues?

Thanks in advance.

[mut]

I think it might be the focus screen too for the eye viewfinder issue.

Re: end of life...hope not but if it is I guess there isn't much that can be done.

I can live with the viewfinder issue as it's taking clear images still.

Re: repair...I'll spend that money on getting another one and just add to inventory for video needs.

I'll continue to look into getting the problems solved.

Thanks much.

[ezpop]

Then the final step is to update/re-install the firmware.

Hope that it will get back to normal.

Good luck.

[mut]

By chance would you know where to get the software to connect it to a PPC Mac running 10.5.8 (not Intel). I've scoured the net/Canon and cannot find it anywhere and my discs (if it's on one) are packed away deep and far and away...

The way I did it before was putting the card in the Canon handycam I have which is and shows on the mac as a drive. The T3i doesn't the only software that connects to it is Apples Image Capture which doesn't allow me to put anything on the card or see the cam.

Thanks in advance.

[TCampbell]

Canon has only recently started providing the original software available for download.  Back when your camera would have been new, the original software came in the box (on CD) and the "updates" were available for download.  The catch is that the installer can't apply the update unless the base version is already on the computer.

That means if you can find your original media, you could get the last update that ran on PPC here:  http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/slr_cameras/eos_rebel_t3i_18_55mm_is_ii_lens...

But I am not aware of a location to download the original software.  

The software would provide you with the EOS Utility, Digital Photo Professional, and the Image Browser, but you can use any photo management and photo editing program on the images.  EOS Utility would let you update the firmware, but it turns out you can update firmware without it (when you download new firmware, one of the options is to simply copy the firmware file to the camera SD and use the camera menu to ask it to apply the update.

The only thing I do not know how to do without EOS Utility is edit things like the "Owner Name", etc. (there's a menu in the utility that lets you specify those things and it writes it to the camera.  I do not know of an in-camera way to edit that information.)

So you're not losing very much (just a little) without that software.  The larger issue is that nobody makes software that runs on that computer anymore, so at some point you may have to get a newer computer. 

[mut]

Thanks for the info...I'll have to dig out my discs I guess.

Re: a newer system...It's unfortunate that a less than 10 year old system that works like a charm was completely left behind. The only major issue I have is browsing the web as more sites switch. A newer system will not only cost a few $1,000 but will require spending on cross grades to get my PPC software on an intel which might not be offered and might require purchasing the software as a first time purchaser...all combined costing a very large sum.

Some systems (ie. video editing/production) are sometimes $10-$15-$20k+ with all the top end software/HD I/O's and display cards...huge huge loss. 

Aside from that, I can't justify spending that amount of money to browse the web...I'd go PC net book connected to an ext monitor for that.

But thanks again!

[ezpop]

very blurry focus points in the view finder may imply :

1. diopter not properly adjusted

2. defective focusing mechanism  Did you drop your camera prior to these strange behaviors ?

other than that, your camera has multiple problems :

1. focus box won't turn green or red - i.e. focusing not working ?

2. according to your description "it does its focus thing without turning colors and then snaps" - lens in manual mode ??

3. info on the screen disappear

4. the focus box will flash green sometimes

5. pink flicker on the LCD

3 to 5 - it looks like a mainboard problem to me.

The 9 dots are the 9 focus points. You can press on the right button and then cycle thro the main dial to select one or all of them.

BTW, do you shoot mostly with Live view mode. How is the movie mode ? Can you prefocus before you shoot movie ?

[mut]

I don't rely on AF in movie mode. It's too noisy. I haven't tried it with a shot gun mic attached but I prefer not to use AF in movie mode. Aside from the noise it's too slow for on the fly focusing. i use a rig with a focus wheel/puller attached when using it for video.

[TCampbell]

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@mut wrote:

I don't rely on AF in movie mode. It's too noisy. I haven't tried it with a shot gun mic attached but I prefer not to use AF in movie mode. Aside from the noise it's too slow for on the fly focusing. i use a rig with a focus wheel/puller attached when using it for video.

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The STM lenses are almost completely silent as they focus (that was by design) so that the sound can't be picked up by the camera's internal mic as it records audio & video.

I don't shoot video, but I have a good friend who does.  He uses a Rode VideoMic mounted in the hot-shoe (it's a shotgun type mic).  It's mounted on a spring suspension system and it doesn't pick up camera sounds. 

[RobertTheFat]

TCampbell wrote:

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I don't shoot video, but I have a good friend who does.  He uses a Rode VideoMic mounted in the hot-shoe (it's a shotgun type mic).  It's mounted on a spring suspension system and it doesn't pick up camera sounds. 

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Last year I had occasion to photograph an event that was well covered by the media. The room wasn't laid out to accommodate commercial TV cameras, so the videographers were using still cameras. Most (all?) of them appeared to be using Rode mikes.

[ScottyP]

The red focus reticle not lighting Actually sounds like exactly what happens when I accidentally flip The switch on the lens barrel from AF to MF, turning autofocus off. Did that this again this last weekend actually