auto focus on my 2 year old T3i has stopped working, any suggestions.

[jamoph53]

auto focus has stopped working.  camera is almost 2 years old.  I can take pictures at normal distance but if I try to take a picture that requires zoom it will not work and all my pictures are fuzzy.

[Anne2]

I am having the same problem with my T2i. Was wondering if it would be wise to clean the contact points?

[TCampbell]

Check the lens and make sure the "AF/MF" switch is in the "AF" position (Auto-focus is on).  

Do you own other lenses and does this happen with them?

Are other functions of the lens working?  e.g. if you change the f-stop does it affect the exposure (showing that the camera is communicating witht the lens to control the blades.)

Make sure the contacts on the body and lens are clean.  Clean them only with a non-abbrassive cloth (e.g. don't use a "pencil eraser" for example) because the gold plating on the contacts is thin and can be worn off if you use an abbrassive cleaner.

Eject the battery from the camera... wait several minutes, then re-insert (this basically "reboots" the firmware.  Turning off the power switch doesn't "technically" shut it down... it puts it into a kind of "sleep" state.  But removing the batteries, allowing any capacitors with stored power to self-discharge, then re-inserting the batteries will cause the camera to boot fresh and this will sometimes clear up problems.

It's also possible that there's a problem with the auto-focus mechanism in the lens itself and the lens would need service to repair it, but you may as well rule out other things before you resort to sending it in.

[engineer9]

Canon T3i camera, 2-years old: AF on my normal (18-55mm) Canon lens stopped working and shutter does not release. AF continues to work on my telephoto (55-250) Canon lens. Have cleaned the contacts, removed battery for 10 minutes, etc. but still no shutter operation. When I switch lens to MF, the shutter release works and a picture is taken, but cannot adjust the lens to a sharp image. Any suggestions for a solution appreciated.

[ebiggs1]

Is the diopter adjustment set right? The little wheel in the upper right corner of the VF.

[engineer9]

Problem solved...the focussing ring was "locked up" at its full 55mm point. Just tweaked it a bit and it broke loose.

[Liliyac]

Thank you!! Probably saved 100s of $$ in labor and specialist "resetting"

[Stephen]

Or a friendly Canon employee answering the question for free.