40D acting like cheap point-and-shoot

[paul_ingram]

40D acts like a point-and-shoot in that it doesn't seem ready to shoot when I press the, um, button. Works best in

full light, maybe green Auto mode. But at night at football games, on manual, even many daytime settings, it

responds about 30% of the time. Tried resetting camera defaults, cleaning lens contacts, various lenses, manual

focus vs auto. I have a 20D and lots of lenses so thru process of elimination I know it is the 40D and not a lens.

Thank goodness I have the 20D backup. I guess the response will be to send it back, but am curious if this is

common.

 

Paul

[thomas_hardy1]

Do you have the camera set to single shot or one of the other modes "AI" for example? I had my camera out of single shot

and it acted very strange also. Of course resetting the camera to default might take it back to single shot.

 

I did a google search on "focus problems with 40D" and it seems to be a number of people complaining that the 40D had

problems that their lower cameras (10D and 20D) did not. Of course it is the internet so all you'll find are the problems.

[leopoldstotch]

Make sure you're using AI servo AF and not single-shot AF. If you're using single shot, it won't let you take a picture unless is focus is locked, which may explain the problem.

[zafar1]

What Leo said is absolutely correct. However there is no point in taking a picture if the camera can not achieve

focus. You did not buy this camera to take out of focus picture. It seems that you may need to improve your

technique or your lens (or both). Which lens are you using?

 

To do a better job of focusing, read the AF portion of your camera manual. Select the middle focus point and then

point it to something contrasty (which has dark/bright lines). Pointing at a somebody's hair (all dark) or at a

light bulb (all bright) will not achieve focus. For more details read some tutorials about AF.

 

If you know all about this (my apologies for the above text), then you need to find a different lens. Which lens

are you using?

[PuppyDigs]

"I guess the response will be to send it back, but am curious if this is common."

 

Nope, not common. Mine beats my old 20D silly in terms of AF speed. Either a defective camera or operator error.

[steve_bright1]

Slightly different slant to it - is your shutter release button ok? If you press really hard does it always work? My 40D had to go back to Canon inside a year because of just that reason. They replaced the piece that includes the shutter button.

 

I saw the same fault on someone's 30D once and this fault does crop up every now and again on this forum.

 

The fault I was experiencing was this: half-press, and it focuses ok as expected. Fully press and nothing happens. If I increased the pressure steadily, at some point it would fire.

[j_smith6]

Does it work the same way WITHOUT a memory card?

[phule]

Are you claiming that, with the same lens and the same light (same location, same time) the 20D achieves focus and the 40D does not?

[paul_ingram]

I never said the 20D was achieving focus and the 40D was not. With the same lens and what I recall are the same

settings, the 20D shoots when I press the shutter button and the 40D seems like it is wanting something to get

right. I have been shooting hard for four years so I do have a feel for when something seems amiss. Having trouble

with M settings in the gym, I switched to P, with ISO at 800, pop-up flash and subject 8 feet away, lens being

focused manually or automatically, press the shutter release, and... nothing... nothing... nothing... then SHOOT.

The response above about the shutter release problem seems right.