Canon service no help on back focusing?

[jaycobar-chay]

<p>I have a 10D and a 30D that have served me well for years. I also have a 50mm 1.8, 100mm 2.0, 28-105mm 3.5-4.5 and a Sigma 17-70mm 2.8-4.5 that have all worked fine as well. I took all of my gear to Florida to shoot a wedding and ever since all of my photos are back focused; perhaps something about the salt or sand in the air...</p>

<p>I called Canon to get an idea of what sort of cost and turn around time I'd be looking at if I sent everything in to get checked out and calibrated. I was told the "repair" on the 30D would be 280 dollars, which seems really high to me, as the repair is about the same cost of just buying another one. The 10D was out of repair life, so Canon won't even do anything for that body. I was also told they didn't have any information on cost to recalibrate lenses, only that the service center would let me know IF they would recalibrate them and would inform me how much the "repair" would be.</p>

<p>This all seems a bit odd to me. The cameras and lenses work perfectly in all respects except the resultant images are consistantly back focused. (Yes, I am aware it could be user error... not in this case... I've got years worth of excellent photos with all of this equipment.) I'm no tech, but it seems to me a calibration would be much less expensive than a repair, and as a consumer, why bother with repairs when the cost is so high? As for calibrating the lenses, I thought this was a routine sort of tweak Canon would perform, but sending the lenses away in the hopes they might calibrate them and then hoping it won't cost me what it would to buy a new lens in each case outright? What's the point?</p>

<p>Did I get an idiot on the phone? It seems to me the problems I'm having with my gear would be simple and inexpensive to remedy. Does anyone have any advice on how to get my gear back to taking photos that are in focus?</p>

 

[david.wagle]

<p>Modern cameras and lenses are complicated electomechanical devices. There are numerous failure points that can create any given issue. Some are not obvious. Canon is doing what all good companies do and is refusing to promise something they may not be able to deliver. Some repairs for "small" problems will be more than a lens is worth. Other repairs for major issues will cost next to nothing.</p>

[jim_service]

<p>Since it's happening with all your lenses, it's most likely the problem is with the body.<br>

The first place I would look is to see if the focusing screen got bumped out of position a smidge. The fix for that would be free if you do it yourself.<br>

Fingers crossed.</p>

[jaycobar-chay]

<p>How would one check to see if the focusing screen got bumped, and how do you fix it yourself?</p>

[dan_south]

Have you tested the cameras with a subject that's easy for AF to handle? Put the camera on a tripod and focus on a brick wall of a

wooden door with some contrasting lines that the AF can lock onto.

 

 

Shooting an event with people, we can sometimes inadvertently located a focus point between people's heads or bodies. When we do

this, the camer focuses on the background. An associated problem can happen when the AF is set to continuous mode. We focus

on someone's face, then recompose. In single servo mode this will work, but in continuous AF mode, the camera will AF again after

recomposition.

 

 

Are you absolutely certain that you didn't make some errors or have the AF set to the wrong mode? You could be spending money

for nothing.

[dcstep]

<p>If you're getting consistent back-focus with all lenses, then why not just send the body and the one that you use the most? Wouldn't that cost less? With some of the more recent bodies, like the 7D, you can calibrate each lens yourself, but that's a much more costly solution, of course. There would be other gains. That's probably something to keep in mind when you're ready to do your next body upgrade.</p>

[jaycobar-chay]

<p>Yes, I've put the camera on a tripod, used a remote release, high shutter speed, wide open aperture, focused on all manner of objects at different distances, even a meter stick to measure the difference in focus point and what ends up in focus on the image. Back focus is obvious in all images with both bodies and all lenses. It's not horrible on close subjects, but it gets worse as the distance to the subject increases to where most images beyond a few feet are incredibly obvious.</p>

<p>I use the center AF spot, I use one shot AF mode and I know what I'm doing with the gear. It hasn't been a problem for years, now it is.</p>

<p>As far as sending just the body in, it doesn't seem to make sense. 280 dollars to calibrate it seems incredibly high.</p>

[hjoseph7]

<p>Florida weather can play havoc with your camera if it is not weather sealed. I once shot a wedding there, then wanted to take some pictures on the Beach. Unfortunately my camera a Canon 30D would not cooperate. If I remember correctly, the pop-up flash would refuse to pop-up and the LCD would sometimes black out. Luckilly this was not permanent.<br>

<br />Have you tried resetting the camera to factory specs, sometimes that works.</p>

[mwtphoto]

<p>are both the 30d and 10d now back focusing?</p>

[mwtphoto]

<p> I was told the "repair" on the 30D would be 280 dollars, which seems really high to me, as the repair is about the same cost of just buying another one.<br>

I think they would quote this amount no matter what the model of camera. it generally takes the same amount of service to adjust a $300 dlsr as it would a $3000 dlsr. you could always buy an used 30d but it may also need calibration.<br>

my friend had his pentax stop working while he was on the east coast, it started working again back in Toronto - perhaps the salt air is a factor?</p>

 

[wgpinc]

<p>Jacob,</p>

<p>Pick up a couple of 40D bodies and enjoy life. You will be amazed at the improved image quality. Digital cameras are like computers. You need to upgrade every few years if you want them to work well. Good luck!</p>

[steven_f1]

<p>It's not horrible on close subjects, but it gets worse as the distance to the subject increases to where most images beyond a few feet are incredibly obvious.</p>

<p>Are you sure you are comparing focus not depth of field? I have seen a number of post where people claim a back focus issue when it was really a difference in depth of field. Depth of field is dependant on aperture and lens to subject distance. As you step away from your subject the depth of field starts to increas and much of the increase is behind the focus point. Take anothger look at your test photos and for each estimaqte the distance between the lens and subject and calculate what the dpeth of field is and then compare the actual DOF with the calculation. This is a good <a href="http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html">DOF calculator</a>.</p>

<p>I am suspecting that there is nothing actually wrong with your camera. Instead you just never noticed how the depth of field changes with distance. And now that you have noticed it you are now seeing it in your test pictures.</p>

<p>Aother helpful test is a proper <a href="../learn/focustest/">focus test</a>. Again compare the observed DOF with the calculated DOF before deciding there is a problem.</p>

[jaycobar-chay]

<p>Steven F... Thanks for taking the time to write your response, but I've already done the focus test. At the shortest distance a lens is able to focus, the depth of field is obviously very narrow from front to back. Yes, at the minimum focus distance, the "point of aim", or center line is in the depth of field, but as you move the focus target back, the depth of field starts to shift farther from the camera, eventually not containing the center line "point of aim". At distances of several feet or more, the areas of the image that are in focus are well behind the subject chosen with the center AF point. </p>

<p>Since the area I'm focusing on doesn't end up in focus in the resultant image, it makes me feel that the point of focus in the distance the lens or camera is choosing does not coincide with the focus distance I'm telling it to use... As the areas that do end up in focus are behind the subject I'm selecting, I'm assuming I'm correct in stating the gear is "back focusing".</p>

<p>Also, as I've stated before, I've never had this trouble before... I know what the gear should be doing when I tell it to do it. Look through my photos and you'll see my subjects are in focus.</p>

<p>As for spending the money to fix the camera, yes, I understand the fix would be the same job on a cheap camera vs. an expensive one, but when the camera isn't very valuable, it doesn't make sense to repair it.</p>

<p>Yes, I am looking at simply buying a used 40D.</p>

<p>I'm really looking for someone to give me some magical solution to the problem. I keep seeing reviews of the level of service people get at the repair centers in New Jersey and Irvine, California who are lucky enough to live near to them. They show up, sit in a waiting room and their cameras are fixed in ten or twenty minutes at no charge, or it takes only two or three days and if there is a fee for the service, the service includes all sorts of extra services at no charge. Sadly, I live nowhere near these centers. If I could speak to someone that actually works in a repair center, perhaps I could get a straighter answer. I've tried calling the centers directly, but my calls just get switched back to a call center for Canon somewhere else that isn't a repair facility.</p>

 

[jaydesi]

<p>I have a 20D converted by LifePixel into an infrared camera. They calibrate the camera to your lens initially, but charge $125 if you want them to calibrate it to a different lens. I don't know if they'll calibrate a camera and lens combo that isn't converted by them (or at all), but it might be worth looking into. They said that it's a very labor intensive process that's not easy to do as a consumer.</p>

[PuppyDigs]

<p>I live in Honolulu where it averages 80-90 degrees and 80-90 humidity year round. In 21 years of shooting EOS, I've never had a single camera drift out of calibration. I had a lens drift out after it got shook up during a long run.</p>

<p>Last time I was at Canon Hawaii the minimum service charge was listed at $175. Labor and part costs are set and it doesn't matter how much the camera is worth. So add parts and any repair can easily hit $300. Repair businesses have high overhead and thus don't make much profit. Many companies are lucky if their service centers break even. While everybody loves to second guess Canon Service and complain, Canon tends to estimate high to cover their arses. Sure, they might only need to tweak the internal software for a calibration. Also, it is not uncommon for the secondary mirror (under the main reflex mirror) or AF collection lens (in front of the AF sensor) to get dirty and simply need cleaning. But then there could be a mechanical or electrical problem with the AF sensor and associated parts, and will mean a higher cost for both labor and parts.</p>

<p>Incidentally, an out of alignment focusing screen has no influence on the accuracy of the AF system. It only affects the user view.</p>