Have I broken my friend's camera...any advice?

[HermesTheHighlighter]

Hi photoforum,

I stumbled across this nice place whilst trying to find out what's wrong with my friend's 500D....that he lent me 3 days ago...I don't remember knocking it or anything but I was quite drunk during the night where everything went wrong

Here are the facts:
1. Autofocus is WAY off despite what lens I use.
2. When it beeps to say it's focused, it looks blurry in the viewfinder and in the photos it takes
3. If I manually focus it can be clear in the viewfinder and take clear photos but beeps when it is blurry.
4. When I use live view it focuses correctly and takes clear photos.

I've attached an example. Focusing on the tip of my shoe at f2
OK I'm too dumb to work out how to attach a picture, after the upload is complete a red X appears
Basically, my shoe is out of focus and my thigh is in focus.

Anyone know what I should do?

Apologies if this is in the wrong section. I couldn't find an 'issues/problems' section.

 

[MTVision]

F2 is way to big of an aperture. It's hard to Nail the focus because of the shallow depth of field. Take a test shot with your aperture set to f/8 and see what happens. Upload your photos to Flickr.com then copy and paste the bbcode (found under share button) here.

 

[MTVision]

live view isn't separate from the viewfinder - at least I don't think so. If you can take a clear shot with live view then you should be able to take one with the viewfinder.

 

[Overread]

I'm not sure what the problem might be as I can't think of any setting in the camera which would throw the AF off accuracy (the camera does not have the AF micro adjust that midrange bodies have so that isn't an issue). I would first go into the cameras menu and reset it back to factory settings. If it is a mode that you've adjusted then that should solve the problem.

Edit - live view is using a different set of AF sensors and is separate from the viewfinder (when liveview engages the mirror flips up to allow the sensor to read the data hitting it to thus present the liveview image.

The fact that the viewfinder is showing sharp shots (which then capture sharp) means that its not your viewfinder diopter (you'd be getting the opposite effect then of sharp AF and soft viewfinder images).

 

[dots]

Viewfinder dioptre?

 

[HermesTheHighlighter]

Thanks for the reply MTVision,

That is comforting to know that if live view is ok it may be some kind of setting or software issue...Maybe even fixable without sending it off perhaps?

I have created a flikr account

Here are 2 photos

At f8 out of my window

IMG_1841 by SpeciesHuman, on Flickr

At f3.5 out of my window

IMG_1840 by SpeciesHuman, on Flickr

Both 'beep in focus'

 

[Overread]

Viewfinder dioptre?

If you look at the viewfinder on most DSLRs to one side there will be a small wheel, this is the viewfinder dioptre and its used to adjust the focus of the viewfinder itself, so that it suits the viewers vision. Setting it is easy, you just set the lens to show a completely out of focus scene (something clear and blank like a white wall in decent lighting) and then adjust the wheel up and down until the AF boxes displayed on the viewfinder screen show sharp.

 

[BlairWright]

The second shot looks like it focused on the glass..

 

[dots]

Thanks for that..i was suggesting the dioptre may be mis-adjusted, not asking what one is. I didn't see you previously mentioned it - hence the confusion.

Viewfinder dioptre?

If you look at the viewfinder on most DSLRs to one side there will be a small wheel, this is the viewfinder dioptre and its used to adjust the focus of the viewfinder itself, so that it suits the viewers vision. Setting it is easy, you just set the lens to show a completely out of focus scene (something clear and blank like a white wall in decent lighting) and then adjust the wheel up and down until the AF boxes displayed on the viewfinder screen show sharp.

 

[HermesTheHighlighter]

Thanks for the reply Overread,

I did have a play with the diopter dial but to no avail

I have now reset back to factory settings and alas the problem has not gone.

Here are some more photos.

This is at f3.5 spot focused to the buildings in the distance. They are out of focus and the window frame is a lot more in focus!

IMG_1842 by SpeciesHuman, on Flickr

This is at f8 again spot focusing in the distance

IMG_1843 by SpeciesHuman, on Flickr

And just to show it isn't the glass! (With the window open at f3.5)

IMG_1845 by SpeciesHuman, on Flickr


And for good measure...here is spot focusing at the tip of my shoe at f2

IMG_1788 by SpeciesHuman, on Flickr


Yes, when in live view, it looks sharp on the screen and on the shot it takes. Does this mean something that is not used during liveview shooting is horribly misaligned?

 

[dots]

Looks like an off-center AF point selected. Which AF mode did you use?

 

[HermesTheHighlighter]

Looks like an off-center AF point selected. Which AF mode did you use?

Hi dots,

It's on 'ONE SHOT' and I was using the centre focus point.

Here is me focusing on the pink bottle at f1.8 with the top focus point (as you can see it ends up focusing on the bed)

IMG_1848 by SpeciesHuman, on Flickr

Here is me focusing on the bedside edge of the bed sheets at f1.8 with the bottom focus point.

IMG_1849 by SpeciesHuman, on Flickr

 

[MLeeK]

Can you hear the lens auto focusing? Check the switch on the side of the lens and make sure it is FULLY in the auto focus position. It can get stuck half way between at times.

 

[HermesTheHighlighter]

Can you hear the lens auto focusing? Check the switch on the side of the lens and make sure it is FULLY in the auto focus position. It can get stuck half way between at times.

Thanks MLeeK,

Yes, unfortunately it certainly is in autofocus It mis-focuses on all 3 of my lenses. The results are VERY sharp. I hear it beep when it thinks it's in focus and in both the viewfinder and the shots, objects nearer to me end up being in focus.

When in manual mode, half holding down the button and turning the focus ring, it beeps when it thinks it's in focus and shows the focus point that is supposedly in focus but, well....it's not at all.

 

[HermesTheHighlighter]

I think the fact LiveView is taking sharp photos is a big clue.

Some part of the camera that isn't used when using LiveView may have become mis-calibrated?

Or is it something simpler?