Focus point not working

[MichelleP]

Is it possible to have a focus point that doesn't work? I shoot mostly portraits in the vertical position. Took a bunch of shots yesterday using the 11 o'clock point and they were all out of focus. (Focus was locked on left eye) I always lock on the eye (or the mouth if I can use center focus). I can't do that too much though, so I have to use the outer focus points. I always shoot on a tripod. The 12 o'clock works fine as does the 1 o'clock. I was shooting 1/90 - 1/125 5.6 with the 24-70 which I've been using for a few years with my 10D. Any help would be appreciated.

[tim]

The centre focus point is more sensitive, but i've used the other focus points usually with good effect. I get more shots out of focus with the non-centre points, but still most are ok. I'm suprised you got OOF shots at F5.6, small errors should be covered by the wider DOF there. I'd do some controlled tests to see if it's working, if you're not happy then your only option is to send it to Canon for them to take a look.

[PacAce]

What exactly do you mean by "a focus point that doesn't work"? Do you mean that a particular AF point doesn't work although some others, like the center, does? If so, that should be easy enough to test. Point the suspect AF point at a distant object and see if it focuses, or see if it's at least in focus. Then point the same point at a near object, which should be blurred, and press the shutter button or the "*" button if you use that for focusing. If the AF point is working, then you should see the near object come into focus.

Or, are you asking if it's possible for the different focusing points to have different degrees of focusing accuracy? The answer to that question would be Yes. The center AF point, which is the most sensitive AF point, is much more accurate than the other AF points. That is the reason it is recommended that the center AF point be used in low lighting situations for better focusing.

[gasrocks]

Did it light up red for confirmation?

[Brianbar]

I had the same problem just a few days ago, only to find out somehow I had switched the Auto Focus to Manual Focus on the lens.
Keep us posted.
Brian

[MichelleP]

Yes, I got focus confirmation. File viewer shows active focus point directly over the eye. AF one shot mode. It's way off on the focus. I have to throw all the shots out. It seems to have focused to the front on those. I changed to a different location where she is leaning against a wood shed. With the same focus point over the eye, the grain of the wood behind her is perfectly in focus. You can even see it's not in focus on the lcd. I usually don't check for focus on the lcd since it's hard to see outside. I only check the histogram. The top focus point works best and the one to the right is OK. I always shoot in the same locations so I know them very well. I regularly shot the 10D at 1/20-1/30 using any of the focusing points. It wasn't perfect by any means but I learned to work with it. I shoot natural light with a reflector, which may be tricky for auto focus. Focusing is getting so tedious that it's taking the fun out of shooting for me. I also shot some with my 85 1.8 at 2.8. Those came out fine. Used top focus on those for vertical shots and also top focus point for the horizontal close-ups. Maybe I should have made my life a little easier and sprung for a Mark 2. (and gave up my vacation!) I'm going to re-shoot tomorrow so I'll see what happens.

[kenyc]

I had the same problem just a few days ago, only to find out somehow I had switched the Auto Focus to Manual Focus on the lens.
Keep us posted.
Brian

I did this too briefly over the weekend when shooting my daughters softball games. I'm still learning to use the camera and was totally confused til I discovered I'd bumped the AF switch on the lens.

KAC