20D Viewfinder/Focus Issues

Correct me if I'm wrong here (which is highly possible!)-

My 20D's viewfinder doesn't seem to be in focus for my eyesight. I've got the adjustment wheel as close as it can get but the autofocus "boxes" are still a little blurry. The adjustment wheel is turned as far as it can go. I don't wear glasses and have always had good vision.

So it seems like when I manually focus, my pictures come out that much out of focus. In autofocus mode, images don't look in focus to me. Obviously that's a problem.

What to do? Did I just get a bad 20D? I could replace the viewfinder screen, but isn't that a little tricky & expensive?
I paid about $300 for this camera, it seems like sinking another $100-$150 into isn't the best idea when I could get a 40D for about that ($450-500)...

You can get Canon dioptre adjustment lens that might be your solution for e.g. although I don't know if these ones are a match for the 20D: http://shop.usa.canon.​com …gory_10051_1005​1_-1_12104

If your eyesight is good then just check to see if the previous owner didn't leave one of these dioptric lens already on the body, otherwise get an eye test. Can your friends use the viewfinder without issue?

Do autofocus images look in focus on your computer monitor?

silps wrote in post #9517937
You can get Canon dioptre adjustment lens that might be your solution: http://shop.usa.canon.​com …gory_10051_1005​1_-1_12104

If your eyesight is good then just check to see if the previous owner didn't leave one of these dioptric lens already on the body, otherwise get an eye test. Can your friends use the viewfinder without issue?

Do autofocus images look in focus on your computer monitor?

No, they look out of focus once I upload them from the camera. I haven't tried to do a live feed to my computer. I think that's possible with the Canon software, right? I've only ever used Lightroom & Photoshop for editing, I've never touched the stock software since it's out of date.

The 20D's screen is too small to tell if shots are in focus unless I super pixel peep them, which I usually don't have time to do in the heat of the moment. Honestly, the viewfinder image is pretty small, too.

Good idea though, I'll have a friend take a look through it.

How do I check if there's already a screen in there? I don't think there is, I got it from a guy that never used it. It's super minty.

If you have good vision, the diopter should be adjusted to the 'middle'. It shouldnt be at either extreme...

Also, if youre using canon lenses, you can still get AF confirmation even if you are in MF mode...

Maybe I'm going blind!

Could the camera be out of alignment in someway?
Surely it must be the gear's fault!

I had a 20D and when I looked at the images on my PC they were not in focus and even more so when I pixel peeped. I sent the camera back and got a 10D which is fine.

Also, too me it seemed that with the 20D I was getting a lot of camera shake and I think it was due to the mirror flipping up when I took a shot (seemed like it had quite a kick to me). Camera shake would explain why your pics are out of focus if its not a faulty camera. Can you post a pic here for us to see?

The dioptre lenses slide onto the viewfinder so just slide it up to see whats already on there.

It sounds like you have two issues. First there is the issue of the viewfinder being out of focus - You being able to see the focus points clearly is not dependent on anything but the diopter settings. The second issue is that your pictures are out of focus, I'm not sure that I can assist you there, but from my perspective you have two options 1. Dig into the camera and if you make it worse throw it away and spend the 450 or so on a 40D or 2. Send it to Canon and see how much they will charge to fix your issues.

If you already think you are going to spend the 450 then I'm not sure what you have to lose by digging in if you are comfortable doing that. Let us know what you do, the 20D is one heck of a workhorse camera and worth trying to save.

Yeah check how much it will cost to fix, otherwise take advantage of the Canon Loyalty program and get one of their 50Ds.

First, even if the diopter is wrong for your eye, you can still get sharp focus, just focus as close as you can. The point at which the viewfinder appears to be "most" in focus is correct.

Second, the focus screen/ viewfinder, if it has a problem, has no bearing on auto focus. In fact, you can remove the focus screen completely and the camera will still auto focus

If you have "pretty good eyes" I don't understand why the diopter won't work for you. I'd be finding a local friend with any camera (doesn't have to be Canon) which has an adjustable diopter and do some experimenting.

I'm VERY near sighted, and my diopter can focus (at one extreme) my worst eye which is INCREDIBLY near sighted, as well as my "better" eye, and at near the other extreme, can also correct if I'm using my glasses. I don't normally do all this, but I have experimented to my best liking.

Incidently, I have an Xt, 20D, 40D, and Elan7 film cameras, all with adjustable diopoters

In all honesty,, get your eyes checked.. If your diopta is at an extreme end it's your eyes..

I wear glasses and adjusting the diopta without glasses I'm at an extreme end and still a bit blurry.. With glasses, somewhere in the middle..

This is all very good advice, thanks for the replies!

I think I should clarify that when I let the camera autofocus (and ignore the semi-blurry red squares), it doesn't look in focus to me through the viewfinder. When I load them onto my computer or review on the camera screen they're good.

I think the problem is the cycle that happens:
The camera autofocuses, the image doesn't look focused to me, so I manually focus to what I think looks good through the viewfinder and take the shot. I review the image and it's not in focus because either my eyesight is bad or the viewfinder is.
Since I'm perfect, it surely must be the viewfinder!

Honestly, the viewfinder is so small (and the screen) that I have a hard time telling if something is really sharply focused or not. On my ol' Minolta X700 I could see everything pretty clearly in comparison to the 20D.

I think I should get my eyes checked either way.

I wonder if your eyes are just having trouble focusing on bright red. If your vision is good and you have the diopter adjustment in the middle the AF confirm boxes will be reasonably sharp. Also as others have already said, even if what you see in the viewfinder were fuzzy because the diopter were set wrong or you have poor vision if you nail the AF the resulting image should be sharp.

Just in case something else is going on here could you please post 1 or 2 of the problem photos along with the shutter speed and aperture they were shot at?

You'll also find that with the 20D the viewfinder is extremely difficult to MF with, especially with a slow lens or dim light. In addition any auto-focus lens that I have gives the ability to MF, but not with the same precision as older MF lenses I've used in the past.

Canon states in their manuals that the diopter wheel should be adjusted so the AF points are in sharp focus.

After your statement that when you let the camera do the focusing, there is no problem, but when you adjust the focus they are blurry leads me to believe you need to have your eyes checked. If you can't get the focus points sharp with the diopter wheel, then it's likely your eyesight is off.

I'm thinking that it's my eyesight. Never had a problem as a kid so I never thought about it.

Last night I set the viewfinder adjustment wheel at the center postition and let the camera autofocus, and it wasn't in focus to me. I then adjusted the wheel all the way to the negative setting and the view sharpened up considerably.
Maybe I just need a -2 viewfinder insert? I don't seem to need glasses anywhere else in my life.
How do you install those anyway?
The viewfinder, not the glasses....