Why does my Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 make a ticking sound in Live View?
Asked 9/24/2015
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My Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 makes a constant ticking/clicking sound only when I use Live View. The lens still focuses and takes photos normally, and the sound stops when I review images, remove the lens, or exit Live View. My other lens does not do this. Is this a fault, or is it normal behavior?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
3
The noise you are hearing is the lens being slightly refocused by the active AF while using Live View. The EF 50mmf/1.8 II is one of the noisiest lenses in the Canon lineup when focusing. You are hearing it every time it moves just a tad. If the noise really bothers you there are a few options to avoid it.
- Turn off active AF while in Live View (if possible with the T3). You will need to map a button to engage auto focus when desired. By default when in video mode most Canon models use the AF ON button if the camera has one, or the AE Lock (*) button if it does not. Depending on the T3's menu, you may be able to remap a button to perform the AF ON function while shooting stills in Live View.
- Turn AF off completely and use manual focus.
- Use a different lens. The EF 50mm f/1.4 is much quieter and also has a usable manual focus ring. The newer EF 50mm f/1.8 STM has also addressed both the usable manual focus ring and the noisy focus of the older lens.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
This is most likely normal. In Live View, the camera may keep making small autofocus adjustments, and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 is known for having a relatively noisy focus motor. The ticking sound is usually just the lens refocusing slightly over and over.
A common trigger is continuous AF behavior such as AI Servo in Live View. If you switch to One Shot or AI Focus, or disable continuous/active AF, the noise may stop. You can also switch the lens to manual focus if you do not need autofocus during Live View.
If the lens still focuses correctly and works normally otherwise, it is probably not a defect. It is more noticeable on this lens than on quieter Canon lenses.
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