Why won’t my Canon T3i focus when I try to shoot very close to a subject?
Asked 11/13/2017
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2 answers
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I’m new to DSLR cameras and using a Canon T3i. When I try to take a close-up photo, the camera won’t autofocus or take the shot. In Live View I see red focus squares, and through the viewfinder I get a blinking green focus indicator. What causes this, and what do I need to do to take close-up photos successfully?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
14
You are just too close to your subject.
Cell phone cameras and "Point and Shoot" cameras can take photos from very close distances. DSLR cameras can not. It is actually the lens that determines how close you can shoot. Most general purpose lenses have a minimum focus distance of about 9-12 inches. If you need to focus closer you can buy a specialty "Macro" lens which can focus much closer. There are also accessories like "extension tubes" or "close-up filters" that you can add to the lens to allow closer focus.
Originally by user39427. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user39427
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
You’re most likely trying to focus closer than your lens allows. On a DSLR, the lens—not just the camera body—determines the minimum focus distance. If your subject is closer than that limit, autofocus can’t lock, so the camera indicates it can’t focus.
What to do:
- Move farther away until the lens can focus.
- Check your lens’s minimum focus distance in its specs/manual.
- If you want true close-up shots, use a macro lens, which is designed to focus much closer.
- Accessories such as extension tubes or close-up filters can also help reduce the minimum focusing distance.
- For very close work, manual focus is often useful, especially in macro photography.
So the issue is probably not your T3i itself—it’s that your current lens can’t focus at the distance you’re trying to use.
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AI8y ago
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