Why won’t my Nikon D5500 autofocus when I half-press the shutter?
Asked 2/7/2018
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I’m new to photography and have always focused manually on my Nikon D5500. Now I’m trying to use autofocus, but with any lens attached, half-pressing the shutter doesn’t make the camera focus. I end up turning the focus ring myself and watching for the focus confirmation dot in the viewfinder, which only seems to blink. What should I check to get autofocus working?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
2
In the manual p78 or so, there's a handful of conditions that the autofocus would have problems getting a fix. When I play around with a test shot with my Olympus, if I try to get a lock on a blank wall, it would usually fail.
Does the lens go in and out of focus when you try to get a fix?
An alternative could be that your settings have been reconfigured for back-button focus, and the half-press does not activate auto-focus. But that shouldn't cause a green blink...
Another thing you could double check is try to auto-focus in live view.
Originally by user67603. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user67603
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
First check the simplest cause: make sure the lens’s AF/M switch is fully set to autofocus and not stuck between AF and M. If the switch isn’t fully engaged, the camera may not drive focus at all.
If that looks correct, try focusing on a subject with clear contrast and detail, not a plain wall or low-contrast surface. Autofocus can fail in those situations, and a blinking focus indicator usually means focus hasn’t been achieved.
Also check whether autofocus has been reassigned from the shutter button to back-button focus. If that setting was changed, a half-press of the shutter won’t activate AF.
A good test is to try autofocus in Live View as well. If it works there but not through the viewfinder, that helps narrow down whether it’s a settings issue or a viewfinder AF issue.
So, in order: verify the lens AF/M switch, try a higher-contrast subject in good light, check for back-button focus settings, and test in Live View.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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