Trouble with 1000d

kat180390

kat180390

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Kathryn
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Hi,

I bought a Canon 1000d a few months ago second hand and have only managed to get it out for a proper play around. I've never owned a proper dslr before so feel a bit lost!

I can't seem to get the camera to actually take photos, I've googled it and read my book but I'm really stuck and when it does take photos it doesn't focus! I was trying to take photos of aquarium fish so set it up manually but it wouldn't focus and the pictures came out blurry.

Then I set it to auto focus and set it so the camera would change the settings itself but it just kept clicking over and wouldn't take it.

It may sound stupid but I have no idea what I'm doing, I've put the lens on properly so I know it's not that and it will end up being one button I haven't clicked!

If anyone could shed any light or even teach me step by step how to fix it I'd appreciate it so much!

Thanks :)
 
Hi Kathryn. Don't worry, we all go through the mill with our first foray into "real" photography.

You are setting yourself a difficult task with aquarium fish. They are difficult subjects for any photographer.

May I suggest starting on easier shots. Read several articles on general photography and particularly on controlling depth of field. You need not lay out money as there are thousands of excellent tutorials free on line. Learn how you camera's auto focus system works and which settings are most suitable for particualr scenes. It will take time, but if you keep shooting and taking on board the lessons learnt from the tutorials, I promise the skills will follow.
 
When you set the camera to autofocus (the slider on the lens), did you see/hear the camera hunting for focus, or did nothing happen whatsoever?

I'd definitely try some static, well lit targets first! Maybe try a few with the flash raised (set it to P mode, and press the flash button on the front of the camera. It should do the rest) to see if bad lighting is to blame for lack of focus or picture blur
 
Thank you for both replies. Will have a go with easier subjects first!

When I click the button to be taking the picture it is trying to do something but doesn't actually take it if you know what I mean?

Thanks
 
I assume you mean when you half press the shutter release button there is a pause. That is the camera and lens atempting to achieve focus. If the light is poor it my take a second or two or may not achieve focus at all. In which case the camera may not operate.

Try a wider aperture (smaller F number) and/or higher ISO number.

If the above makes no sense, then have a read of the many articles on the web about the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO. It is vital you understand that thoroughly before attempting ambitious shots.
 
How close to the tank are you?

There's a certain distance you need to be before the camera can focus, it could be that you're just a bit too close. That was my first mistake!
 
As above, if you are in an aquarium with low light conditions on a/f the camera may well not take a photo, the reason is that if the camera can not get a lock on then it wont take a photo.

Keep with it and unfortunately in dark conditions depending on the lens sometimes manual focus is the way to go. :)
 
All your suggestions are helping, thank you. It seems to be a problem of how close/far I am away from what I'm shooting. It's much harder to get used to than I thought it would of been.

Thanks
 
If you are closer than the minimum focus distance for the camera/lens then it will not be able to focus but that should be indicated in the viewfinder somewhere.
 
from whats written it would appear you are trying to focus on a subject that is too close..... if this is the case, the details on screen and within the view finder would flash etc.... if you took a step back and then zoomed in you would probably find it ok....

do you have a ipad/iphone or the like??? when i first started on my 1000d i got some apps on my ipad, which were like visual mini instruction booklets which you can learn alot from quickly with little effort.... well worth the 2 or 3 quid investment!!
 
What will it say on the viewfinder? I don't want to come across as stupid but it's so confusing! I don't have either but I'll see if I can get them on Android

Thanks
 
My 60D does a beep when it's focused. Nothing when it's not. Oh and the focus point will flash but I don't know if the 1000D does that too.

To figure out how far away you need to be to focus, stand at one end of the room and try focusing on the farthest item you can see, then gradually work your way forward. This way when you get really close you'll be able to see how close/far away you are from that closest item you can focus on, then you should be able to stand that far from the tank and get it to focus from there.
 
kat180390 said:
What will it say on the viewfinder? I don't want to come across as stupid but it's so confusing! I don't have either but I'll see if I can get them on Android

Thanks
Click to expand...

It has a focus confirmation indicator which is a dot between arrows.

Go to the section "AF mode is set to One-Shot AF" which explains it well and the possible causes although doesn't mention the 'too close' limitation for some reason!

http://www.canon.co.uk/support/consumer_products/products/cameras/digital_slr/eos_1000d.aspx?faqtcmuri=tcm:14-782570&page=1&type=faq
 
secondly most of the canon lens have the minimum focus distance on the base of the lens
 
An easy way to find mimimum focus distance is to set lens to manual, rotate the focus dial all the way clockwise while holding camera as you are about to take a shot and then look at the surface of a table edge on or along the length of a well lit wall and you will see an area of focus and blurring either side
 
what lens is on the camera ? is the focus indicator not a green box and out of focus a red 1? can you not download the instructions of the canon web site
 
if it is the kit lens, which is the 18-55mm IS zoom, the minimum focal distance is about 0.25m, that is 25cm.
 
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