EOS 80D Shutter hesitation?

[LesC]

Used my new 80D for the 1st time yesterday at an airshow with the 100-400 F5.6L MKII.

Using 'Zone AF' (the middle 9 AF points), on I'd guess 25% of shots, when I pressed the shutter button to achieve focus & then take the shot, the shutter appeared to hesitate for a moment before the picture was taken.

At first I thought it was just that I'd pressed the shutter button right down & the camera was focusing before releasing the shutter. When I slowly focused with a half-press of the shutter button and then pressed the shutter down fully it worked fine. Testing again at home I can't recreate the problem.

However I have a niggling doubt that this could be an issue with the shutter button - I had a similar problem once with an old EOS 40D which had this problem intermittently.

I'll admit the above sounds like there probably isn't an issue, but should I send it back for checking/replacement? Is it really likely that a new camera body would have a 'sticking' shutter button?

 

[neuroanatomist]

It's possible – lemons happen. But also, there's a setting in the AF menus for shutter release priority (just take the pic) vs. focus priority (wait until focus is achieved before releasing shutter), and the latter setting could cause an occasional lag such as you describe.

 

[3kramd5]

I think your "at first I thought" is what was likely happening. It was trying to aquire focus, particularly if you have focus priority enabled, before releasing the shutter. You may be unable to replicate it if you're trying a less challenging AF situation.

Decoupling AF-on from the shutter release would be a sure fire way to avoid the issue.

 

[LesC]

Thanks guys. I guess focus priority applies to AI servo mode? I was shooting in one-shot AF mode...

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi LesC.
The following text is a quote from my 7D manual at the end of the "One-Shot AF for Still Subjects" paragraph, almost exactly the same words can be found in my 40D manual, and I suspect any other Canon camera manual you look at.

Quoted text.
If focus cannot be achieved, the focus confirmation light <o> in the viewfinder will blink. If this occurs, a picture cannot be taken even if the shutter button is pressed completely. Recompose the picture and try to focus again. Or see “When Autofocus Fails” (p.96).
 If the [1 Beep] menu is set to [Off], the beeper will not sound when focus is achieved.
End quote.

I suspect that the hesitation is whilst the AF gets a lock. It is essentially exactly the AF priority for AI Servo situation but hard wired in to one shot.
If you were not using one shot on stationary subjects might it have been one shot was struggling with the moving target?

Cheers, Graham.

Thanks guys. I guess focus priority applies to AI servo mode? I was shooting in one-shot AF mode...

 

[nc0b]

Interesting comment about your 40D. One of my 40D bodies has that problem. The shutter button on the Canon grip never had the issue. Is this a know glitch with some 40Ds vs. other models? Never seem it on my 60d, 6D or 5DsR as far as the button acting like it had dirt on the contact.

 

[LesC]

[quote
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Interesting comment about your 40D. One of my 40D bodies has that problem. The shutter button on the Canon grip never had the issue. Is this a know glitch with some 40Ds vs. other models? Never seem it on my 60d, 6D or 5DsR as far as the button acting like it had dirt on the contact.

Not sure if it's just the 40D or other XXD models if at all; I guess it's a fairly common issue as cameras get older? I'm just a little concerned that my new 80D may have a problem. Frustrating too that I can't be certain or not if it has a fault as difficult to recreate until I next visit an air show....

 

[LesC]

After a bit more testing with Zone AF and then single point AF (which I've always used in the past) it seems single point AF is somewhat quicker; I guess the camera doesn't have 9 points to check for focus...