Canon Digital Rebel XT locks up!! Help...

[LVB]

I have had my Digital Rebel XT for three months and have not had any trouble at all with it until this weekend...I love this camera!!

BUT...it has started locking up on me. I can take a few photos, and then the next time I point and start to focus, it doesn't give the beeping noise that lets you know it has focused and then it won't shoot at all. I can turn it off, and turn it back on, reset the frame for a different shot, and it still won't fire.

I am not sure how it eventually will start to fire again, as I haven't been able to figure out why it isn't firing in the first place.
I am using the camera in everything "auto" mode...so I haven't played with any settings. The battery is fresh, the CF card is installed properly...

What is wrong???
Has anyone else had this happen?

I need to figure this out soon (and two days with the manual has been NO help!)....I need this camera to be perfectly operational in two weeks!! I can't afford to have it lock up on itself for no reason at all...

Can someone help?

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[TheObiJuan]

How much light is the camera exposed to when this happens?
Have you tried the camera with other lenses? If so, is the problem replicated?
Can you post a picture with EXIF info entact that was taken when this problem occured?

[24Peter]

I haven't heard of anyone with this issue. but... 1) You may want to try a different memory card. 2) I think you can do a reset of everything on the camera and see if that helps. 3) Have you upgraded the firmware?

If none of those help, it sounds like the camera needs to be serviced. You may want to call Canon tomorrow (Mon.)

[cdifoto]

Take the lens off and gently rub the contacts with a clean pencil eraser. Do the same to the camera's lens contacts. Make sure you hold the camera upside down when you do it and blow off any eraser dust with a clean blower like a Giottos Rocket Blower. Might be dirty contacts.

[LVB]

Ok...I will answer the further questions...this is good, Maybe we can get it narrowed down this way.

The light exposure varies when this happens. I have taken about 1600 photos since getting the camera in August, some inside in very low light, some outdoors, some at the beach...never had this happen...
BOth times it happened this weekend, it was indoors, but the light was very good.

I have used two different lenses when this occured. The first time, yesterday was my Canon EF 18-55, and then today I used my Sigma lens (I think it is 28 to 170 or something like that)

I can't post any photos from this weird "phenomenon", as, when the camera locks up, it will not focus, and it will NOT take the picture!! I was so irritated yesterday....I missed some incredible once-in-a-lifetime candids!!!
The button just locks up and won't depress when you try to push it down to shoot.

What is EXIF??

How do you do a reset of everything on the camera?

I am worried to clean the lens contacts...I don't have a little blower, so I don't want to get the eraser particles inside the camera...should I take the camera to our local Wolf Camera and let them do it?? They know me there.

By the way, the owners manual on this thing stinks when it comes to trouble-shooting!! :(

Thanks for all the quick responses....keep 'em coming!:)

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[LVB]

One more thing...
the CF card is relatively "new"...I have only taken about 100 or so photos on it prior to this happening. (I can usually get about 520 on the cards I am using)....but, if it is a problem with the card, (which I did take out for a minute and then put it back in, just in case) why would it let me take so many photos before it started acting stupid??

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[TheObiJuan]

simple, next time this happens, put the lens in Manuel Focus mode, if you are then able to take the picture, then it is because the lens has poor focusing. In that case it would be prudent to add more light to the room or use flash.

exif is the exposure info about a picture.

Regarding the lens cleaning, it's not hard, you can buy a blower bulb from many stores, online or Wolf.


Also, I don't think the camera is being stupid, it's just reacting to using cheap and slow to focus lenses. Throw a 85L on it and it will focus in the dark.

[24Peter]

Does the camera actually freeze? Or does it just not take a picture because the AF can't lock on your subject? I thought the whole camera locked up and became unresponsive. If the shutter won't trigger but the camera is still functioning, as Juan said it simply means there isn't enough light to engage the AF sensor. This is normal operation. Get an external flash (e.g., Canon speedlite) which has infrared AF assist and you can focus in the dark!

[coldrain]

Does the camera actually freeze? Or does it just not take a picture because the AF can't lock on your subject? I thought the whole camera locked up and became unresponsive. If the shutter won't trigger but the camera is still functioning, as Juan said it simply means there isn't enough light to engage the AF sensor. This is normal operation. Get an external flash (e.g., Canon speedlite) which has infrared AF assist and you can focus in the dark!
It indeed may be that the camera can not focus because the focus point is on something very contrastless and maybe dark. Another option is that it has a problem communicating to the lens, but this will give an error. When this happens, do you get ane ERR_99 on the upper LCD? Do you get an Err message at all? If the camera really locks up there should be an ERR on there.