I got a new camera (canon Rebel 3ti) for christmas to that I can take pics of my dogs, and i hate it.

i know that its supposed to be nice, and others like it, but when it does not take pics every time.

I want a camera that will work every time i take a picture, it works.

This one seems to be trying to focus over and over, and when i click the button, it does not work.

I would greatly appreciate any help,

thanks

It really depends so much on what lens/settings/subjects you are trying to photograph. In low light settings or with subjects with very little contrast, the focus mechanism is not getting enough information for a good focus. Also, depending on the size of the lens you are using, you may be too close to the subject for it to focus and are on the wrong setting.

Canons can be a little fussier on the focus, but there are reasons for that. If you are not getting a good focus, try using the manual focus rings. Go through your troubleshooting sections and other sections in your owner's manual so that you might be able to avoid these situations in the future.

Good luck

Yes - just because you have a nice camera doesn't mean it can perform miracles. You need adequate lighting for the camera to be able to focus - if you want to take pictures in low light, you must buy a fast lens - read $$$$$. If you do not want to buy a good lens (like an EF 70-200 f2.8L lens for about $2500), you have go outside, be far enough away from the dog to focus (look on the lens - it should have a minimum focusing distance on it near where it attaches to the camera). I highly recommend getting some books on photography and learning a bit about f-stop, aperture, etc... to get the most of out a decent camera. Also go through the book you got with your camera - I also like the
Digital Field Guide line of instructional books.


Good luck - with a little practice you should be able to get good pictures under the constraints of whatever lens you are using with your camera.

I have been taking pics for about 10 years, and have gotten some really nice magazine quality pics of dogs & kids, but i used sony cameras. And most of my best pictures have been outside.

The button came off my sony again, so i needed a new camera, and the canon seemed to have a nice feel, and good rating, and i have a canon camera that uses film, which is a really good camera from the past.

i am so confused & discussed because i was used to taking pics anytime, and this camera will not do that.

My daughter in lay has nicon dslr, and our pastor uses the canon, and he loves it.

I need something that can take pictures of my dogs, and kids.

Are you using a good flash card? You need the high speed ones.

What lens are you using? Are you in a mode that isn't compatible for taking kid/dog pictures? Did you read the owner's manual for the new camera? I was using a 40D for a long time then hubby gave me a 7D a few years ago. I was quite underwhelmed with the pictures from the 7D until I figured out with the higher resolution came the requirement for more care in the selection of the mode/aperture/speed/etc... When I paid more attention to what I was doing, I got great pictures with the appropriate lens for the occasion. Where are you trying to take pictures (inside/outside)? Are you getting any pictures? Is the focusing mode correct? There are a myriad of questions that need to be answered before more diagnoses can be made.

the people from best by sold me a flash card for the camera. I think it is a good one

I was using the auto mode, and i have not read the manuel. i have been trying to find tuturiols on the internet.

Also, i was taking pics in the house for christmas, i took a few outside in the snow.

I am using the lens that it came with 18-55.

Well, that lens is pretty cheapo - you can get good pictures, but I'd recommend trying to buy a better lens - I like the EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM - very nice lens - almost L-quality photos for about $600. The lens that came with your camera is a $150 lens - price = quality.

Anyway - back to auto mode. While it's easy, I usually use the "Av" or aperture priority mode as I like to set my aperture depending on what I'm taking a picture of, then letting the camera set the speed. Outdoors that works quite well. Indoors it's a bit trickier due to lack of light - I assume you're using the onboard flash? I would try using some of the creative modes for indoor shooting - better suited to the situation.

Here's a useful tutorial I found: http://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/canon-rebel-t3i/

I'm not familiar with this particular Canon camera, but up until a couple of years ago (before I switched to Nikon) I knew Canon inside out. There should be a custom function that defaults to "don't take a picture until focus is obtained", basically. If you want to override that, you can do so at your own peril - the shutter will then fire if you are 10 feet away but the focus is set for infinity.

After almost 40 years of shooting Canon I left because of persistent focusing issues with the 5D, 5D Mark II, and 1DS3. These are not inexpensive cameras, and I was using Canon's L lenses exclusively. As usual, your mileage may vary....