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Hi my EOS 6d mark ii camera will not focus when I am trying to get a close up photo but will focus on a far away object. Please help.

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    \$\begingroup\$ Hi Jaime ponce, Welcome to Photography StackExchange. We hope you enjoy sharing knowledge and experience. It would be helpful if you could add some relevant details such as how close, is this a recent issue, the lens is also of some interest. Please add such detail to your question so we can give you a relevant answer. As it is, you question doesn't give us much to go on. \$\endgroup\$
    – Stan
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 3:52
  • \$\begingroup\$ What kind of lens are you using? How close are you focusing? \$\endgroup\$
    – Mike Sowsun
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 10:30
  • \$\begingroup\$ Related: Why we can't use telephoto lens for macro objects? and What is the relationship between “macro” and “telephoto” lenses? and What is a macro lens? \$\endgroup\$
    – Michael C
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 11:01
  • \$\begingroup\$ Close focus ability depends on the lens not the camera. You haven't mentioned what lens you are using. Also, please state whether you were previously able to focus this close. As a very first step, go and check the manufacturer's website for the specifications of the lens - it will list how close this lens can focus. \$\endgroup\$
    – osullic
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 16:48
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    \$\begingroup\$ So, I've answered your question assuming that you don't know about minimum focusing distance. However, if you do and your problem is instead that you once could focus at a small distance and now can't - that changes things entirely and indicates a possible lens/camera problem. If this is the case, please edit your question to clarify using the edit button. Thanks! \$\endgroup\$
    – OnBreak.
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 17:24

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The minimum focusing distance is the closest you can possibly get to a subject and obtain focus on that subject. This is a property of your lens, not your camera.

Please take a look at the specs for this Canon 24-105mm lens.

You’ll notice that the MFD is 1.48 feet / 45cm. This means that you physically cannot focus on an object that is closer to you than 1.48ft / 45cm.

If you are trying to get very, very close to an object, this type of photography is called Macro photography and there are dedicated macro lenses that have the ability to focus closer than your average lens. For example: this 100mm Macro lens’ MFD is 11.81 inches / 30cm.

Outside of getting a dedicated macro lens, one can use Extension Tubes with any lens to allow closer focusing, at the cost of not being able to focus far. How close you can get is dependent on the tube length and lens you’re using. The math gets fairly complex, especially with zooms, so the normal advice is simply: experiment.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Since lenses' values are commonly denoted in metric values, maybe use them as well? And perhaps because the far majority of the world is not using the imperial system (although it is used commonly used for LF and paper sizes, why do we have to complicate things? :) ). \$\endgroup\$
    – timvrhn
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 8:51
  • \$\begingroup\$ I’m not responsible for you being taught the wrong system, @TimStack ... \$\endgroup\$
    – OnBreak.
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 12:47
  • \$\begingroup\$ I’m jk. Was on mobile and lazy. Metrics coming... \$\endgroup\$
    – OnBreak.
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 12:47
  • \$\begingroup\$ Pft, speak for yourself :D Cheers! \$\endgroup\$
    – timvrhn
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 12:49
  • \$\begingroup\$ Hear hear! Metric system = wrong system? :facepalm: :-P \$\endgroup\$
    – osullic
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 16:50
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Your camera lens projects a miniature image onto the surface of the digital image sensor. The distance, lens to image sensor can be measured. If we make this measurement while the camera is imaging a far distant subject, we title this distance, the focal length. When photographing nearby subjects, their images are likely out-of-focus unless you manually or the camera automatically changes the distance lens-to-image sensor. This act is called “focusing”. Many simple camera systems do not provide a mechanism for super close focusing.

One work-around is to mount a supplemental lens before the lens. These are called close-up lenses and they are reasonably inexpensive. They come in various strengths. I suggest you acquire a +3. Such a lash up, when mounted will allow focusing on objects about 330mm (13 inches) distance. Sorry to report that when a +3 close-up is mounted, distant subjects will be out-of-focus. You can test this idea by going to the drugstore and buying +3 reading glasses and mounting one of the lenses using duct tape. If you like what you are getting, and then purchase a photo-grade close-up lens.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ If you're going to tape mount anything to a camera, I'd recommend painter's tape over any other type, as the glue is least likely to stick around after removing the tape. \$\endgroup\$
    – OnBreak.
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 17:21
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Hueco Or good gaffer's tape. \$\endgroup\$
    – mattdm
    Commented May 6, 2019 at 19:53

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