4

My Canon EF 50mm 1.8 lens is making a noise I never heard before. It takes pictures and focus as usual but produces a constant ticking noise when using live view.

I honestly have no idea what could be the problem. The noise only stops when I'm viewing the photos, when I remove the lens or when I'm not using the live view. My other lens does not do this, so I'm 100% sure it's just this one.

Should I just ignore it ? I have no place to take it to get fixed.

|improve this question
  • Which camera? Is autofocus active the entire time you are in Live View? Which other lens? Most are a lot quieter than the EF 50mm f/1.8 II when focusing. – Michael C Sep 25 '15 at 0:45
  • Canon t3.. I regularly have the AF active while I'm using live view.. I know it tends to be loud, but this ticking noise is constant & very odd. Its never done this before. It stops once i switch the AF off also. But i like to have it on, which is why i can't stand this noise.. & the other lens is just the one the camera comes with when purchased.. @MichaelClark – Alysssa Sep 25 '15 at 0:58
3

The noise you are hearing is the lens being slightly refocused by the active AF while using Live View. The EF 50mmf/1.8 II is one of the noisiest lenses in the Canon lineup when focusing. You are hearing it every time it moves just a tad. If the noise really bothers you there are a few options to avoid it.

  • Turn off active AF while in Live View (if possible with the T3). You will need to map a button to engage auto focus when desired. By default when in video mode most Canon models use the AF ON button if the camera has one, or the AE Lock (*) button if it does not. Depending on the T3's menu, you may be able to remap a button to perform the AF ON function while shooting stills in Live View.
  • Turn AF off completely and use manual focus.
  • Use a different lens. The EF 50mm f/1.4 is much quieter and also has a usable manual focus ring. The newer EF 50mm f/1.8 STM has also addressed both the usable manual focus ring and the noisy focus of the older lens.
|improve this answer
  • Just to extend the third point, ALL lenses with the STM or USM designation should be very quiet. – Phil Anderson May 24 at 13:46
  • Not necessarily. USM and STM lenses with IS can be pretty noisy due to IS, rather than the AF motor. – Michael C May 24 at 14:42
  • My one is doing the same and it is not on auto focus – jackryrie Jun 9 at 3:31
2

Turn off AF Mode AI SERVO - that fixed the problem for me. AI FOCUS and ONE SHOT (on a T3) both were noiseless, AI SERVO had the clicking sound.

|improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.