# WHAT are these SHADOWS in my pictures?????



## LD67 (Apr 8, 2013)

I just got my Rebel t3 about a week and a half ago. The majority of my pictures have been fine, but quite a few also have this weird shadow in them! These pictures were shot in raw using the Auto setting. Any idea id i'm doing something wrong, or is my camera defective??? 

Here's a link to where i have a few of the pictures with the shadows in them: Shadows - a set on Flickr

Thanks for any info you can give me!!!


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## nmoody (Apr 8, 2013)

Looks like either a shutter in your camera or aperture fin in your lens are broken. Do you have multiple lenses to test with?


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## LD67 (Apr 8, 2013)

nope. just the lens it came with. but out of about 300+ shots, i'd say only like 15 had this weird shadow thing happen. the rest were fine. if it were broken, shouldn't more pics have been effected this way?


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## Derrel (Apr 8, 2013)

Looks to me like the camera's NECKSTRAP is in front of the lens or in front of the flash's light-output window. If it happened in only 15 out of 300 shots, and you are new to that camera, it could very easily be that kind of an issue. THis type of issue has been going on for many,many years.


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## TATTRAT (Apr 8, 2013)

I had this issue once, it was an evil demon spirit that haunted my camera.



But nah, it's more than likely Derrel suggested.


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## LD67 (Apr 8, 2013)

it DOES look like that, but i don't have a camera strap on the camera! nor was my hand in front of the lens or flash. i also have the canon S5IS and NEVER had a picture come out like these.


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## Derrel (Apr 8, 2013)

How bout a fumble-fingered finger????? You have plenty of those to go around...it looks a lot like obstruction to me.


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## runnah (Apr 8, 2013)

I had this happen to me the other day when I used an OCF. Almost seemed like the flash and the shutter were out of sync. I sag this because the shadow was dead straight and in the same spot even when moving.

Turned camera off and in and it cleared it up.


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## EIngerson (Apr 8, 2013)

That is definitely not a flash to shutter speed issue. It would be a straight line across the frame if it was. It definitely looks like an obstruction to me.


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## LD67 (Apr 8, 2013)

it certainly looks like an obstruction. but there was none! the pics of my dogs, for instance. they were like 3 feet in front of me. my fingers were not in front of the lens or the flash. plus, it's not a solid obstruction. you can see through it. so, if it IS an obstruction, i have NO idea what it is or how it got there.


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## duhast (Apr 8, 2013)

Shadow people - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## dbvirago (Apr 8, 2013)

Was there an ancient Indian burial ground anywhere in the vicinity?


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## DarkShadow (Apr 8, 2013)

New Episode coming soon,The Paranormal investigation of the t3 or will it be debunked.


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## TATTRAT (Apr 8, 2013)

DarkShadow said:


> New Episode coming soon,The Paranormal investigation of the t3 or will it be debunked.



based on your screen name, I'd say you are doing a great job photo bombing folks.


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## 480sparky (Apr 8, 2013)

I'd say you have a shutter taking a dump on you.


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## DarkShadow (Apr 8, 2013)

Thank you,I get around:evil:


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## nmoody (Apr 8, 2013)

Based on everything I am pretty sure its a leaf shutter that occasionally dislodges.Since you recently purchased it I would bring it back to the store and exchange for another.


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## bvjgcigh (Apr 9, 2013)

I'm not sure, but a few of those pictures have an interesting look with that shadow.


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## imagemaker46 (Apr 9, 2013)

Ya it looks like a shutter problem. I blew up shutters on my camera twice and saw the same thing.  You can only run 200,000 frames though a camera before the shutter says that enough.


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## o hey tyler (Apr 9, 2013)

nmoody said:


> Based on everything I am pretty sure its a leaf shutter that occasionally dislodges.Since you recently purchased it I would bring it back to the store and exchange for another.



DSLRs have focal plane shutters, not leaf shutters bro.


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## Buckster (Apr 9, 2013)

They look like shadows from the left hand holding the lens over-handed to me and getting in the way of the on-board flash, with individual fingers occasionally letting gaps of light through.


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## LD67 (Apr 9, 2013)

it DOES look like a hand! that's what was also driving me nuts! the thing is, i was holding the camera in the bottom left corner with my left hand. so there goes THAT theory. 

i think it's exchange time.


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## TCampbell (Apr 9, 2013)

Tyler is right.  This is no shutter or mirror problem.  If you set a shutter speed faster than the flash-sync speed then you'd get a dark "band" but it would be a rectangular section that was too dark -- not these odd shaped shadows as seen here.  Same would be true if the mirror were sticking.  

My suspicion is that:

1)  something is blocking the flash (that should be easy to spot)
2)  something really was blocking the lens... the lens-strap, a finger, something
3)  something is inside the camera sensor housing.  But something in the camera would be very easy to spot.  Just remove the lens and put the camera into manual sensor-cleaning mode.  The mirror will swing up and the curtain shutter will slide open.  If something large enough to cause that shadow is in there, you're going to see it.
4)  something is inside the lens (very unlikely).  If you think there's something loose inside the lens, just remove the lens from the camera and look through it with the front and rear caps removed.  Canon lenses always park the aperture blades in the retracted position so it's really easy to see through them.


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## runnah (Apr 9, 2013)

This was the issues I was having. See how it is a straight line, I am not expert but it looks you have something be it a hand, strap or something blocking the flash. Were you using a lens hood?


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## Tony S (Apr 10, 2013)

Here's my uneducated guess that's worth exactly what you are paying for it,  lol. 

   Since you say your dogs were only three feet away from you I am assuming you are using a wide angle lens (also from the distortion in the white railing in one of the shots) to take the pictures.  When shooting a really wide angle, sometimes you can get too close and the flash will shoot over the top of your subject, or as I suspect may be the case here, be blocked by the lens hood.  The odd shapes are probably from the light hitting the petals on the hood giving you shaped shadows.  If it's a zoom lens try zooming in to see if it goes away or leave the setting where it is and try to bounce the flash in off a reflector above so the light comes from a different direction.


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## Robin_Usagani (Apr 10, 2013)

You shoot like my daughter.


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## Tony S (Apr 10, 2013)

No way...... your daughter has a much cooler hat than the OP.  lol


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## Derrel (Apr 10, 2013)

Robin_Usagani said:


> You shoot like my daughter.



That girl is ready for a Canon!!!


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## tegeltka (Apr 10, 2013)

Take another 200 pictures in one sitting, be EXTRA careful you're not obstructing it with anything. If some photos still have this, you take it to the repairs. The warranty will cover it (if you bought it new from a store).


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## PeterGC (Apr 11, 2013)

I had a similar issue on my twins birthday on Monday. My on board flash was casting a cresent moon shaped shadow at the bottom of the frame due to my Canon 17 - 55 mm efs being to big. I will get a picture up after work


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## LD67 (Apr 11, 2013)

camera has been exchanged. trouble is GONE!

robin, i have quite a few hats. but hers wins!


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