AF assist light, has anyone used one?

[Eric DeCastro]

http://camerabright.com/camerabright_x1.htm

or something like this? I see alot during my even coverage of car shows, but forget to ask people where they get them.

[DaveG]

http://camerabright.com/camerabright_x1.htm

or something like this? I see alot during my even coverage of car shows, but forget to ask people where they get them.

If you have a 10D and a Canon flash like the 550/580 and (I think) the 420 then you have an AF assist light built into your camera/flash. You select Single Shot (that's the AF setting, not the "motordrive") and enable either all of the focusing rectagles or at least the centre one. Turn on the flash and point it at the subject. You'll see that a red light has been emitted from the flash and the camera will use this to focus with. In fact if the red light is the ONLY light on in the otherwise dark room, then the camera will AF in that total darkness.

I was playing with a Fuji S3 a few weeks ago and its focus assist is a blindingly bright white light. It might work OK for focus assist but I would expect to hear any number of complaints, not to mention horrible expressions if I was trying to use this at a corporate cocktail party or any other assignment where there was subdued lighting. the Canon red-light idea is much better. It's discrete and won't ruin anyone's night vision.

[mbze430]

That just depends. If anyone owns a Elan 7 series they know how the flash is used to assist AF as well. That's bright. So bright that people thinks its a flash and confuses the subject into thinking you alreaedy took the picture.

My solution to low light AF is manual focusing :) However if I happened to have my ST-E2 with me, I use it as my AF assisted light

[Eric DeCastro]

if you are using a flash braket the IR leight won't be in the frame, now i know my camera i'm very aware of the IR af assit light, I was asking about the product i posted.

[DaveG]

if you are using a flash braket the IR leight won't be in the frame, now i know my camera i'm very aware of the IR af assit light, I was asking about the product i posted.

Eye gues y'll half too fgur it ot on yer onne.