# Focus Assist Canon Rebel



## Yzerwing (Dec 9, 2013)

Hi all,

I have a Canon Rebel T3 recently at a party I was shooting people on the dance floor and at times it was to dark for auto-focus to work. I was told I need a focus assist light and that some cameras have them built in and others don't. It looks like there is a light next to the shutter button on my T3 but I don't know how to turn it on. I have been told by others that I have to shoot in single shot mode for it to work but that doesn't seem to work either. 

Does the Rebel T3 have a focus assist light or not? And if not what should I then do? I am obviously a little confused by the amount of different and sometimes conflicting information I have received from various other people I know.

Please help a confused amateur photographer.


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## robbins.photo (Dec 9, 2013)

Yzerwing said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I have a Canon Rebel T3 recently at a party I was shooting people on the dance floor and at times it was to dark for auto-focus to work. I was told I need a focus assist light and that some cameras have them built in and others don't. It looks like there is a light next to the shutter button on my T3 but I don't know how to turn it on. I have been told by others that I have to shoot in single shot mode for it to work but that doesn't seem to work either.
> 
> ...



Ok, not a canon owner - but the T3 should have  focus assist lamp, what your looking for should be on page 86 and page 255 of your instruction manual.   Odds are good if the lighting is that poor though you will need a flash or a pretty fast lens to get usable results.


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## The_Traveler (Dec 9, 2013)

Have you tried an Internet search?
that was remarkably illuminating in regards that subject.


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## scorpion_tyr (Dec 11, 2013)

The T3 has an auto-focus assist, but it is the built in flash. When the flash is raised it may fire a few rapid flashes that light up the subject and help the auto-focus. The lamp next to the lens lights up to reduce red-eye and as an indicator for the self timer countdown.


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## KmH (Dec 11, 2013)

Page 18 of the T3 Instruction Manual shows the lamp on the front of the camera near the shutter button is the Red-eye reduction/Self timer lamp.

In the Index on page 287, under the F section  - Focusing > AF-assist beam - it shows AF-assist beam information can be found on pages 84 and 220.

If you've misplaced/lost the T3 Instruction Manual, you can download it at Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Reading the Instruction Manual and learning how to use the Instruction Manual to your advantage will go a long way to relieving your T3 operation confusion.


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## Yzerwing (Dec 11, 2013)

KmH said:


> Page 18 of the T3 Instruction Manual shows the lamp on the front of the camera near the shutter button is the Red-eye reduction/Self timer lamp.
> 
> In the Index on page 287, under the F section  - Focusing > AF-assist beam - it shows AF-assist beam information can be found on pages 84 and 220.
> 
> ...



Thanks, I either lost my manual or never got one with the camera I don't remember ever seeing it. It did answer my question however I must point out for the benefit of others considering the T3 that focus assist beam (flash burst[what ever]) was not very effective for me when I tried using it. I am now looking for an external flash with the focus assist beam, I have seen it in action and that concept seems to be much better than the on-board one. I guess I shouldn't be shocked by this.

Thank you all for your help!


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## centauro74 (Dec 12, 2013)

Get a external flash and learn to use it. That'll improve your photography a lot,  specifically with your camera that is not very good in low light.


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## TCampbell (Dec 12, 2013)

Get a Speedlite 430EX II.  It has the focus-assist beam built into the flash.  When you half-press the shutter, the lower part of the flash body emits a red pattern of grid-lines which the camera can use to lock focus.

The Speedlite 320EX has a built-in white LED (think of this like a white LED flashlight) that it can use to illuminate nearby objects and this can provide enough light to help the camera focus (it's not technically a focus-assist beam like the 430EX II.)  

The 430EX II is the more powerful of the two (For Canon speedlite flash, if you ignore the trailing "0" in the model number, the numbers that remain are the "guide number" of the flash in meters.  E.g. the 320EX has a "guide number" of 32 meters.   The 430EX II has a "guide number" of 43 meters.

The guide number is the distance at which the flash can provide adequate coverage for an exposure assuming ISO 100 and using an f-stop of f/1.0.  

The ISO 100 is no problem, but the f/1.0 obviously is... nobody has an f/1.0 lens.  BUT... the reason it's a standard is because it makes the math VERY EASY.  All you do is divide the guide number by the f-stop your lens is actually going to use -- and that gives you your distance.

E.g. at f/5.6, the 320EX is able to provide coverage for a subject which is 32 ÷ 5.6 = 5.7 (meters).  Convert that to feet and it's 18.7 feet.
The 430EX II is able to provide coverage for a subject which is 43 ÷ 5.6 = 7.7 (meters).  Convert that to feet and it's 25 feet.

That's at ISO 100... bump up the ISO and the distances increase.  At ISO 400 those distances double.  

That *seems* like a lot, but in reality you get a much better quality light when you make the light originate from a broad source (which is what we mean by "diffuse" or "soft" light) -- rather than a fine pin-point origin source of light (which creates harsh shadows with abrupt edges between shadow and light).  The easiest way to do this indoors is to "bounce" the light off the ceiling (which needs to be white and preferably not too high) by pointing the flash head straight up.  But this increases the distance that the light has to carry and now suddenly that really powerful light that seemed light over-kill is only just adequate now.


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## lambertpix (Dec 12, 2013)

I bought a set of Yongnuo 622C triggers a while back, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the triggers have an AF-assist beam in them.  The project a pattern of semi-criss-cross lines that help create some contrast on the subject, which can help the AF system.  Certainly not a silver bullet, but a nice addition.  Their 568EX II flash also has this functionality when used without a trigger.  The nature of these beams is that they can help turn a dreadful scenario into a marginal one, with respect to focusing, but as long as you're not expecting miracles, I've had these come in handy a few times.


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## vimwiz (Dec 12, 2013)

I think your camera will use the flash to do AF assist instead (Thats what my [film] EOS 300 does (Rebel 2000)). It I recall, it only does that for me in fully auto (green-square) shooting mode not Program AE, i think.


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