# Can you adjust the "AF assist lamp"?



## Teg (Oct 30, 2014)

Just got my first flash unit. A cheapy- Neewer 750ii. The unit uses a big red beam with all these dots when you focus the camera. So just a complete noob question.. Can you change or adjust this so it's not so obnoxious? Or is it just par for course in order for the flash to work properly? I don't want to blind anyone before the flash even goes off.. Thanks!


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## Big Mike (Oct 31, 2014)

I don't know for sure, but there is usually an option that allows you to disable the AF Assist light.  

You could also try using moving subject AF mode (AI Servo or AF-C) as the AF assist beam usually doesn't work in that mode.


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## wfooshee (Nov 6, 2014)

The flash AF-Assist is NOTHING like the white LED built into some camera bodies for brightness!!!!

Not knowing anything about that flash I can't answer for sure, but the on-camera AF light on the Nikons only works if the AF is in Single mode (as apposed to Contiuous), and only when the center focus sensor is available or selected. If the flash AF light follows the same rules........


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## WayneF (Nov 7, 2014)

wfooshee said:


> The flash AF-Assist is NOTHING like the white LED built into some camera bodies for brightness!!!!
> 
> Not knowing anything about that flash I can't answer for sure, but the on-camera AF light on the Nikons only works if the AF is in Single mode (as apposed to Contiuous), and only when the center focus sensor is available or selected. If the flash AF light follows the same rules........




If I understand your meaning, you better check that out better.  
(however, it might be possible that it might depend on what gear we have?)

Speaking of a Nikon SB-800 flash, the AF assist light is red, through the red filter, so probably mostly infrared. It looks dim, and it does not much bother humans (like the white light does), but it simply has greater range than the D800 white camera AF assist light.

Simple test in a very dark house, where focus is totally impossible, unthinkable.

Down a long hall, on a wall at about 40 feet, in a very dark room, the white AF light certainly was more visible to my human eyes, but the camera could not focus.
However, with the SB-800 AF Assist, it focused easily.  I could see the red stripes it projected, but they were dim, so dim I could not notice them when looking through the viewfinder.  But the camera sees them.

The D800 manual says the white AF Assist light has a range of 9 feet.
The SB-800 manual says its red AF Assist light has a range of 33 feet (says with a 50mm f/1.8 lens).
It was working fine for me at 40 feet, with a 105mm f/2.8 lens.  When the white light would not help.

Your are correct about AF-S and single center sensor being required for either of them.


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## KmH (Nov 8, 2014)

A red light will not cause a person's pupil to get smaller as much as a white light will.

On Nikon cameras the white AF-Assist light on the camera is also used for red-eye reduction.
Red eye reduction is accomplished by making a person's pupil contract and get smaller.

The red beam the Neweer 750ii projects is not for the flash unit to work properly, the red beam is so the camera's AF can work properly.


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## wfooshee (Nov 8, 2014)

By "nothing like" I meant the apparent brightness the subject sees. The camera's white LED is much brighter-looking than the red or near-IR used from the flash.


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## dannylightning (Nov 11, 2014)

I have the same flash,  I do not think you can adjust that light on the flash.


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