dr_ming

Andy. Good point. The EOS5 also has an AF assist light, which, as you say, allows it to focus on a black cat in a dark room. The D30, D60 and 10D are loosely based on the EOS30/33 and as a consequence, I believe none of these cameas have an AF assist light (certainly the 10D doesn't). Instead (on the EOS30/33 and 10D at least), it pops up the flash, and gives a very annoying strobe burst to assist focussing. My EOS30 certainly struggles in dark conditions, and the flash focus assist is so annoying, it has to be turned off. I Forgot about that!

[Edited by dr_ming - 11/12/2003 8:16:26 PM]

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

dr_ming: The D30 and D60 do have a real AF light (also used for red-eye reduction), although it's a bright white bulb and more distracting than it is effective. The EOS 33, as you say, uses the onboard flash and is even worse; although it does have a separate lamp this is only used for red-eye.

The odd thing is, the red AF assist lights built into the Canon flashes are really good - they're much more effective than the white lights and much less distracting. I wonder why the cameras don't have a red AF light and use the internal strobe for red-eye reduction. (To increase sales of flashguns, perhaps? )

Edited to add that the EOS 5 looks as though it DOES have a red AF light - should be a major benefit indoors.


[Edited by AndyC_772 - 11/12/2003 9:14:03 PM]

dr_ming

EOS 5 does have a red AF assist light, and unlike some of the older EOS bodies, it is not alongside the flash (like the 1000/F/FN, for example - what a daft place to put it!). As you say, it is much more effective than the white ones, and it casts a beam of horizontal red lines that the focussing system uses to find detail and hence focus.

Interestingly (!), if you use an external flash on the EOS5, it will NOT light the AF assist light on the flash unit. The reason for this is that when the EOS5 was launched (in 1992, I think), none of the AF assist lights on the flash guns (in particular the 430EZ) could cover the outer two focussing points. Canon's solution was simply to turn off the AF assist in the flash gun. Note that this applies to all Canon flash units, even the 550EX, which can cover all the AF points of the EOS3, will not light its AF assist lamps when fitted to an EOS5. And the EOS5 does not support E-TTL. Still a good camera though.

[Edited by dr_ming - 11/12/2003 10:02:13 PM]