using flash to focus but not fire

Craig2008

Craig2008

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Craig Thomas
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HI All

I have a quick flash, well non flash question really,

I was at a gig on Saturday and another photographer was there with his flash on whilst shoot the band, it flash was not firing so I presume that it was just to aid the focusing in low light. I know this is a really dumb question but how do you set this up, I am on Nikon with a sb900.

Cheers

Craig
 
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Craig2008 said:
HI All

I have a quick flash, well non flash question really,

I was at a gig on Saturday and another photographer was there with his flash on whilst shoot the band, it flash was not firing so I presume that it was just to aid the focusing in low light. I know this is a really dumb question but how do you set this up, I am on Nikon with a sb900.

Cheers

Craig
Click to expand...

On the 580EX in the world of Canon - the head can be configured so that it pulses when a test burst is fired. Is this what you mean? Not sure about Nikon.



Nikon users?????
 
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FlyTVR said:
On the 580EX in the world of Canon - the head can be configured so that it pulses when a test burst is fired. Is this what you mean? Not sure about Nikon.



Nikon users?????
Click to expand...

You mean like a "proper" strobe? If so, then Nikon call it "Repeat flash" or something similar. I don't think that's what the OP is talking about though.

Sounds more like the tog had a flash on the camera, but it wasn't firing, I would suggest that he either thought he didn't need it, so turned it off, or it wasn't working?

AFAIK, Nikon (well, the SB900) can be used as a focus aid - it fires a red light with horizontal and vertical lines, enabling the camera to focus on them. Not sure how you would get it to do that without firing afterwards though. You have to have the camera set to focus assist - so where the camera's white light at the front comes on in dark situations (if your model has one). When the SB900 (and I assume SB800 also) is mounted, the flash takes this responsibility. Focus assist only works in certain modes though from memory.
 
yup, this was what he was using it for, autofocus assist.

At least on sb800s, you can turn off the flash itself in one of the menu options, but it still will output the AF-beam. quite useful for shooting in an absolute cave, but still without flash, very commonly used by music photogs. Assume you can do the same on sb900s.

sb800s on the menu option, there was like a 'picture' of a flash with a cross by the head, iirc. a similar one to turn off the af-assist with a cross by the base of the flash
 
I think it's what's known as RTFM..... :D

4to70h.jpg
 
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