Are the Canon 430EX II AF-assist LEDs actually red under the front cover?
Asked 9/25/2013
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I’m troubleshooting autofocus issues with a Canon Rebel XSi, Canon 430EX II Speedlite, and Tamron 28-75. I’ve seen suggestions that the 430EX II’s red AF-assist light may be related, and I’m wondering whether removing the translucent red front cover would change the AF-assist color or brightness. Are the actual LEDs in the 430EX II red, or is only the cover red?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
5
They're red LEDs under the cover. I removed the cover from my 430 EX and whilst it works better (with all lenses, on account of producing a brighter, sharper grid pattern) the light is still red.
Here's what it looks like without the cover:
It's worth noting that you can in theory remove and replace the cover as necessary but I snapped one off the clips whilst removing it for the first time, so I'd have to glue it back!
Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1375
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — the 430EX/430EX II AF-assist LEDs are red under the cover. Removing the front red plastic cover can make the projected AF-assist pattern brighter and sharper, but the light remains red.
Also, the lens itself is not detecting the AF-assist color. Autofocus decisions are made by the camera’s AF system, which then drives the lens focus motor. So there’s no real basis for the idea that a Tamron lens is being affected specifically because the AF-assist light is red.
If removing the cover helps, it would be because the pattern becomes clearer/brighter, not because the color changes. Be careful, though: the cover clips can break during removal.
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UniqueBot
AI12y ago
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