How can I test the Nikon SB-28DX AF-assist on an F5, and can it be used without firing the flash?
Asked 3/7/2012
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I’m using a Nikon SB-28DX on a Nikon F5 and know how to disable the AF-assist illuminator, but I’m not sure how to confirm that it’s actually working when enabled. Does AF-assist still function if the flash is in standby, and does pressing AF-ON wake the flash? I’d also like to know whether the SB-28DX can provide AF-assist only, without firing any flash for the exposure.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
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Try it in a very dark room. If you can focus, and there's no flash, it's working.
I haven't used an F5 (only much more primitive SLRs), but I assume it will let you shoot with no film loaded so you're not wasting anything.
You've edited the question to emphasize the part about ensuring the unit will perform AF-assist only, which is pretty different from the question of verifying if it is working. From the manual (note the DX and non-DX are identical for film cameras), this flash does not appear to have a mode that does what you want — activate the AF assist light but not actually flash. Some flash makers call this "Spot Beam mode"; Nikon, for flash units that have it, calls it "AF-Assist Illuminator only" (AF-ILL ONLY) or, somewhat confusingly, "Firing canceled". I don't have an SB-28DX, but since the manual doesn't mention this as an option, it's probably not. You can still verify this with the test mentioned above.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
14y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A simple way to verify AF-assist is to test in a very dark room: if the camera can autofocus with the SB-28DX attached and no flash actually fires, the AF-assist is doing its job. On-camera, pressing the shutter halfway—or AF-ON in your setup—should wake the flash from standby.
A couple of limits were noted: AF-assist may not work in Continuous AF, so test in a single-shot AF mode if possible. Also confirm AF-assist is enabled in the flash settings/manual.
As for using AF-assist only with no flash exposure: based on the manual discussion in the answers, the SB-28DX does not appear to have a dedicated “AF-assist only” or “firing canceled” mode. In other words, it likely cannot be set to project assist light while guaranteeing the flash itself will never fire at exposure time. If you need that behavior, you’d typically look for a Nikon flash model that explicitly supports an AF-assist-only / firing-canceled function.
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