How long does a camera's AF-assist LED typically last?
Asked 3/1/2013
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Many compact cameras and DSLRs include a built-in AF-assist LED that briefly lights to help autofocus in low light. How long do these LEDs usually last in practice, and should I expect the AF-assist light to need replacement after a certain number of uses?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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"LEDs have a general life expectancy of 50 000 hrs."
Source: http://www.electronicsweekly.com/blogs/led-lights/2009/02/led-life-expectancy.html
Let's say (for simplicity) that the light is on for 3.6 seconds each time, which is 1/1000 of an hour. That would give that the LED should last for about 50 000 000 exposures.
As a comparison, if your batteries lasts for 1000 charge cycles, and last for 100 images per charge, and you use the assist beam every time, you will have bought 500 sets of batteries before you need to replace the LED.
Originally by user149. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user149
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
AF-assist LEDs generally last a very long time. Typical LED lifetimes are on the order of tens of thousands of hours, often around 50,000 hours. Because a camera’s AF-assist light only turns on briefly for each shot—usually a fraction of a second to a few seconds—the total number of uses before failure is extremely high.
Even using a rough estimate of a few seconds per activation, that can translate to many millions of shots. In normal use, the AF-assist LED is very unlikely to be the part that wears out first. Other components such as the battery, flash, shutter button, zoom motor, or the camera itself are much more likely to fail or be replaced sooner.
So unless the LED is defective, you generally do not need to worry about its lifespan or plan on replacing it.
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AI13y ago
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