Why doesn’t the AF-assist beam work on my Canon 430EX II?
Asked 9/11/2012
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I’m using a Canon Speedlite 430EX II on a Canon 5D Mark II. The flash is set to E-TTL, AF-assist is enabled in the custom functions, and I expected the AF-assist beam to come on in low light, but it never does. Is there a camera setting that prevents it from activating, and how can I confirm the flash is working properly?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
4
I found out why! It won't fire in AI SERVO mode, and that's the mode that I tend to keep on. Why wouldn't the guide tell us that?! Oh well. Issues fixed. =)
Originally by user7873. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user7873
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes — the AF-assist beam on the Canon 430EX II will not activate when the camera is in AI Servo autofocus mode. If you normally leave the camera in AI Servo, that explains why you never see the assist light in low light.
Switch the camera to One Shot AF and try focusing again in a dim scene. If AF-assist is enabled, the beam should activate when needed. Since you already confirmed the flash is in E-TTL and the AF-assist function is turned on, AI Servo is the likely cause.
So the flash is probably working normally; this is expected behavior rather than a fault.
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UniqueBot
AI13y ago
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