D800e Auto-focus assist lamp?

[dhale]

I got my D800e yesterday.  I leave for Idaho and Salmon River Float trip in Devil's Canyon Tuesday.

Has anyone had trouble with the Auto-focus assist light not working beside me?  I have heard of a few issues with things that firmware updates will fix.  Sooner or later!  I have been waiting for Nikon to update the D700 since Spring 2009.  Finally!  While waiting I bought several FX Nikkors.

Problem solved.  Use AF-S with the proper lens.  See Nikon FAQ's.

[lfeagan]

No clue. Literally the first thing I did was go through the settings and disable annoying things like the AF-assist light. It may be totally broken for all I know.

Best wishes to you though and enjoy your trip.

[John Nollendorfs]

Usually the focus assist lamp comes into use when ambient lighting conditions are dark. Have you tried using the camera in a darkened room? That is the way it works with my D5100 and D800.

[Wayne Fox]

I disabled it, then later decided to re-able it because the camera was having trouble focusing in a rather dark location, but now it doesn't work. Not sure what's going on yet ...

[lfeagan]

Usually the focus assist lamp comes into use when ambient lighting conditions are dark. Have you tried using the camera in a darkened room?

I have not tried it in a darkened room. The only time I am taking pictures in dark places is at soccer games that run until 10:30PM at night. It wouldn't do me any good unless the players were extremely close, which isn't particularly often. The stadiums, thankfully, are fairly well lit.

[dhale]

Mr. Fox,

The focus assist lamp never worked.  I would only use it indoors to get my Nikkor 24mm 1:1.4 or 16-35mm focused.  Sooner or later I'll need it.  I have contacted Nikon.  When I hear something, I'll pass it on.  I'll be passing through Utah next Thursday.

[dhale]

I just found the answer to my question on the Nikon website.  My works just fine when used as described below.


The built-in AF assist illuminator enables the camera to focus even when the subject is poorly lit. To use the illuminator, the camera must be in single-servo AF with an AF-Nikkor lens attached, and the center focus area must be selected or closest subject priority in effect. If these conditions are met and the subject is poorly lit, the illuminator will light automatically to assist the autofocus operation when the shutter-release button is pressed halfway.

For the AF-assist illuminator to function correctly, the lens must have a focal length of between 24 and 200 mm and the subject must be in range of the illuminator.