D2Xs, D2Hs, F6 question...

The AF assist light is an annoyance in many situations, and really only works if the subject is within close range. I turn it off as a rule on the D200 and don't miss it on the D2X or F5.

Sean

 

If I have to, yes. There has never been an instance where it has rendered any help. The subject is too far away, or they're moving, and it won't improve the situation.

I had a challenging project two years ago trying to do some lightpainting of a dinosaur sculpture in the dark. I had to manually focus, have security turn all the lights off and then shoot and run around with a colored flashlight. The AF assist light would have been zero help in that situation because the sculpture was more than 6 feet away from me.

Sean

 

I am another one who promptly turned off the AF assist light feature in my D200. I found it a nuisance in many situations when shooting with the D70 and turned it off in that camera, too. I definitely don't miss it in the D2Xs!

However, I will say that I do kind of miss the on-board flash....the other day I was out shooting macro with the D2Xs and at one point a little extra light could've helped so I automatically started to reach for the flash button.... Oops!! Nada!! Too used to that from the D200. I understand why there isn't an on-board flash on the D2X/s, but I still miss it anyway!

 

I think you've nailed it on the head - the AF assist works for candids or snapshots, and folks who take those shots regularly are probably using the consumer-level bodies. An F6 or D2Xs makes for an expensive 'snapshot' camera, and thus Nikon foregoes the AF assist light on them.

Sean

 

I had one an the D50 and have none on the D2H and it doesn't bother me one bit. As little big man said above, it is more of an annoyance than anything else. I have not had a situation where I would have had to have it and I'm really not a big fan of manual focus when I don't have a split focusing screen. If this situation ever arises, I'll move around until the camera con focus by itself or I'll guesstimate the distance and focus manually.

 

I turned that off on my D70 and, until now, never realized I didn't have one on my D2h.

 

I haven't tried it, but I believe you can disable flash output on the SB-800 but still use its much stronger AF-Assist light if you need that function.

 

I have the AF assist light on my D70 turned off and never intend to turn it on. I've never found a situation where it would be useful and not annoying as others have pointed out.

Ronnie

 

The only time an assist light might be useful if the AF system can't hack it. In the case of D70 and the like, people may only have a kit lens, which may have limitations as far as lens openings go. Personally, I find the feature annoying and I have it turned off on my D70.

 

In addition to what Sean said, which I agree with, the D2X (and I assume D2H) has a focus assist indicator in the viewfinder making MF easier.

 

I have a D70 and it is on, but the only time I think it would be really helpful is in a low light situation and I have the SB800 on camera then, and use the infrared from it to assist focus.

Mike

 

I suspect that there isn't one on the body because the CAM2000 bodies generally don't need AF-assist. Or if it's that dark, you'd better be using a flash - both SB600 and 800 have AF-Assist built in.

To be honest, I've never encountered a situation (other that idiotic test shots of trying to focus on a blank wall) where a CAM2000 body wouldn't lock focus. Even in light where I couldn't see well enough to compose.

Ming

 

Like Ming, I never have problems with the D2H locking on the focus. I have TONS of problems with the D1H hitting the focus in the dark though (mainly with the AFD 80-200)

 

I'm with Ming and Zachs... the D2X will focus in situations where you can't get the ISO up far enough to hand hold the shot with 2.8 lens. It's hard to believe until you experience it.