AF assist beam on R6?

[drmikeinpdx]

I have an R6 and my friend has an R5. I told him that I sometimes had trouble getting the autofocus to lock on in low light. He showed me the AF assist light on the front of his R5 body which throws out a red beam in front of the camera. I had been under the impression that AF assist lights had to be provided by an attached speedlight.

My R6 has what looks like a similar light in the same place, but it has never put out any light. The diagram in the manual that shows the front of the camera labels it as both the self timer light and the AF assist light. There is an option in the AF menu to enable the AF assist beam. The manual says "You can enable or disable the assist beam when using a flash that has one"

So what is the truth here? Can the R6 body put out a focus assist beam or do you have to mount a speedlight equipped with an AF assist beam.

If you are a regular user of this possible feature, do you find it helpful in low light? How do you activate it?

Thanks!

 

[neuroanatomist]

Don’t have an R6. Both my R and R3 have the on-body AF assist lamp. With a MILC, the red/IR grid projected by most speedlites won’t fire because it won’t help. A HSS-like burst from the main flash tube or the LED light as on the 320EX will work for AF assist.

I find it helpful sometimes. Where it’s not helpful is with a subject in the lower left quadrant of the frame (sometimes an area larger than exactly a quadrant) because with my lenses the lens itself blocks the AF assist light from reaching that part of the field, even with the hood removed. I suspect that with something like the RF 50/1.8 or 35/1.8 it would be fine, but my smallest RF lenses are the 14-35/4L and 24-105/4L, and both block a good chunk of area (the 28-70/2L is worse).

 

[neuroanatomist]

I should add that these cameras focus normally with very little light. Try your R6 in a pitch black room, the lamp should illuminate.

Here’s the shadow cast by the 28-70/2L (no hood) on the AF assist lamp:

 

[drmikeinpdx]

Thanks Neuro. Mine still doesn't come on, even in a pitch black room. I have the menu choice set to "enable" but there is also an option for "LED AF assist beam only" Not sure what that is for, but it still doesn't make the assist light work.

Do you need to have the camera in a particular mode for the assist light to work? I've tried manual and aperture priority.

 

[neuroanatomist]

If the setting is Enable, it should come on. But the key thing (and my guess as to the issue) is that AF assist (flash or on-camera beam) only works in One Shot AF. If you’re using AI Servo AF, the assist beam will not fire.

 

[drmikeinpdx]

Neuro for the win!! You are absolutely right! Now I will have to play around with this feature.