# BEST NON CANON FLASH WITH BEST AF BEAM IN LOW LIGHT



## bergstrom (Jan 2, 2016)

I have my 580's still and they're great for cocusing on people in low light. Te yongnuo's have let me down, so are there any other non canon flashes, that have the best focus in low light? Thanks.


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## fentiger (Jan 2, 2016)

Metz ?


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## Kathode-Ray (Jan 2, 2016)

Yes, Metz will work. I have the Mecablitz 58 AF-2 and it has a good AF assist beam. It has never let me down so far. I use it with a 6D, and a 60D in the past.

I also like the menu structure a lot better than that of the 580...


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## bergstrom (Jan 2, 2016)

Ok, this is available on amazon for $399. Is there anything out there that doesn't have to have HSS, but low light AF beam will find anything in the dark. Thanks for replies so far.


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## FTb-n (Jan 2, 2016)

Which Yongnuo have you tried?

I've had good luck with the YN565EXII and would consider the new YN685. But, I most often use mine off camera with YN622C remotes. The YN622C remotes also have IR focus assist beam that is quite effective.


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## bergstrom (Jan 3, 2016)

FTb-n said:


> Which Yongnuo have you tried?
> 
> I've had good luck with the YN565EXII and would consider the new YN685. But, I most often use mine off camera with YN622C remotes. The YN622C remotes also have IR focus assist beam that is quite effective.



Hi, the 565 and 568ii are useless in niteclub situations


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## FTb-n (Jan 3, 2016)

bergstrom said:


> FTb-n said:
> 
> 
> > Which Yongnuo have you tried?
> ...


I can't be of much help for niteclub situations, but I am curious. How is the 565 failing in these situations
?


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## bergstrom (Jan 3, 2016)

the 565 just can't focus in low light


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## FTb-n (Jan 3, 2016)

Good to know. Thanks.


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## pwp (Jan 3, 2016)

When my 1D MkIV has trouble doing AF in low light and even the 600EX-RT AF assist doesn't cut it, I just pull the Yongnuo YN622C out of the bag and get back to work. The AF assist from this may be a slightly bright and obtrusive, but sometimes you have no choice. Fortunately the 5DIII & 7DII seem to be able to see in the dark and find AF just about anywhere, so the efficiency of the flash AF beam is of little consequence. 

OP, what body are you using?

-pw


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## knkedlaya (Jan 3, 2016)

Y622C works fine for me. Using it with Y622Tx and 7D, never had any problem so far. Indoors worked fine, as such never specifically tested for low light situation.


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## bergstrom (Jan 3, 2016)

currently using 5D2, but moving to 6D. I usually shoot with the flash on camera, but I could probably start using my 622c's and experiment.


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## pwp (Jan 3, 2016)

bergstrom said:


> currently using 5D2, but moving to 6D. I usually shoot with the flash on camera, but I could probably start using my 622c's and experiment.


Just curious why you'd move from a 5DII to a 6D. They're so similar. 
Given the choice, I'd probably have a 5DII over a 6D. Save your money.

-pw


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## bergstrom (Jan 3, 2016)

I've had a th 5D2 a few years now, so just want to get a fresh body


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## Bennymiata (Jan 3, 2016)

Get a 5D3 instead of the 6d.
The focussing of the 5d3 is so superior to the 5d2 and 6d that it isn't funny.

I do a lot of event work at night, and with my 5d3 and 580ex flash, I might miss focus in 1 or 2 photos out of a thousand shots, and that's usually because its so dark that I can't see the focus point.

A 6d is not a good low light events camera.


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## verysimplejason (Jan 4, 2016)

Bennymiata said:


> Get a 5D3 instead of the 6d.
> The focussing of the 5d3 is so superior to the 5d2 and 6d that it isn't funny.
> 
> I do a lot of event work at night, and with my 5d3 and 580ex flash, I might miss focus in 1 or 2 photos out of a thousand shots, and that's usually because its so dark that I can't see the focus point.
> ...



I disagree. Using the centerpoint, a 6D is useful for low light photography. Just don't use too big apertures so you can focus then re-frame.


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## Bennymiata (Jan 4, 2016)

Low light photography is one thing, but fast-paced, low light EVENT photography is another thing all together.
When you've got a paying customer and they are expecting to get hundreds of great photos from the evening, nothing but a 1dx or a 5d3 has reliable enough focussing in very dark conditions (amongst new cameras at least).
I've used a 60d for similar events, and its reliability of focus was nowhere near as good as the 1dx or 5d3 and it was often slow to react as I had to wait for it to try and make focus.

If you are expecting to do difficult professional work with your new camera, get a professional camera. If you go cheap, you can expect to not get paid if your photos aren't up to snuff.
Over the years, I've wasted a lot of money trying to spend less than I have to, only to spend more on the right stuff later on when I learned my lesson.

5D3's are cheap now, and it will still be a great camera in another 4 of 5 years. The 6D (while a good camera) is basically a 60d with a bigger sensor and is designed for amateur use. It's a lot cheaper than a 5d3 for a reason and that reason is in the qualities that you would only notice when you are really pushing your camera hard, like low light events and when you need the camera to act instantly and perfectly every time.


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## bergstrom (Jan 13, 2016)

ok thanks for replies, but any more suggestions of non canon flashes , reasonably prices that find focus well in low light


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## pj1974 (Jan 13, 2016)

I have a Nissin Di866mkII flash (note - not related to "Nikon" cameras or "Nissan" automobiles).
See details of the flash I have here http://www.nissindigital.com/di866mkii.html

When I bought the Di866mkII it was much cheaper than the Canon 580II flash (almost half price here in Australia). The Di866mkII also has some features the 580II didn’t (e.g. sub-flash) – and a slightly higher guide number.

In terms of focusing assist, the 866ii greatly improves the ability of both my 7D and my 350D in low light to achieve focus. It will AF relatively quickly, and accurately, even on a blank wall in ‘pitch black’. My 7D’s AF is superior to my 350D’s AF – the Nissin Di866mkII boosts the AF ability of both.

I am aware that Nissin now have some ‘new’ flash units (e.g. 700a). The 700a assist lamp is rated to assist AF between 0.7 and 6 metres, whereas the 866ii AF assist lamp goes from 0.7 – 10 metres.

While I have used a friend’s Canon 580 flash, I have not undertaken controlled tests to determine any difference between that and my 866ii’s AF assist lamp.

I am happy with my 866ii…. Best wishes for your decision.

Paul


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## bergstrom (Jan 14, 2016)

Nice write up, ok thanks Paul.


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## pj1974 (Jan 15, 2016)

Last night (here in Australia – as it’s now Friday afternoon) I decided to do a bit of testing of my Nissin 866ii flash’s ability with respect to AF in the dark. I tested on my 7D, and was using my Canon 15-85mm lens, which has USM focus.

I tested the AF assist-beams (two red assist lights), both on a blank white wall and on a patterned curtain (dark background with some lighter flowers). For both of these I tested at different distances from camera to ‘subject’.

When up close (e.g. within 2 metres), using the AF point just above centre (or even 2 above centre) meant it focussed a bit quicker (as a bit higher than centre of the frame / composition is where the AF beams are, particularly noticeable up close, on the blank wall). 

I had no lights in my darkened room. It was so dark my camera was metering at ISO 12,800 and f/4 – and it required an exposure of between 0.3 and 1.5 seconds. The wall being ‘lighter’ – hence shorter exposure time.

Each time I did the test, I manually moved my focus to the other extreme (e.g. for closer to the subject, I moved focus to infinity, when further away from the subject, I manually moved focus to macro). My 7D had no problems obtaining focus on either the curtain or the blank wall. I could confirm both were accurately focussed. One may ask, how so on a blank wall? Well, in the extreme corners I had wall features, e.g. wall hangings and bookshelf, which were in focus. 

The focus speed in the dark was ‘adequate’ – i.e. noticeably slower than in bright light (on the same subjects) – but not terribly slow. The 866ii emits an initial 0.5 second duration AF assist beam, and then about half a second later, it emits a about 3 pulses of the beams (within about another 0.5 to 1 second). So within about 2 seconds (at times, within about 1 second) I was always guaranteed of an accurate focus. 

Should you have moving subjects, such as you wrote, being in nightclub situations, you might find the 866ii AF assist beam inadequate. I am not a Nightclub photographer – though I have taken several ‘event’ photos in low light, e.g. some camps, concerts, wedding receptions, annual city-wide prayer breakfast (in a darkened big hall, so the powerpoint could be viewed). As I wrote above, I can not provide any comparison between this and other flashes, but hopefully it gives you an idea. I have used the 7D without flash in these situations, and on a few occasions with AF beam, which does help in certain situations (e.g. if subject is already backlit, the AF assist beams help achieve focus better and quicker).

Note: using the 7D’s menu, I can ‘force’ the Nissin 866ii not to fire the flash, but to actually still use the AF beams (which is a very handy feature to have). 
Also, because I use the back AF-on button, I can focus once, and then either recompose (if not using a narrow depth of field), or use that same AF setting later (if subject and camera don’t move).

There you go! I enjoyed ‘practicing’ and putting my gear through its paces. 8)

Paul


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## bergstrom (Jan 17, 2016)

good work, ok thanks Paul. Appreciate the work you put in.


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