When shouldn't you use the focus light?

[nibbo]

Hi

Was just wondering if it's ok to use the focus light during shows and parades or should they really be turned off so not to distract the performers.

Nick

 

[MarkBarbieri]

I would treat the focus light like a flash. When flash is innappropriate, so is the focus light.

 

[alan]

I found it very strange that the announcement explicitly said that flash photography was okay when we went to the Lion King show at the Animal Kingdom, when that was pretty much the only place that people were doing things where the flash might put them off (night-time parades excluded).

I don't really buy the argument that says that performers will be put off by flash. OTOH, continual flashes going off can be very annoying from an audience member's point of view, and (getting back to the topic) a focus light could be similarly annoying.

OTOH, since in many cameras it's very hard to switch it off, I guess it just needs to be dealt with regardless.

Has anyone started doing IR focus lighting?

regards,
/alan

 

[SharonLowe]

Agree with Mark - the focus light to me is more annoying than the flash because it keeps lighting up until it focuses. If it is too dark for your camera to focus, then in all likelihood, it will be a bad photo anyway, so don't mess up the show/ride for all the others on it.

As for flashes bothering performers, it does and could be really bad if they were doing an acrobatic maneuver and it blinded them.

 

[Groucho]

I found it very strange that the announcement explicitly said that flash photography was okay when we went to the Lion King show at the Animal Kingdom, when that was pretty much the only place that people were doing things where the flash might put them off (night-time parades excluded).

I'm surprised too - I thought that we were told that it was not allowed, I remember it specifically because they also mentioned video lighting and the woman next to me inadvertently had her camcorder light on (which she quickly turned off after I mentioned it.) Maybe that's changed too - flash would seem fairly distracting for the performers of that show, I'd think!

 

[Geoff_M]

I always turn off the Auto Focus Assist Light setting and only turn it on in situations where I think it's needed. As for "when shouldn't you use" it:
1) When the subject it more than a few feet away and the light won't offer much, or any, help.
2) When you want to maximize your camera battery life.

 

[nibbo]

Thanks for all your advice. I guess a lot of people forget about the focus light and use it switched on permanently (me included up until now!) I'll be switching it off now in the shows etc and see how it goes.

Thanks

Nick