[regarding [EMAIL PROTECTED]'s problems w/ F5/SB-28 in the dark]
Johnny Rico <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Bill Sauro)
>Subject: Flashing in the Dark [v04.n183/23]
>One little known (at least to me until this weekend) quirk of the F5/SB28
>combo is that the active autofocus (i.e. the red grid light emitted by the
>SB28 upon which the F5 will focus in low light AF) will not function unless
>you are using the center autofocus recticle. It was driving me nuts as to
>why I could not get it to work taking pictures the other evening, so I pulled
>out the SB28 manual, and sure enough, you cannot do active AF with any of the
>four outer focusing recticles. This may be what you were experiencing. RJB.
I think it is perfectly reasonable for the F5/SB-28 combo to operate this
way. Consider what it would take for it to follow your focusing zone:
-The focusing aid light would have to be really wide to be able to handle
all zones. This would consume more power since it has to be wider. To save
on power, the aid light would have to zoom which would add cost, complexity,
and bulk to the flash.
OR
-The flash would need to know the focusing zone selected and the lens focal length
used and be able to aim the aid light at the proper place in the frame. This
would also add cost, complexity and bulk to the flash.
The SB-28 is expensive enough. Nikon might make a flash that has an aid light
that supports the other zones if they thought they enough people were willing
to paying for it but I doubt many are.
David Johnson
