Focusing problem solved but...

snj979s

Senior Member
I was shooting fashion at night with off camera flash and my focus was consistently off. The camera autofocus assist wasn't coming on but instead red laser grid lines (from my d800 not the speedlight). In the end all I had to do was disable the flash trigger's autofocus assist function and the camera's focused fine with it's own autofocus assist light. My question is what then is the purpose of the red grid lasers because I hope it's something other than focusing. haha. Operator malfunction I'm sure but any insight into what the grid lines are used for and under what circumstances they are triggered would be helpful for learning. Thanks in advance.
 

Scott Murray

Senior Member
I was shooting fashion at night with off camera flash and my focus was consistently off. The camera autofocus assist wasn't coming on but instead red laser grid lines (from my d800 not the speedlight). In the end all I had to do was disable the flash trigger's autofocus assist function and the camera's focused fine with it's own autofocus assist light. My question is what then is the purpose of the red grid lasers because I hope it's something other than focusing. haha. Operator malfunction I'm sure but any insight into what the grid lines are used for and under what circumstances they are triggered would be helpful for learning. Thanks in advance.

Where on the D800 were these red lasers coming from? I only know of them coming from the speedlight.
 

robbins.photo

Senior Member
I was shooting fashion at night with off camera flash and my focus was consistently off. The camera autofocus assist wasn't coming on but instead red laser grid lines (from my d800 not the speedlight). In the end all I had to do was disable the flash trigger's autofocus assist function and the camera's focused fine with it's own autofocus assist light. My question is what then is the purpose of the red grid lasers because I hope it's something other than focusing. haha. Operator malfunction I'm sure but any insight into what the grid lines are used for and under what circumstances they are triggered would be helpful for learning. Thanks in advance.

Sounds like maybe your talking about the gridlines in the viewfinder. They are used to help you line up/compose shots by showing you horizontal and vertical reference lines. That way you can get the horizon level in camera.

It's in the menu settings under viewfinder grid display, as I recall it lights up in red when the shutter is half depressed if the room is dark enough and you have AF point illumination set to on.
 

RocketCowboy

Senior Member
The camera autofocus assist wasn't coming on but instead red laser grid lines (from my d800 not the speedlight). In the end all I had to do was disable the flash trigger's...

My guess is that the red laser grid that you saw was coming from the trigger, if not from the speedlight itself. The D800 doesn't have anything more than the autofocus assist light.
 
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