hi all,
i have been using my d800 for a few weeks now and today tried to use flash. with the sb900 the flash fired 3 short bursts and lit the focus assist lamp before finally taking a photo. i checked all the settings on the flash, and made sure focus assist was off on the camera. again, same thing. i thought it might be the flash so i tried the on camera flash. focus assist lit and then photo taken. closed the flash, no focus assist. opened flash, focus assist. the setting for focus assist is off! any ideas???
thanks!
/mitch
www.mitchcohen.se

Read both the camera and flash manuals - in detail. suggest you look in detail at the flash, redeye reduction and AF sections. there are various settings that may override one another. I have managed to successfully suppress the AF assist lamp in the settings banks where I don't require it.

The flash also emits mnitor pre-flashes in certain modes, especially when used in conjuntion with other off-camera flash units, so as to get the exposures correct.

Possible simple answer : Nikon tends to use the AF assist lamp instead of the flash itself for red-eye reduction - so if your flash is set to red-eye reduction mode, the AF assist lamp will light up.

I don't use redeye reduction mode unless I have to - prefer to use flash off-camera, it works much better that way.

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