Metz 34 AF-3N operating instructions Autofocus measuring flash, AF red-light beam

8. Autofocus measuring flash

The integrated AF red-light beam of the mecablitz supports the automatic focusing of autofocus TTL cameras. When the prevailing light is insufficient for automatic focusing, the mecablitz will project a pattern of red vertical stripes onto the subject as soon as the camera’s release is lightly touched. The camera’s autofocus system then focuses the picture by this striped pattern.

Notes:

•When the camera’s autofocus system is on, the electronic circuit will automatically activate the autofocus measuring flash whenever the prevailing light is insufficient for the exposure.

•The autofocus measuring flash cannot be activated in every exposure mode or AF mode of the camera. In most cases, it will only support the SINGLE-AF function (see camera’s operating instructions) without follow-up focusing.

AF red-light beam

Fig. 5: AF red-light beam

•The range of the autofocus measuring flash depends on the speed of the lens (maximum aperture)! With an f/1.8 standard lens of 50 mm focal length, the range is approx. 6-10 m (depen- ding on the sensitivity of the camera’s AF sen- sor).

Low-speed lenses, e.g. with an aperture of f/5.6 or f/8 (such as zoom lenses), significantly restrict the range of the autofocus measuring flash!

14