14 DAY TRIAL // Every photographer that owns an entry-level camera has surely encountered some difficulties when trying to autofocus it for a low-light shot. The problem is that the camera can't lock on the subject and starts going through the entire focus range without any results.
A few camera manufacturers, like Nikon or Sony, have included AF assist lights into their DSLR cameras, but Canon users don't benefit from this feature and have a hard time using autofocus in low-light conditions.
To solve this problem, one can go ahead and purchase a dedicated flash, which comes with a built-in AF-assist light, but this is quite pricy if you don't need an external flash. Chinese photo accessory manufacturer Yongnuo has a solution for this issue, the YN12AF.
This AF-assistant works just like the one found on any external flash and is capable of lighting a subject as far as 12m (39ft) away when you press the shutter button halfway.
The YN12AF is small and can be charged via USB, making it a convenient solution to the bulkier Speedlites that hold a couple of AA batteries. Moreover, the AF-assistant can also be turned off to save battery whenever the case via Canon's Custom Functions menu.
For the moment there's no information regarding YN12AF's price or availability, but having in mind that it's a third-party AF-assist light made in China, its price should be somewhere around $20 / €15.
A couple of weeks ago, Yongnuo announced the availability of the first third-party Speedlite transmitter compatible with Canon's 2.4GHz TTL technology (YN-E3-RT). The trigger can be easily clipped onto your camera and is capable of controlling 5 different flash groups and up to 15 units of different Speedlites at the same time.
In addition to that, the YN-E3-RT has an effective operating range of 100m (328 ft), while conventional Canon triggers have only a 30m (98 ft) range. The transmitter is now in stock at a price of $145.99 / €106.
