Autofocus Assist Lamp
The autofocus assist lamp is a little light. When you half press the shutter button (Take the Shot) in low light, it provides just enough illumination for the camera to focus. And especially on little cameras, it makes all the difference in the world.
Cameras that don't have this lamp can only guess at how far away the subject is, and they usually do a terrible job of it.
How do you know if a camera has this lamp? Look at the front. Usually, you can see a little circular dark spot near the lens—not the same round spot that's the viewfinder.
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