AF Illuminator in Sony Cameras Pros and Cons

[IraBlock]

When you are shooting in a really dark situation the Auto Focus Illuminator can help you lock in focus. The down side is that the orange 'beam' it uses can be very annoying. If you are trying to be unobtrusive then the beam will announce to everyone that 'there is a photographer taking photos of us'. Even at events and weddings where there is supposed to be a photographer, the beam either makes people uncomfortable knowing that they are being photographed or will have the opposite effect and they will  turn towards the camera and strike a very awkward pose. You can of course turn the beam off in the menu, or you can change your focus setting to AF-C, auto focus continuous where the beam does not function. How many of you use the AF Illuminator in your work, and has it created issues with your subjects.