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IR AF assist for Canon?

TiCoyote

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I'm shooting a lot at night in low light. The 50D has trouble focusing without the strobe. The strobe is distracting, wastes the battery, and I do not always want flash. I know that the 580 EX II has a built-in infrared AF assist beam.

Is there an inexpensive product that simply provides this beam for focusing?
 
I don't think it's Infrared....It's just plain old visible red.

The 580EX, the 430EX and the wireless transmitter ST-E2 all have an AF assist beam.

You could get creative and use something like a laser pointer or a video light, to help you focus.
 
What about an LED flashlight?
 
Ya, that would work, as long as it's powerful to illuminate your subject enough for the AF to see them. So a flashlight that can adjust to a narrow beam would be best.
 
Would a laser pointer really provide a big enough area for the camera to see and focus?
 
I've never tried it, but I've heard of people doing it. It might even help if you had a laser pointer with tips that changed the shape to something bigger. I used to have one that had 4 or 5 different tips...just silly things like a heart, a dollar sign etc.
 
Disable the flash from firing and use it's AF beam.
edit, I read the first post and thought you had an external flash . Doh.
 
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