Laser Pointer as a Focus Aid

So I was off on Amazon at one o'clock in the morning the other day, merrily clicking on photography-related goodies. I searched for a microfiber cloth, and the my surprise this little gadget popped up.

Now, what guy doesn't like a laser pointer? I've never considered buying one, because I thought the decent ones were all pretty expensive, and I have much more important things to spend my money on - like microfiber clothes to clean my lenses! But hey - this thing was only $11, it claimed it was pretty powerful (or just below legal), and, most of all, it was green.

So that's pretty cool. It came in yesterday, and I really haven't stopped playing around with the thing. For $11 it's pretty fun, especially if you have a cat - they'll chase the light for hours on end.

How does all this relate to photography, you ask? Well, one of the first things I did when I got it was to set up my camera on a tripod and completely darken the room. Of course, autofocus didn't work, since there wasn't any light. But if I selected a single autofocus point and then shined the laser at the focus point, the camera focused just like it was bright and sunny outside. Simple and easy (and super cool looking).

Of course, I wouldn't use this in night time portraiture. Still lifes only please. And I imagine a small flashlight would do just about the same job for you.

But... who wants to use a mundane flashlight when a nifty green laser will do the same thing?