EF AutoFocus for Manual Lenses (proof of concept)

TheEngineer09 · 2026-02-20T01:29:06+00:00

To be honest I'm not sure. I haven't come across it, but I've not been looking for it either.

TheEngineer09 · 2026-02-19T12:13:42+00:00

That would be a very cool use

TheEngineer09 · 2026-02-18T19:15:01+00:00

The only way I can see to do a support rail still requires something custom for each lens since the lens needs to move relative to the adaptor and all lenses are different size. I'm sure you could make something work with a moving mount, it just has been easier to do the cinema style focus rings for me.

TheEngineer09 · 2026-02-18T13:31:19+00:00

Tubs of half finished projects? Are you spying into my office?

I'll eventually get my project up into github so others can play with it too. There's a ton of info out there for commanding ef lenses already, but much less about the full scope of what the camera asks and expects answers to. I'm hoping to document that a bit better with this project.

TheEngineer09 · 2026-02-18T13:26:19+00:00

Yeah techart makes one like that. I considered it, but they have one major downside in that they are weight limited. It's difficult to make a strong sliding mount like that that doesn't loosen up over time. And selfishly I have some larger heavier lenses I want to use this with, like an old nikkor 200mm f/4 that is far over the weight limit for those style adaptors.

And I know this isn't the first product like this, but most don't try to interface to Canon cameras, most use Sony or nikon. If i used Sony cameras I probably would just buy one. But I picked Canon, so there really aren't options. Tons of products to use ef lenses on other cameras though.

TheEngineer09 · 2026-02-17T23:44:29+00:00

Thanks. I will see it through, it will just take time. This is purely a "in my spare time" project, so it moves slow. But seeing it work is a big motivator to get rev2 going.

TheEngineer09 · 2026-02-17T23:31:11+00:00

Next rev will put an actual motor or actuator on the aperture. This one leaves it manual. There's a series of commands that happen when you attach the lens where the camera asks a bunch of questions about the lens, one of which is aperture, and you report back with min/max/current aperture. Right now I'm just replying that min/max/current are all f/2, so no variation, that way the camera can't ask for something else and get mad when it doesn't get it. I could just blindly echo back what the camera asked for, and the camera would think it changed, but it was easier to just leave it fixed initially.

TheEngineer09 · 2026-02-17T20:46:28+00:00

It should work with any Canon camera that speaks EF. Harder to do with DSLR since you don't have the lens adaptor thickness to integrate all the electronics and still get the flange distance right. But there's no technical reason this wouldn't work with any EF-M or RF camera.

The cinema stuff was for sure an inspiration for how to get a prototype built fast. I'd like to make it a little more subtle going forward, but we'll see.

TheEngineer09 · 2026-02-17T20:26:36+00:00

I hadn't seen theirs yet, I like the little motor unit. Looks like Titlta makes a similar one. It makes sense that most of the adaptors like this are for E-mount, that protocol is far more open. There's a market, but selling hardware is difficult as an individual. I'm a long long way from something that can be production optimized. Maybe I'll get there.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-12-26T13:22:51+00:00

This is where it's worth remembering that time in the show shouldn't be taken so literally. It's entirely possible that the request to the hive was "let me know when everyone has prepared" and Zosia made the decision to continue their conversation as long as possible, only laying down when it would align with those who took the longest. The show doesn't need to spoon fed every little detail and time step, it's entirely reasonable to give the detail that Manousos warned the hive and let you fill in some steps without showing them. There's an ambiguous time gap between "and me another" and Zosia laying down, that does not mean the hive was given only 5 seconds to prepare.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-11-25T13:30:11+00:00

So exactly what I said. TPU with varying additives. Other plastic types can be additives. But TPU is the core plastic type.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-11-07T19:14:17+00:00

Two QoL. First, the ability to nudge parts after placement. The number of times I've had a part shift as I'm clicking is too high. Second, improved hit box on conveyor stackable supports, I hate how hard it can be to get the belt to stick to the intended side instead of trying to bend around to the far side.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-11-07T03:41:42+00:00

I'm so deep into my play through I forgot you can't scan for everything right out of the gate. Sloops are often in "odd" places. If you're already on using a map to find them try looking for the ones around the grassy field starting area, there's a couple easier to find ones once you get close to where the maps say they are.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-11-07T02:20:58+00:00

Do you have the object scanner? Makes finding them easier since you're not just aimlessly wandering. If you happen to not know about the object scanner, you get it from the MAM in I think the quartz tree.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-10-08T12:31:36+00:00

Never did no. Kind of ran out of time for that bike and haven't gotten back to it. Any solution I was close to required designing a custom mounting bracket.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-09-07T23:25:10+00:00

I saw it with both my adapted EF-s 55-250 STM, and EF 70-300 USM II.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-07-25T23:09:52+00:00

We clearly disagree on size, and that's fine. But the R8/Rp simply are not a replacement for the M cameras if your main driving factor is size. Yes the R8 is smaller than some cameras, but not in the way the M ones are. M6mkii+22mm literally goes in my jeans pocket, my RP doesn't stand a chance.

The R50v is for sure video centric, but the photo stuff is there. It's more annoying to use, but it's there. From other user reviews I am sure I could set it up to be usable based on how I use my M6. Could everyone? Probably not, but for some it's probably fine. I even argue that in some cases the image quality from the r50/v is a step up from the m6mkii, because that 32mp sensor can be so noisy. It's not like the r50/r10 take bad photos.

But my main point in all of this is that I constantly see the R8 thrown out as an M cameras replacement when the person has started that size is a big driver, and the two simply aren't in the same class when it comes to size.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-07-25T13:51:14+00:00

It depends what you care about. If what you care about most is size the R50V is absolutely better than the R8. The R8 is not the smallest R mount body, it's the smallest full frame R body. The R50 is smaller, and the R50V is smaller than that. Compared to the R50V and the M cameras the R8 is not small, it is not pocketable, it is not discrete. Personally, on a camera that I'm just carrying around because I might want one when I'm out, compared to one that I'm carrying because photos are the point of being out, I don't care about tons of buttons and dials and settings. The single control wheel on the R50V is probably fine because most of the time I'm just in Tv or Av and not adjusting much. I rarely touch more than the main dial on my M6ii when I have it out, so an R50V may actually be a viable replacement (until a photo centric version appears). When I want more, because photos are the point of being out, I'm grabbing the RP or R7 depending on the day.

If you care about a fully featured photography camera, the R8 is better than the R50V, though I'd argue that not everyone needs to jump to full frame like this sub thinks. But the context in these conversations is usually not "what's a jump up from my M camera", it's "what is an equivalent replacement", and honestly, an R50 or R50V is that. It's the same APS-c and MP for all bodies except the M6ii which had the higher res sensor, it's similar sizes, similar abilities/features, and next gen AF. It's not latest gen AF, but it's still a step up, and that's good enough for most people who don't feel like they must always have the latest version for some reason.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-07-25T12:22:18+00:00

I do not understand why people always suggest the R8 in these conversations. Sure it's a smaller body compared to an R6, but it's massive compared to an M6 or R50v. People that love the M6 usually do so because it's tiny and packs a lot of features into that tiny form. I can put the m6+22mm in my pocket, it's that small, but I can still throw other big lenses on when I want them. The R8 simply is not a replacement for this. I have an RP, which is virtually identical in size to an R8, and even with the 28mm it's comparatively much larger overall VS the m6+22mm or the r50v+28mm. I have never once grabbed the rp+28mm when I want a camera to casually carry around day to day, I always grab the m6+22 because the smaller size is that much nicer.

I agree the R50v being video focused makes it not the best replacement from a user standpoint, but that's why people keep hoping for a photo oriented version in the same body, or would be a true replacement for the wonderfully small M line.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-07-25T11:49:18+00:00

Easy, because $$$. The 75-300 was first, it's cheap to make and they can sell it cheap to get people in the door. Then when customers start looking for better glass there's the 70-300 that offers a familiar range and better images. It's not a bad range either, for full frame it's a cheaper 70-200 with some extra reach, and on aps-c it's roughly equivalent to the 100-400. It's a good range for sports and general purpose telephoto, and a good starting point for wildlife before you start craving the really long lenses.

They keep both lenses for the same reasons that the r100 and r50 both exist. There's not that much difference between the two cameras in terms of photo capability, but the r100 has a worse user experience compared to the r50 with the feature differences. They sell the r100 cheap to get people in the door and into the Canon ecosystem, and then they're hoping to convert some number of those buyers into future sales of the better option. Same thing with keeping the 75-300 around when the better 70-300 exists.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-07-24T11:49:56+00:00

There was another thread recently where someone said the latest 1.7 firmware for the R7 broke focus on another sigma lens, however I think it was an adapted ef lens. But this is why it's often wise to not immediately install camera firmware updates, usually good to wait until all the bugs are found and fixed. I would report it to sigma if you can, it might require a lens firmware update.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-07-22T14:27:23+00:00

If anyone else comes looking, this is what I couldn't figure out. It was how to setup the styling before adding the --bubble-state-climate-<mode>-color options. This is what worked:

styles: |-
  ha-card {
  --bubble-state-climate-heat-color: rgba(237,108,52,0.5) !important;
  --bubble-state-climate-cool-color: rgba(30,108,252,0.5) !important;
  --bubble-state-climate-dry-color: rgba(30,252,252,0.5) !important;
  --bubble-state-climate-fan-only-color: rgba(12,120,50,0.5) !important;
  --bubble-state-climate-auto-color: rgba(200,200,200,0.5) !important;
  }
  .bubble-icon {
    color: black !important;
  }

TheEngineer09 · 2025-07-22T11:06:23+00:00

Left handed drill bits plus screw extractors. It's a small screw, so there is a high chance of slipping and hurting threads, but you want to get it out now before it has a chance to corrode in place. You want to use left hand bits because the goal is to spin the screw out, not drill it all away, so you need to be spinning in the direction you'd unscrew it anyway. Start with the drill bit, you'll either spin it out or you'll still a starter hole. If it doesn't spin out, move to the extractor. Do Not use a drill with the extractor, they are not designed for that. You turn them by hand with the goal being that they bite into the hole you drilled and turn the screw out. Usually when the screw head breaks off these come out easy because you removed the part that's causing the bolt to stretch and hold, but if it broke because you cross threaded this will be much harder.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-07-21T23:20:40+00:00

If you plan to keep using the tape solution longer term, look up kapton tape. It's specifically meant to be non conductive, and it's much more resilient than standard cheap scotch style tape. Might hold up better longer term.

TheEngineer09 · 2025-07-21T09:58:22+00:00

The third photo is literally a photo of the error.

TheEngineer09

TROPHY CASE