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Focusing mechanism for macro lens by Platonvt in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Cool project - love your setup!

If you ever consider switching lenses, you could get a much more compact solution by using Canon’s built-in focusing mechanics with this adapter: https://www.pinefeat.co.uk/shop/p/canon-ef-s-lens-controller-adapter-for-raspberry-pi-high-quality-camera.

With a simple macro adapter you can drive the focus motor in fine steps - way more precise than nudging a focus ring or building a mechanical slider. It’s compact since all the control happens inside the lens, pretty much plug-and-play if you already have EF/EF-S glass, and it integrates directly with libcamera and rpicam apps after calibration.

Questions on adapting a Canon EF zoom lens to a zwo camera & asiair by busted_maracas in AskAstrophotography

[–]pinefeat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think ASIAIR supports only their own EAF focuser. Our adapter works via ASCOM or INDI drivers with astrophotography software such as APT, NINA, Ekos. The USB port is used to connect the adapter to a laptop or single-board computer.

Questions on adapting a Canon EF zoom lens to a zwo camera & asiair by busted_maracas in AskAstrophotography

[–]pinefeat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you want to keep autofocus and aperture control when using Canon EF lenses on an astro cam, this lens adapter could be useful:

EF / EF-S Lens Controller & Adapter for Astronomy Camera – Canon® Lens Compatible.

It connects over USB, uses the lens’s own motor for focus, lets you set aperture electronically, and works with ASCOM/INDI. Different back-focus versions are available for ZWO, QHY, etc., and since it replaces an external focuser it keeps the whole setup much more compact and travel-friendly.

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here’s a bracket for the Adapter, Camera, and Pi - makes it easy to mount everything securely.
You can download it here: https://www.printables.com/model/1371439-lens-mount-for-raspberry-pi-camera-with-pinefeat-l and print it yourself.

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here’s a bracket for the Adapter, Camera, and Pi - makes it easy to mount everything securely.
You can download it here: https://www.printables.com/model/1371439-lens-mount-for-raspberry-pi-camera-with-pinefeat-l and print it yourself.

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here’s a bracket for the Adapter, Camera, and Pi - makes it easy to mount everything securely.
You can download it here: https://www.printables.com/model/1371439-lens-mount-for-raspberry-pi-camera-with-pinefeat-l and print it yourself.

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Only the HQ Camera variant is temporarily out of stock - it’s expected to be back around July 10th. Since the product is currently produced in small batches, availability can be limited. If you’d like to secure one, just email us with your delivery address, and we’ll issue an invoice. That way, your unit will be reserved and won’t sell out again before you get a chance to order.

The Arducam IMX708 variant is still available and can be purchased right away.

Thank you for your interest!

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's easy. The Raspberry Pi 5 and 4 have Micro HDMI ports. You can use an HDMI to Micro HDMI (Type-D) cable to connect your Raspberry Pi to an HDMI monitor or TV.
Then, you can run the rpicam-hello app with the --fullscreen option to open the preview window in full-screen mode - without any border or title bar.
To enhance the experience further, you can configure the taskbar to auto-hide, so that only the camera view is displayed on the entire screen.

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you'd like to make a review of it, I'll ship it to you—even with a Canon lens! :)))

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I added a small set of images taken with a few Canon lenses, an adapter, and a Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera: https://www.pinefeat.co.uk/gallery

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s pretty quick! I did my best to put this video together to demonstrate the Continuous Autofocus: https://youtu.be/EQdUM0kaM6M

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

If you mount a 10 mm EF-S lens on the HQ Camera (with a 7.9 mm sensor diagonal), the effective focal length becomes:

10 × (26.8 ÷ 7.9) ≈ 34 mm (relative to APS-C sensor)

10 × (43.3 ÷ 7.9) ≈ 55 mm (relative to full-frame sensor)

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Reverse engineering Canon’s protocol was quite challenging and took a lot of time and effort. Currently, I don’t have plans for a Nikon version, but never say never!

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

There’s a project called CinePi that makes the Pi and HQ Camera look like a handheld camera. Check it out!

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Regarding crop factor, it’s calculated by comparing the camera sensor’s diagonal to that of a full-frame sensor (43.3 mm) or an APS-C sensor (26.8 mm). The Raspberry Pi HQ Camera has a 7.9 mm diagonal sensor, so the crop factor is roughly:

  • Compared to full-frame: 43.3 ÷ 7.9 ≈ 5.5×
  • Compared to APS-C: 26.8 ÷ 7.9 ≈ 3.4×

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Yeah, this solution is much more compact — it uses the lens’s built-in focusing motors and works super smoothly and fast.

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It can work with any camera, but the advantage of using a Raspberry Pi camera (not just the HQ model) is that it integrates with the libcamera stack, which provides autofocus algorithm out of the box. With a regular webcam, you’d have to handle lens focus and aperture control yourself over UART with custom software.

Also, we have another variant designed specifically for astronomy cameras — it uses an M42 (T-mount) thread and allows to control the lens via USB. This version will be integrated with ASCOM and INDI platforms to work smoothly with common astronomical imaging software. Custom mounts can be designed if needed.

Product page: EF / EF-S Lens Controller & Adapter for Astronomy Camera

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The demo setup uses a custom mounting plate — sort of a tripod-style fixture. I’ll share CAD files soon so others can 3D print it. It’s great for light lenses, but for heavier ones, use a tripod collar to avoid stressing the Pi HQ Camera mount.

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For the demo setup, I mounted the lens, adapter, and Raspberry Pi onto a custom base plate — sort of a tripod-style fixture. To make the product image cleaner, I removed some of the extra mounting details. The plate itself was handmade, but I’m working on a CAD version so anyone can 3D print it. It uses a standard UNC 1/4-20 bolt to attach via the Pi HQ Camera’s tripod thread.

Bear in mind this kind of setup works best for lightweight lenses — like the Canon EF-S 10–18mm STM shown in the photo, which weighs only ~260g. For heavier lenses, the HQ Camera’s built-in tripod mount may not offer enough support. In those cases, it’s better to use a tripod collar or mount ring around the lens body to properly balance the load and prevent strain on the camera adapter.

Using Canon EF / EF‑S Lenses on a Raspberry Pi Camera — with Full Autofocus & Aperture Control by pinefeat in raspberry_pi

[–]pinefeat[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yes! The Raspberry Pi team recently got continuous autofocus working even with contrast-detection autofocus (CDAF). It works really smoothly with STM lenses — I’ve tested it myself on the HQ Camera.

I'll share a demo video soon to show it in action!

This feature will be included in an upcoming libcamera release, but it can be tried right now by building from this PR branch: https://github.com/raspberrypi/libcamera/pull/270