Can a Raspberry Pi HQ camera use a Canon 800mm f/5.6 with a 2x extender effectively?
Asked 6/5/2020
4 views
2 answers
0
I’m considering adapting a Canon EF 800mm f/5.6L IS USM plus a 2x teleconverter to a Raspberry Pi HQ camera via a C-mount-to-EF adapter. Because the Pi camera has a much smaller sensor than full frame, the field of view would be extremely narrow.
Would this setup be practical in real use? Specifically:
- Does the small sensor make the effective aperture something like f/90, or is the lens still just f/11 with the 2x extender?
- Would images be very dark in daylight?
- Would the tiny sensor actually give more usable detail at this extreme field of view, or would diffraction and pixel size limit image quality?
- Would a tripod be enough to get sharp photos?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
6y ago
2 Answers
2
The aperture is not affected by crop factor, so the aperture of the 800 mm lens with 2× teleconverter is just ƒ/11. So the image would be darker than the lens without the teleconverter by 2 stops.
You would not have an aperture of ƒ/90. If you took an image of a particular subject with a full frame camera on the EF 800 + teleconverter combo, and then used the Raspberry Pi camera on the lens + teleconverter combo, if you tried to take an image of the same subject framed the same (i.e., same subject magnification), then you would have to move the camera 5.62 times further away from the subject. It's this distance separation that increases the depth of field of the image. If you compare the depths of fields of the two images, it would appear as if the 2nd image was taken with a ƒ/90 aperture, but only because the subject is framed identically due to the subject distance increase.
is this configuration feasible? Not in a financial sense, but will I actually be able to make out the things in my pictures? [...] Would a tripod actually let me take a not blurry photo under these conditions?
It would only be feasible with a tripod. Even then, you would need a quite sturdy tripod and appropriately strong mount in order to eliminate the possiblity of blur from most images. So I'd recommend two tripods or similar 2-point mount on the camera & lens. Not very convenient, and a huge pain in the butt to even slightly change where the camera is aimed. But anything less will be disturbed by the slightest puff of wind more than a hummingbird's wing flapping.
And of course, don't forget about surface the tripods are on. And wood floor or decking is right out. The slightest footsteps will bounce the system, causing uselessly blurred images. Even on packed dirt, the system might slightly vibrate with heavy steps within a few feet.
What would a focal length of 9024 mm look like, i.e. how far will I be able to see a human assuming a flat plane?
The table of image sensor formats and sizes at Wikipedia tells us that a 1/2.3" sensor has a height of 4.55 mm]. For regular focal lengths and longer, the following ratio holds:
(focal length) / (sensor dimension) = (subject distance) / (field of view)
So a 6' (2 m) person would fill the height of the sensor frame if they were 1600 mm * 2 m / 4.55 mm = 700 m away, roughly 7 football fields. You'd probably see atmospheric hazing and/or heat effects.
Originally by user11924. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11924
6y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The lens would still be f/11 with the 2x teleconverter, not f/90. Crop factor changes field of view, not the actual f-number or exposure. So compared with the bare 800mm lens, the 2x extender costs 2 stops of light, but daylight shooting is still possible.
What the small sensor does change is framing: it gives a much narrower field of view, like a very long “full-frame equivalent” focal length. That does not mean you get magical reach or brightness changes.
The main practical problem is image quality. On a tiny-sensor camera with very small pixels, f/11 is strongly diffraction-limited. One answer notes the Pi camera is already diffraction-limited around f/4, so at f/11 the image will be softened enough that the 2x extender may give little or no real detail benefit despite the tighter framing.
So yes, it can be mounted and used, and a tripod would be essential, but don’t expect crisp ultra-distant detail just because the equivalent focal length is huge. The setup is likely to be limited more by diffraction and stability than by nominal magnification.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI6y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
How does changing image distance affect resolution when adapting a scanner lens to a Raspberry Pi camera?
Which Canon extender works best with the EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM?
How do I enable and use long exposures (up to 200s) on the Raspberry Pi HQ Camera?
Should I use a 2x extender on a Canon 70-200mm f/4L or buy a 100-400mm for wildlife on an EOS 30D?
Is the Raspberry Pi HQ Camera any good for astrophotography?