Hello, I am currently using a Questtel SDI-over-fiber extender with RS-485 data for serial control. I have recently switched to a Canon CR-N300 camera, which provides an RS-422 interface for control. Given the differences between RS-485 (2-wire, half-duplex) and RS-422 (4-wire, full-duplex), I would like to confirm whether it is feasible to implement an RS-485 to RS-422 conversion within the signal path and maintain reliable communication over the existing fiber extender.
Specifically, can a protocol-transparent hardware converter be used in this scenario?
Any recommendations on compatible solutions for integrating RS-422 control over the current infrastructure would be greatly appreciated.

Still hope they will give the new compact camera's also raw instead of only jpeg

Some circular examples.

Very nice spring flowers. Happy Easter!

Dragon said:

I agree that CE will be affected for years, but for a different reason than the implied shortage. The continuation of the AI boom is dependent on continued financing and so far a lot of the money is flowing in a loop (or not flowing at all). Nvidia invests in an AI company and then the AI company agrees to buy Nvidia GPUs, but as you say, there is no power to run the beast. They hype causes gullible investors to throw money at the AI company and by association at Nvidia, which has a completely ridiculous market cap. The timeline is too long for investor patience to last, even if there is some magic application out there that could eventually produce enough revenue to fund the monster. When the house of cards collapses, the dot com bust will look like child's play and the ensuing recession will have an effect on CE for years to come. Take pictures and invest wisely.

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I wasn't exactly intending to enumerate all the causes of the likely years-long implosion of consumer electronics.

I agree with the description of the AI "boom" as a venture capital scam, see here: https://pivot-to-ai.com/2025/08/23/...e-think-the-ai-bubble-keeps-going-until-2027/

And I think it will indeed keep going into 2027. If it was based on investment fundamentals in any way, it would already be over. It is not gullible investors exactly, but self-interested venture capital scammers (that's their only "innovation": endless fraud) AND plenty of idiots AND people just jumping on the bandwagon because the markets and institutional investors function on FOMO.

The memory and storage supply implosion right now is caused by AI "hyperscalers" (people hoarding chips for datacenters that aren't built and for which there is no profitable use) buying out the entire supply of memory manufacturers - there are only 3 meaningful manufacturers on earth for RAM, which was already a very corrupt cartel. When AI collapses, the likes of Micron will still have no consumer supply, so prices will stay elevated for some time (and they will try to keep them up even when supply increases as there is no competition).

"Crucial" is Micron's consumer business, which they've ended because they're making so much money on datacenter HBM, which is not usable for anything else (similar to crypto mining chips, which were sold to many of the exact same people pushing AI).

Smaller electronics retailers and product lines will be crushed because with DDR5 RAM at 5x price vs. a year ago and fast SSD storage at something like 3x, a lot of consumers simply stop buying certain things entirely. As I said the other day, I'd have bought a 2nd 4TB external SSD the other day, but it has doubled in price. It's something I could use, but will get around until I have absolutely no choice.

Anyways yes, the recession from the AI crash will also further implode consumer demand and buying power, added on top of the tariff nonsense and the monumentally stupid imperial ambitions in the middle east. Everything will be worse for consumers for a long time.

Reference material/comments:
Here's a more recent article on the bubble, the timeline, the years required to rebuild supply lines, and "hyperscalers" buying more chips than they can use purposefully: https://pivot-to-ai.com/2026/03/27/the-ai-bubble-and-the-global-polycrisis/. Ed Zitron has dug into the numbers a lot, and only 1/3rd of claimed data centers are actually being built: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-ai-industry-is-lying-to-you/.

OpenAI shut down its Sora video slop model the other week; of course, video models are the pinnacle of setting money on fire. They still only make worthless memes, but they cost astronomically more to run than text or still image generators. This is one of the first real cracks in the glass.

I think the "Subprime AI crisis" analogy is a good one (Ed first brought it up in 2024, but his most recent article breaks down a ton of numbers here: https://www.wheresyoured.at/the-subprime-ai-crisis-is-here/).

Just collected my copy of the 14mm 1.4...quick brick wall test and can confirm (corrected) straight lines are very straight and corners look good at 1.4 (except for noise due to brightening of the corners via correction).

Flatter field and sharper corners wide open compared to my Sigma 14mm 1.8 (which itself was a very good copy tuned by a tech at Sigma Japan).

If only I had this lens when I went Aurora chasing in Norway end of last year lol.

Hopefully head out over the next few weeks to get some Milky Way shots if weather and time allows...

mangobutter said:

Shucks, so no AF at ALL when using the 1.4x III.

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You can AF with the combination in Live View. It’s slow, but it works. Live view works at f/11 with the 2x TC as well.

Groundhog said:

Given that there already is the 28mm pancake lens for RF there is little hope for a pancake in a similar range as RF-S I guess.
28mm is too long for my personal taste so I would have prefered a 24mm pancake as well.

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I should clarify: I'd like an RF-S pancake lens equivalent to a 24, 28 or 35mm FF.

It's rough. Photographers will have nothing left to buy.

Schwetzingen Garden Mosque in the Schwetzingen Palace and gardens

One of my absolute favorite places in the world! The garden is really beautiful and I got these nice (imo) pics there.


Pic 1

Copland said:

...am I the only one bothered by this unfinished, sharp-edged mounting point?

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It's never been a nuisance for me, never actually thought about it until seeing your post. The edges do have some rounding, and don't feel sharp against my skin. I'd really have to work hard to scratch myself.

I can see how that would scratch up some delicate surfaces, though. Or even becoming annoying when hand holding. But you can simply turn the collar, so the mount isn't sitting against a surface or resting in your hand.

Ended up getting the R6 mkiii for $2150 new in Taiwan.

Link spot metering and partial metering to the af point.

EthenJ said:

I use my R50V for photography, and like it, but no IBIS is painful.

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UBIS is available and quite affordable for the R7.

One example of Under Body Image Staabilization:

Benro MAD49A Adventure Series 4 Aluminum Monopod

​

mb66energy said:

Most interesting minor point is: Where goes the thumb wheel?

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"In hell, where I sent her." - Po Campo, the potential new cook in Lonesome Dove, when asked in San Antonio if he had a wife he'd miss and want to go back to when the cattle drive was halfway from Texas to Montana.

Wow you even declared it? Well done! I've bought my R52 in Tokyo and saved so so much.

- Interface

- Aspect ratio

- Sound

- Stabilisation

- Screen

-Overheating, camera noises, battery life


After all this testing I had a clearer picture in mind.
R52: very compact form factor and decent color quality that needs grading but cannot retain highlights.
6KG2: bulkier form factor with impressive dynamic range, ease of use, and color workflow.

So I have decided to try and sell the 6KG2. While I do not think that there is anything else that matches the value of what this camera can give, for my current usage, form factor is everything. I want to be able to go around with a camera and not care about focusing that much. I'll get by the awful aspect ratio and the clipped highlight. I hope that Canon will implement open gate on the Mark II and seriously improve the dynamic range on the Mark III. I beg people to stop writing that "current cameras are all great", because they are not! But the portability of them is irresistible. And while I am selling the 6KG2, I am still very interested in their new full frame model. Like I said previously in this review it has many significant upgrades: brighter screen (already present on 6K Pro), cfexpress, tracking autofocus, tighter l mount, open gate. For now I am satisfied with Canon hybrid. But if I'll ever shoot on less so run and gun scenarios, I'll definitely consider coming back to Blackmagic. Or maybe I'll not manage to sell the 6KG2 at a decent price, so I'll just keep it on a shelf most of the time and use it in those rare situations where I am sure I don't want autofocus and can tollerate the bigger profile.

Have a couple of them and they have preformed real well in both my R6MkIII and R5 MkII for half the price of OEM. And the USB charging has worked great when I'm out and about, plug them into the cars USB and the charge fairly quick.

zackmorrison said:

I've used a variety of Blackmagics over the years. Under controlled conditions, with good lighting, they make a very nice image. I personally find their form factor though to be less-than-desirable for most field situations, and in uncontrolled settings the image can sometimes be not great.

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I did some testing. I will post the review soon

AlanF said:

Neither was the weight. I tried to pick one up many years ago and had a shock. As a matter of interest, how do you handle this 3.7kg lens?

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Carrying it around the sidelines attached to my monopod (I had to upgrade the tilt head from a Manfrotto 234 to an Oben VH-A30 to support the lens) and a gripped 7D Mark II attached to the lens was like carrying a bowling ball on the end of a stick. I typically held the monopod with my left hand with the lens facing rearward resting over my left shoulder while moving around. I had two other bodies on a dual harness with a 70-200/2.8 on one and either a 24-70/2.8 or 24-105/4 on the other.

Heya

I'm looking for a couple of people to beta test a new site feature. A return of an old one I guess.

You can PM me on the forum.

I think 2-3 people is enough, I don't need more than that telling me everything I have done wrong.

AJ said:

You put the lens in a vise.

Just joking around....

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And...crank it as hard/tight as possible?!

No. The latest version is 1.9.0 from 2024. Given that the R6 is now two models out of date, I would not expect any more firmware updates (and if there is one, it will be to fix a glaring problem, not to add any features).

Michael Clark said:

Changing the magnification affects the corners and edges the most, but it affects every point in the frame except the exact center to one degree or another. So does moving the entire camera and lens towards/away from the subject.

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It still yields useful results. Otherwise focus rails would be pointless.

rip this never happened I need it so bad.