Pieca: A Raspberry Pi Camera System for Leica M Mount Lenses

Yeah I have been meaning to do a review I bought them having not seen any, I have two of them. The UC80 (IMX485, the most expensive one) is really good, its still a smaller sensor than DSLR (1/1.2 inch, similar to 16mm film) but hugely larger than normal webcams. The auto settings are really good. The UC70 (the one thats $165) is not as good its a smaller sensor and has some limitations.

Largely off-topic, but I've had so much fun and luck getting old lenses to use with my mirrorless camera[0]. I've been able to get several lenses from random brands for an average price of like $15 apiece. Mirrorless cameras work especially well with those lenses because the adapters can be made very simply and usually had for like $10.

Are they gonna get you the "tack sharp" sports and wildlife photos like a high end lens of today? Hardly. But retro and lofi photography styles are pretty popular right now and are a blast! Why spend $200+ on some wacky retro-inspired lens when you can get a real vintage lens for less than 1/10th of that? Probably built better too[1].

The biggest potential drawback is a lot of these don't even have an option for auto anything (focus, aperture, etc.). Even if you get one that has it, the auto function likely won't work with any digital camera body[2].

Personally, I've actually grown to prefer manual focus in most cases and I shoot in aperture priority 99% of the time anyway. These have become my main lenses for now. Paired with Fuji's film simulations, I get decently close to aspects of the film experience but with modern benefits[3]. I'm not gonna get perfect color representation, but that's honestly what I'm aiming for anyway.

If I really need autofocus[4] or want a shot without my retro "filter", I can always use my phone.

[0]: A used Fujifilm X-T30 mk1

[1]: Even if it's just due to survivorship bias.

[2]: A lot of the old mechanisms for things like autofocus would be like a specifically placed worm gear. These adapters usually don't engage those mechanisms.

[3]: As much as I like the restriction of having limited shots and not knowing what it'll look like til later, it's still a steep cost. On top of that, it's hard to even trust the in-camera light meter as many were designed for mercury batteries. I've been able to use modern hearing aid batteries, but the voltages aren't exact matches, so the readings are slightly off.

[4]: Even though I like manual focus, handing my mostly manual camera to a non-photographer family member always requires a mini photography lesson, for better or worse.