I just got a cz 18mm zf lens for my nikon d3x and for the life of me i can't figure out how to shoot shutter priority with it. Any help would be very much appreciated
Let me rephrase, I mean to say, I believe it is not possible, given that the aperture is manual, and not electronically controlled.
But I don't have a nikon currently, or any ZF glass...
It's not possible to use shutterspeed priority with a manual lens. Your only option for using it with shutterspeed priority is to chip the lens, which is a pretty involved process which would irrevocably change the lens. It would probably make it more valuable though.
What I mean to say is that it isn't possible with your D3x camera, or any other Nikon or Canon (obviously) for that matter, not that it isn't possible to design a camera that way.
Click on mounts and ZF and it will tell you the compatibility.
Only a very few Nikon cameras can do shutter priority with a ZF. Interestingly, the ZE can, but the canon mount increases the lens size and weight by 140g.
Shutter Priority is only available for ZF lenses on the Nikon FA and possibly the F301/F501. The F2 has an accessory available for some of the prisms which will do Shutter Priority as well, but it's large, rare and unreliable (the accessory, not the F2 which is merely large but not rare or unreliable).
The list on the Zeiss website is incorrect, the FG lacks Shutter Priority and both the F4 and F5 function in Aperture Priority mode when a non-CPU lens is attached and the mode set to shutter priority. Also the first line is incorrect as the EL/EL2, FE/FE2, F3 and FM3a all fully support Aperture Priority, not the 'limited extent' Zeiss indicates.
No Nikon digital can take advantage of an AI-S lens's full capabilities.
Can you live with M setting with auto ISO? Other wise you would have to exchange it with ZF.2 version. ZF.2 supports flash TTL as well.
Just a thought.
Shutter priority? Haven't shot that for 2 decades!
My shutter priority nowadays consists of using aperture priority and set the aperture at its widest or near that value in order to get the high shutter speed I require for the job. This is much more reliable than dialing a fixed shutter value in my opinion.
But well, with ZF lenses, you don't get program either, so I guess a ZF.2 would be more appropriate.