p.19 #1 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Juha Kannisto wrote:
Cosina Voigtländer M-Z adapter doesn't have any electronics in it so it's not going to need any firmware updates, it's a dumb adapter without any contacts. It has the close-focus helicoid which makes it useful for improving the minimum focus distance, but the adapter is also fairly heavy at 105g.
I use mostly Rayqual adapters for M-E, M-X, M-L and C/Y-E and I think they are the best ones out there for spec-accurate thickness and quality but they don't come with close focus helicoids. I also use CV M-E close focus adapter II, which is also of very high quality. It's a little thinner at infinity locked position so most lenses can't be used at hard infinity without adjusting the focus on the lens or the adapter.
As I don't have a Z camera can't really comment on the specifics of adapting M-mount lenses vs. E-mount lenses to Z. I think 90/2.8 VM and 21/3.5 VM should adapt pretty well though. I have 90/2.8 VM and 21/3.5 E-mount version personally. I'm a bof CV enthusiast and I currently have 29 of their lenses across E-mount, X-mount, VM and LTM.
I would avoid adapting APO Lanthars from M to Z at least as the M-mount versions are reported to work much worse on E when compared to the native E-mount versions....Show more →
Thank you so much for the information. I wonder why these adapters lack electronics. Is that how Leica works? No chips on lenses? I apologize in advance as I have no knowledge above Leica. Rayqual looks very intimidating. It looks like it is a Japanese company. I would be definitely interested in Y-Z and Zuiko-Z . As for Voigtlander, Thank you for letting me know that Apo Lanthers tend to do poorly adapted. I am most likely not pursuing Apo Lanther as my interest is weight and size savings for light weight kit for my Z camera, currently just a Z6.
p.19 #2 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
akul wrote:
Thank you so much for the information. I wonder why these adapters lack electronics. Is that how Leica works? No chips on lenses? I apologize in advance as I have no knowledge above Leica. Rayqual looks very intimidating. It looks like it is a Japanese company. I would be definitely interested in Y-Z and Zuiko-Z . As for Voigtlander, Thank you for letting me know that Apo Lanthers tend to do poorly adapted. I am most likely not pursuing Apo Lanther as my interest is weight and size savings for light weight kit for my Z camera, currently just a Z6.
Yes, Leica M-mount lenses (and Leica Thread Mount (LTM) lenses that can be easily converted to M with small adapter rings) have no electronic contacts and no electronics inside so almost all adapters from M-mount to mirrorless mounts are dumb and without any electronics, with the exception being some autofocus adapters like TechArt and TTArtisan 6Bit adapters that convert Leica 6-bit codes or user-selectable focal length info to EXIF data.
Rayqual is indeed a Japanese company and their website looks like a very old-style Japanese design. Their adapters are top quality and popular in Japan but availability might be limited in other countries. At least CameraQuest sells their adapters in the U.S. but not sure if they have all the models. Their M-mount to Z-mount adapter and others can be found at Map Camera also: https://www.mapcamera.com/item/2717006760309
From the current CV VM lineup, I'm using 28/2.8 VM Type II, 35/1.5 VM, 40/2.8 VM, 50/1.5 Nokton II, 50/1.5 Heliar classic, 50/3.5, 75/1.9 Ultron, 90/2.8 APO-Skopar adapted on my E-mount cameras and I think all of them are quite adaptable and work reasonably well. However, with any lens that they have available natively in E-mount I would usually prefer the native version for better optimization for the sensor and for EXIF etc.
p.19 #3 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
I switched from Canon RF to Nikon Z a few moments ago. Here's my take on the adapter.
Do not buy the Voigtländer VM-Z close focus adapter if you have Leica lenses. I've tried two copies of VM-Z close focus adapters, manufactured in 2020 and 2022 respectively. Although they fit perfectly on Voigtländer VM 35 1.7 with zero play. Unfortunately none of them works with my Leica Summicron-M 90mm (Canada, 1980-1998). To be fair, Voigtländer has never advertised them being compatible with Leica lenses. In the manual they only guarantee compatibility with Voigtländer VM lenses and Zeiss ZM lenses. Both are in fact made by Cosina Ltd. which is the manufacturer of VM and ZM lenses. I sent these Voigtländer adapters back and opted for a Novoflex adapter. Top quality, Made in Germany and most importantly works with all my Leica lenses.
p.19 #4 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
akul wrote:
I did not realize that IBIS on Zf does not lock when turned off. I wonder what the rational behind that was. If it is not locked, when shaken, does it make any sound that suggests sensor is moving around ? I am a bit skeptical that it is not somehow 'stabilized' if not 'locked'..... Wet sensor cleaning is basic and we should be allowed to do so without sending it in. Due to the lack of sensor shield, need for we cleaning is more often than Nikon engineer may be dreaming of.
Luka
I was wondering what that sound was. My copy definitely had a little rattling sound.
p.19 #5 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
zhulinke wrote:
I switched from Canon RF to Nikon Z a few moments ago. Here's my take on the adapter.
Do not buy the Voigtländer VM-Z close focus adapter if you have Leica lenses. I've tried two copies of VM-Z close focus adapters, manufactured in 2020 and 2022 respectively. Although they fit perfectly on Voigtländer VM 35 1.7 with zero play. Unfortunately none of them works with my Leica Summicron-M 90mm (Canada, 1980-1998). To be fair, Voigtländer has never advertised them being compatible with Leica lenses. In the manual they only guarantee compatibility with Voigtländer VM lenses and Zeiss ZM lenses. Both are in fact made by Cosina Ltd. which is the manufacturer of VM and ZM lenses. I sent these Voigtländer adapters back and opted for a Novoflex adapter. Top quality, Made in Germany and most importantly works with all my Leica lenses.
...Show more →
How do you mean they dont work with Leica lenses?
p.19 #6 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
gyoung143 wrote:
How do you mean they dont work with Leica lenses?
Leica M-mount features a small spring-loaded pin on the body side, which engages with a groove on the lens mount when a lens is attached. The tolerance on my Voigtländer adapter was so tight, that the pin cannot reach the designated groove on my Leica lens, preventing the lens to be securely mounted. The Voigtländer adapter was a perfect match for my VM 35 1.7 with absolute ZERO play once mounted, whereas with the Novoflex adapter it has a very slight tolerance if you twist the lens with great force.
p.19 #7 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
gyoung143 wrote:
How do you mean they dont work with Leica lenses?
I think they meant with that one specific Leica lens they mentioned. Plenty of people are using these adapters with M lenses without issue. Adapters can be weird like that. Even the higher end adapters do not always work with all lenses of a given mount. I had a Novoflex adapter for using Contax Zeiss C/Y lenses on my M camera, and most of them fit just fine except the 100 f/2, which was too tight to engage and lock fully on the adapter.
p.19 #10 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
pdesopo wrote:
A brief follow-up on the sensor cleaning. I've had a few back and forth with the technical support.
I asked if they could confirm that the camera needs to be switched on when cleaning the sensor.
Their answer: "We can not advise on that."
The lawyers are going to keep you from getting a straight answer from a low level Nikon person. Find a very good local tech and ask him/her how to do it.
It looked funky to me, and then I made the mistake of finding a used one on ebay and so here I iz.
I 'only' have a Z7, but if I do get a ZF, I think it will actually look pretty cool on it, being all metal with rings an' stuff.
p.19 #13 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
zhulinke wrote:
Leica M-mount features a small spring-loaded pin on the body side, which engages with a groove on the lens mount when a lens is attached. The tolerance on my Voigtländer adapter was so tight, that the pin cannot reach the designated groove on my Leica lens, preventing the lens to be securely mounted. The Voigtländer adapter was a perfect match for my VM 35 1.7 with absolute ZERO play once mounted, whereas with the Novoflex adapter it has a very slight tolerance if you twist the lens with great force.
I've come across that problem before with other Leica M adapters. With cheap ones I have usually cleaned up the pin a little with a small modelling file and it worked.
p.19 #14 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Just a dumb question/poll, how or what do you use to charge the battery of your Zf?
I was disappointed to see that there was no charger in the box and the instructions to charge it were cryptic.
I bought the Mh-34 Nikon charger, those accessories are not cheap nor easy to find. I was disappointed to see that the leds that are supposed to indicate the level of charging were not working until I realized that there was nothing behind it anyway?
There is just the one led that blinks orange while charging(it doesn’t even change color when charged)and the other seem to be just engraved plastic.
I love my Zf but that all thing is a bit odd. Keep your Z6 ii charger, it’s worth gold.
p.19 #16 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Desmolicious wrote:
Beautiful model etc but.. is that a painted tree that she is leaning against? The colours work so well!
Yes, it is upturned tree with exposed roots near the water. Someone painted it several years ago and it is a popular spot. It faces the sunset so I often use it for photo shoots.
p.19 #17 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
I'm a little confused about when the green eye focus point works with adapted lenses. If I wanted to adapt my m-mount Voigtlander 35mm to the Zf, do I get the green eye box? Or does it depend on what kind of adapter I use or does it not work at all?
I know that Voigtlander Z-mount lenses will work with this due to them having contacts.
p.19 #18 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
weezintrumpete wrote:
I'm a little confused about when the green eye focus point works with adapted lenses. If I wanted to adapt my m-mount Voigtlander 35mm to the Zf, do I get the green eye box? Or does it depend on what kind of adapter I use or does it not work at all?
I know that Voigtlander Z-mount lenses will work with this due to them having contacts.
Any clarity here is helpful!
You would need an adapter with electronic contacts with the body, for example the TTArtisan M-Z 6Bit Adapter. I have no personal experience with it but you can check out the review on the M-E version.
p.19 #19 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
I am not sure that the TTArtisan 6 bit Leica M to Nikon Z adapter is a viable solution longer term.
It was noted "pre-order" (product in catalog but no stock available) on Jo Geier's website but disappeared in the last days. They told me it was discontinued.
It is not displayed in the products list at TTArtisan. I sent them a mail 2 days ago but have no answer yet. It might be that a new version is in the works (or not).
I don't know what it would mean in terms of support for the "old" version in years to come (I guess that Nikon will continue to create new camera models and Leica new 6 bit coded lenses).
p.19 #20 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Is there a reliable Nikon EN-EL15c replacement? Or do you guys use only original batteries?
I bought a third-party from Amazon, the camera showed me a warning, and it wouldn't start.
