p.4 #1Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
highdesertmesa wrote: jon595 wrotehighdesertmesa wrotejon595 wrotesarkleshark wroteYes firmware 1.0.1 Image stabilization icon is present but I don't know if the focal length is correct . That is, is it set by the adapter or does it need to be set manually.
I cannot find any custom user profiles that can be set and remembered for easy changes.I also am a new Nikon Zf owner and use the TTArtisan 6bit adapter. When I first got it, the Zf would not fire the shutter unless the 'reset' button on the adapter was held down. So I plugged it into my linux laptop and the information txt file was all gibberish. Thinking I had to use a Windows laptop, I plugged it in there as well and still saw only gibberish text in the txt file. So I downloaded the 1.0.1 firmware, dragged the file over, ejected the device and plugged it back in and now the text file reads correctly that it is version 1.0.1.
Now the adapter works just fine on the Zf in that it records the proper focal length for my lenses and IBIS seems to be working great as I was handholding landscape shots at 1/4 without any blur. The lenses I'm currently using are Voigtlander 21mm f/3.5 Color Skopar (6bit coded to be a Elmarit M 21mm f/2.8 ASPH), Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 Nokton Classic II MC (6bit coded to be a Summilux -M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH) and a TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 ASPH (6bit coded as a Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH). The adapter picks up the hand painted 6bit dots I put on just fine (as does my Leica M10) and things seem to be working well.
The only issue I've been having is that when shooting with these adapted lenses, the exposure preview in the EVF can sometimes be darker by about a 1/2 to a full stop than what the image will be when the shutter is pressed. From what I've read, that has to do with the camera guessing aperture and not having full communication with the lens.
Overall, the Zf is awesome for my use case. It is my primary camera for sports and events and very nice to use for portraits, which the M10 shares duties with. I've paired it with the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 lens for the above mentioned and that lens is a beast in all the good ways.
https://www.jonathanhrovath.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-10-21_15-30-50-358.jpgThe image taken and the one in the EVF should match regardless of electronic communication between the lens and camera. I've only seen discrepancies when shooting outside the exposure limits of the camera, for example: wide open where the proper exposure needs higher than 1/8000 sec. You can work around the 1/8000 limit by setting the lowest ISO to Lo1 instead of ISO 100, and the exposure preview will match again.That would be the expected behavior, but something is going on and it's not due to the exposure limits of the camera. Thom Hogan commented on a post I made on dpreview forums with this:
"It's been a long while since I've spent much time with this, but even in the DSLR world there were issues concerning MF lenses, particularly non-AI, with the metering system. It typically has to do with variability in the stop down of the aperture, but because the matrix metering system also tries to take into account focus distance, there are other potentials for problems."If you put the same lens on a dummy adapter does the problem go away?
p.4 #2Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Dear all, a very beautiful camera! It looks fantastic with M-mount glass
I want to ask since I really do not know it. Considering purelly the specifications, what are advantages of shooting this compared with say an used A7RII? Please I really want to understand, since I see quite a bit of people using Nikon in general. It performs better with Leica glass? More pleasant colors?
p.4 #3Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
hanay78 wrote:
Dear all, a very beautiful camera! It looks fantastic with M-mount glass
I want to ask since I really do not know it. Considering purelly the specifications, what are advantages of shooting this compared with say an used A7RII? Please I really want to understand, since I see quite a bit of people using Nikon in general. It performs better with Leica glass? More pleasant colors?
The only added feature is the subject detection in manual focus , camera will detect subject and you can zoom in directly to what it detected for critical focus. I don't know how useful that is to you ? With Z mount MF lenses that have electrical contacts (Voitglander Z) , focus confirmation is also added , as well as AIS adapted lenses via FTZ adapter. I only use the M lenses because they are so small , makes for a small kit when I don't feel like using the native mount voigtlanders.
p.4 #4Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
hanay78 wrote:
Dear all, a very beautiful camera! It looks fantastic with M-mount glass
I want to ask since I really do not know it. Considering purelly the specifications, what are advantages of shooting this compared with say a used A7RII? Please I really want to understand, since I see quite a bit of people using Nikon in general. It performs better with Leica glass? More pleasant colors?
Could you start a new thread for this? I don't want this to devolve into a brand wars discussion if possible. Nikon Z in general has thinner cover glass which can improve performance for some M lenses. Zf has subject detection for manual focus lenses. Other than that, nothing really.
Choose the camera you want to use. Plenty of people use both systems and produce great results with M lenses. If you want the best results from M lenses, buy an M camera or have your current camera's sensor modified by a 3rd party to replace the sensor cover glass with one as thin as Leica's.
p.4 #5Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
jon595 wrote:
That would be the expected behavior, but something is going on and it's not due to the exposure limits of the camera. Thom Hogan commented on a post I made on dpreview forums with this:
"It's been a long while since I've spent much time with this, but even in the DSLR world there were issues concerning MF lenses, particularly non-AI, with the metering system. It typically has to do with variability in the stop down of the aperture, but because the matrix metering system also tries to take into account focus distance, there are other potentials for problems."
p.4 #6Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
I've noticed it most in full manual mode. Most of the time, exposure matches between what is in the viewfinder and what image results. Only some of the time there is a difference.
p.4 #7Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
I had exposure issues w my Z7 when I used adapted lenses which had no electronic communication. Even w the evf set to show actual exposure, when downloaded the images were up to two stops too dark.
Interestingly when I used it again with an adapted lens for the image I posted above, this issue no longer exists. Exposure is fine. My camera has had several firmware updates in the meantime so I think Nikon fixed something.
p.4 #8Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
highdesertmesa wrote:
Could you start a new thread for this? I don't want this to devolve into a brand wars discussion if possible. Nikon Z in general has thinner cover glass which can improve performance for some M lenses.
I haven't personally tried this, but I'm really curious to find out the details. Has anyone compared how a wide-angle M lens performs on a Sony camera compared to a Nikon camera and checked for any differences in IQ?
I suppose I could give a ZF lens a shot and then compare its performance with my Sony A9 using a couple of M lenses.
Choose the camera you want to use. Plenty of people use both systems and produce great results with M lenses. If you want the best results from M lenses, buy an M camera or have your current camera's sensor modified by a 3rd party to replace the sensor cover glass with one as thin as Leica's.
I'm aware that this is a common sentiment, but I've personally verified that the SL series delivers excellent performance with M lenses, second only to the M body or modded cameras, which are the top choices.
p.4 #9Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
I have just reached a point where I no longer use adapted lenses. The results are just too inconsistent between lenses, and I don't have the interest or patience to spend time buying testing and selling lenses. I now use only native lenses on my different systems. Manual focus on Leica M, and AF lenses on Sony A1. Easy! Lazy I guess.
p.4 #10Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
I’d also love to see how m lenses, particularly 35mm and wider, function on Z versus E mount. I keep reading anecdotal reports without systematic testing. I also recall there was some misinformation regarding z-sensor stack thickness some time back. I’ve looked for this several times since launch, but haven’t picked up a Z yet.
p.4 #11Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
JustShootMe wrote: hanay78 wroteDear all, a very beautiful camera! It looks fantastic with M-mount glass
I want to ask since I really do not know it. Considering purelly the specifications, what are advantages of shooting this compared with say an used A7RII? Please I really want to understand, since I see quite a bit of people using Nikon in general. It performs better with Leica glass? More pleasant colors?The only added feature is the subject detection in manual focus , camera will detect subject and you can zoom in directly to what it detected for critical focus. I don't know how useful that is to you ? With Z mount MF lenses that have electrical contacts (Voitglander Z) , focus confirmation is also added , as well as AIS adapted lenses via FTZ adapter. I only use the M lenses because they are so small , makes for a small kit when I don't feel like using the native mount voigtlanders.
Great summary. It has been mentioned that adapters with electronic contacts, such as the TTArtisan M-Z 6-Bit Adapter, also offer focus confirmation, similar to the Voigtlander Z-mount lenses.
p.4 #12Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Fred Miranda wrote: highdesertmesa wroteCould you start a new thread for this? I don't want this to devolve into a brand wars discussion if possible. Nikon Z in general has thinner cover glass which can improve performance for some M lenses.I haven't personally tried this, but I'm really curious to find out the details. Has anyone compared how a wide-angle M lens performs on a Sony camera compared to a Nikon camera and checked for any differences in IQ?
I suppose I could give a ZF lens a shot and then compare its performance with my Sony A9 using a couple of M lenses.
Earlier quoteChoose the camera you want to use. Plenty of people use both systems and produce great results with M lenses. If you want the best results from M lenses, buy an M camera or have your current camera's sensor modified by a 3rd party to replace the sensor cover glass with one as thin as Leica's.I'm aware that this is a common sentiment, but I've personally verified that the SL series delivers excellent performance with M lenses, second only to the M body or modded cameras, which are the top choices.
Would any sane person own both a Nikon and Sony at the same time? Wouldn't they lose their minds with both of those complicated menus?
Z sensor cover glass thickness (1.1mm) sits between E (1.75mm) and a Kolari modified sensor, so I would assume the Z sensors are better than E sensors for M lenses but still a far cry from a Kolari-modified sensor of either mount.
It would be cool to see a side-by-side test (corners, color shift, field curvature shape, and vignetting) using one of the most difficult M lenses for digital sensors to handle like the Voigtlander 21mm Color-Skopar F4.0.
Cover glass thickness:
– GFX 100S (BSI) – 3.1mm cover glass spaced 9mm away from the sensor (per Fujifilm illustration)
– A7R4 (BSI) 1.75mm cover glass (per Kolari)
– Z7 (BSI) 1.1mm cover glass (per Kolari)
– SL2 (FSI) or SL2-S (BSI) cover glass thickness unknown but has parabolic microlens array that is M lens-friendly
– M10-R (FSI) or M11 (BSI) parabolic microlenses shifted to further accommodate the ray angles from wide angle M lenses
p.4 #13Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
I have a ZF & Snapshot-skopar 25mm and brother has a M11 & the Color-Skopar 21/4. I can compare these when he visits me next week, but I dont know any Sony-shooter.
I've been busy, but will soon try mine LTM lenses on the ZF.
p.4 #14Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Fred Miranda wrote: JustShootMe wrotehanay78 wroteDear all, a very beautiful camera! It looks fantastic with M-mount glass
I want to ask since I really do not know it. Considering purelly the specifications, what are advantages of shooting this compared with say an used A7RII? Please I really want to understand, since I see quite a bit of people using Nikon in general. It performs better with Leica glass? More pleasant colors?The only added feature is the subject detection in manual focus , camera will detect subject and you can zoom in directly to what it detected for critical focus. I don't know how useful that is to you ? With Z mount MF lenses that have electrical contacts (Voitglander Z) , focus confirmation is also added , as well as AIS adapted lenses via FTZ adapter. I only use the M lenses because they are so small , makes for a small kit when I don't feel like using the native mount voigtlanders.Great summary. It has been mentioned that adapters with electronic contacts, such as the TTArtisan M-Z 6-Bit Adapter, also offer focus confirmation, similar to the Voigtlander Z-mount lenses.
Thanks , I'm gonna order one since they are so cheap and see how it performs. Too bad I have no 6bit coded lenses, you're gonna make me broke
p.4 #15Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Interesting thread! A couple of additions:
1. Consider using a TTArtisan or Megadap FTZ autofocus adapter on your Zf. This not only gives you autofocus for manual lenses (the 2nd gen adapters work really well IMO), it also gives you the “green box” focus confirmation for manual focus of any adapted lens. A killer feature!
2. Check out Steve Huffs recent posts on the Nikon Z system. Steve was a long term Leica user and fan and mainly shot the SL2s up until recently. He claims that Leica M mount lenses perform better on the Z system than on the SL cameras. Subjective perhaps, but an interesting read from a very knowledgeable source. https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2023/07/10/how-the-nikon-z8-brought-me-back-to-nikon-a-review/?amp=1
p.4 #16Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Not a Zf shot (z8 / 50lux asph at 2.8), but related to the TTA 6 bit adapter we have been discussing here. Set the camera to AFC, release on focus only, subject detection on, hold the shutter release down and manually focus, when it gets a lock it will burst.
p.4 #17Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Denverdutchman wrote:
Interesting thread! A couple of additions:
1. Consider using a TTArtisan or Megadap FTZ autofocus adapter on your Zf. This not only gives you autofocus for manual lenses (the 2nd gen adapters work really well IMO), it also gives you the “green box” focus confirmation for manual focus of any adapted lens. A killer feature!
2. Check out Steve Huffs recent posts on the Nikon Z system. Steve was a long term Leica user and fan and mainly shot the SL2s up until recently. He claims that Leica M mount lenses perform better on the Z system than on the SL cameras. Subjective perhaps, but an interesting read from a very knowledgeable source. https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2023/07/10/how-the-nikon-z8-brought-me-back-to-nikon-a-review/?amp=1...Show more →
I think he said he found the M lenses easier to focus on the Z8 versus the SL2-S. Z8 is a much higher res sensor, so that's probably compensating for the lower res EVF in the Z8. He says the images seem sharper from the Z8. Of course they do compared to a camera with half the resolution. He also says the Z8 color is better. I haven't used the Z8, but there is very little difference between the color I'm getting from the Zf and what I got from the SL2-S with M lenses. His color comment sounds like ownership bias to me.
p.4 #18Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Kasper6188 wrote:
Not a Zf shot (z8 / 50lux asph at 2.8), but related to the TTA 6 bit adapter we have been discussing here. Set the camera to AFC, release on focus only, subject detection on, hold the shutter release down and manually focus, when it gets a lock it will burst.
p.4 #19Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
highdesertmesa wrote: Kasper6188 wroteNot a Zf shot (z8 / 50lux asph at 2.8), but related to the TTA 6 bit adapter we have been discussing here. Set the camera to AFC, release on focus only, subject detection on, hold the shutter release down and manually focus, when it gets a lock it will burst.
Yep! Another thing I like to do when adapting Leica glass to Nikon with this adapter is set EV step value to 1/2 so I can easily match the aperture selected on the camera to the one on the lens so it sends over the right value in exif.
p.4 #20Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Denverdutchman wrote:
Interesting thread! A couple of additions:
1. Consider using a TTArtisan or Megadap FTZ autofocus adapter on your Zf. This not only gives you autofocus for manual lenses (the 2nd gen adapters work really well IMO), it also gives you the “green box” focus confirmation for manual focus of any adapted lens. A killer feature!
2. Check out Steve Huffs recent posts on the Nikon Z system. Steve was a long term Leica user and fan and mainly shot the SL2s up until recently. He claims that Leica M mount lenses perform better on the Z system than on the SL cameras. Subjective perhaps, but an interesting read from a very knowledgeable source. https://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2023/07/10/how-the-nikon-z8-brought-me-back-to-nikon-a-review/?amp=1...Show more →
Huff has been on a sour grapes Leica run for a while now, ever since Leica cut him out of their review pool.
I see the pics he uses to illustrate his 'testing' hasn't changed. Pic of partner, pic of people standing, usually he also has a pic of a dog and a fire hydrant.
If he is happy with what he gets, for what he needs a camera to do - that is great for him. But to base a big ticket purchase on a blogger's around the house snapshots is not something I would do.
H3ck, the crew here at FM are who I would listen to!
