Re: Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
After I declared the Nikkor AI-S 50/1.8 metal "pancake" as the kit lens for my Zf, I stumbled onto this less known lens - ArtraLab Nonikkor 35/1.4 Z-mount. They offer two versions with slight cosmetic differences: "1960s" and "1980s", styled after vintage Nikkor SLR lenses in those times. I got a used "1960s" copy off Ebay from a U.S. seller, saving a bit, especially considering their official store on Amazon doesn't offer Z-mount options and ~$40 shipping will be added if ordered from their website. The aluminum build has some good quality. The lens looks right at home on Zf! Perfect fit for Zf? by Sander Li, on Flickr
Interestingly, the 7/5 optical design is different from the vintage Nikkor 35/1.4 (non-AI, AI, AI-S) but actually similar to Summilux V1 and V2. The image quality is just Okay or maybe "not that great" by today's standard but shall be similar to Summilux V1 or V2. The rendering, however, is somewhere in between 1950/60s vintages and clinical modern lenses, with modest glow and some but not extreme "nisen" bokeh. Its rendering is actually close to those better corrected vintage Nikkors in the 1970/80s, e.g, the aforementioned Nikkor AI-S 50/1.8. "Queen of Sweden" in the yard by Sander Li, on Flickr
