p.60 #1 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
I recently bought the new Shoten Pentax K to Nikon Z adapter with contacts, so I could use my old Pentax lenses on my Nikon Zf. And I like it a lot. The green focus confirmation box is really useful even when shooting moving subjects, as I just shoot away when the green box lights up even shortly. A lot more keepers than with just the focus peaking. (Same of course applies to my 28mm and 40mm Voigtländer Noktons.)
Some shots with my Nikon Zf & SMC Pentax 135mm f/2.5 with Shoten electronic adapter. I really love this lens as "the third of the trinity", along my 28mm and 40mm Noktons.
p.60 #2 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Tonzah78 wrote:
I recently bought the new Shoten Pentax K to Nikon Z adapter with contacts, so I could use my old Pentax lenses on my Nikon Zf. And I like it a lot. The green focus confirmation box is really useful even when shooting moving subjects, as I just shoot away when the green box lights up even shortly. A lot more keepers than with just the focus peaking. (Same of course applies to my 28mm and 40mm Voigtländer Noktons.)
Some shots with my Nikon Zf & SMC Pentax 135mm f/2.5 with Shoten electronic adapter. I really love this lens as "the third of the trinity", along my 28mm and 40mm Noktons.
p.60 #5 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Just received the Nikon Zf and it's currently charging. The battery was completely dead.
I've still been able to play with it during the full charge cycle, which I think takes about 2 hours.
What I have learned so far:
1) What a lovely, well-built camera. It strikes a great balance between mechanical controls and modern electronics. It's also lighter than I expected. The shooting experience is excellent, and I really like the large EVF.. All the dials and buttons feel solid and precise, with very satisfying clicks. It's hard not to love it, although I'm still trying to stay objective.
2) I've been using the Megadap ETZ21 Pro+ adapter and I'm very impressed. Build quality is excellent, and it's very light at around 40 grams. The latest firmware, which enables the camera's focus ring rotation range settings to select FL with non-CPU lenses and adapters, works very well.
I'm able to use Leica M-mount lenses via a Voigtlander close-focus adapter mounted on the Megadap. This gives me green focus confirmation in MF and lets me set shutter speed correctly for accurate IBIS behavior.
I also tested the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 Nokton Z-mount, and it performs flawlessly, both in focus confirmation and overall lens and camera asthetics. My Voigtlander E-mount lenses also work well on the Megadap. In this setup, the lens communicates properly so shutter speed behavior is handled automatically, almost like using a native Z-mount Voigtlander lens.
I even tried some Sony FE lenses in autofocus, and performance is fast and accurate enough for my needs.
3) I went with the Zf silver body with the green leather, and I'm honestly surprised how well it matches my Leica M black/silver lenses, and even Safari lenses. The green tones complement them really nicely and look more cohesive than I expected.
p.60 #6 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Fred Miranda wrote:
Just received the Nikon Zf and it's currently charging. The battery was completely dead.
I've still been able to play with it during the full charge cycle, which I think takes about 2 hours.
What I have learned so far:
1) What a lovely, well-built camera. It strikes a great balance between mechanical controls and modern electronics. It's also lighter than I expected. The shooting experience is excellent, and I really like the large EVF.. All the dials and buttons feel solid and precise, with very satisfying clicks. It's hard not to love it, although I'm still trying to stay objective.
2) I've been using the Megadap ETZ21 Pro+ adapter and I'm very impressed. Build quality is excellent, and it's very light at around 40 grams. The latest firmware, which enables the camera's focus ring rotation range settings to select FL with non-CPU lenses and adapters, works very well.
I'm able to use Leica M-mount lenses via a Voigtlander close-focus adapter mounted on the Megadap. This gives me green focus confirmation in MF and lets me set shutter speed correctly for accurate IBIS behavior.
I also tested the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 Nokton Z-mount, and it performs flawlessly, both in focus confirmation and overall lens and camera asthetics. My Voigtlander E-mount lenses also work well on the Megadap. In this setup, the lens communicates properly so shutter speed behavior is handled automatically, almost like using a native Z-mount Voigtlander lens.
I even tried some Sony FE lenses in autofocus, and performance is fast and accurate enough for my needs.
3) I went with the Zf silver body with the green leather, and I'm honestly surprised how well it matches my Leica M black/silver lenses, and even Safari lenses. The green tones complement them really nicely and look more cohesive than I expected....Show more →
I don't know what the most recent Z body you've used is, but I have a setup guide/basic starting settings list that will jump start you if it's been a bit. It's specifically for the most updated firmware/feature list.
p.60 #7 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
RoamingScott wrote:
I don't know what the most recent Z body you've used is, but I have a setup guide/basic starting settings list that will jump start you if it's been a bit. It's specifically for the most updated firmware/feature list.
Thanks Scott, I checked out your video and it's great, really appreciate the recommendation. My last Nikon was a D850 DSLR, so it helped a lot...
It also made me realize I need to update my camera, since quite a few of your suggestions weren't available on my Zf, which was still running firmware v2.02.
What I love most so far is the way manual focus works. I don't think I will be zooming in or using focus peaking much anymore. The green focus confirmation box lets me shoot more like a rangefinder, where I can always see the entire composition while focusing. I also appreciate that once my settings are dialed in, I can just close the LCD and shoot it like a classic camera.
p.60 #9 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
It's a bit ironic that I don't actually have any Nikon lenses at the moment, aside from the Voigtländer 35mm f/1.4 Nokton Z-mount that I will be reviewing. Here are some of my lenses adapted to the Nikon Zf.
Basically, I'm using the Megadap first to retain full electronic communication. With M-mount lenses, I add a Voigtlander close-up adapter for an extra 5mm of extension when needed. For Voigtlander MF and AF E-mount lenses, they mount directly onto the Megadap.
Nikon ZF, Megadap, Voigtlander Close-focus, Voigtlander 50/3.5 APO
p.60 #12 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Fred Miranda wrote:
Had to share my first two shots with the Zf, really loving this camera already. That focus confirmation is a game-changer, I'm just late to the party.
Zf with CV 35mm f/1.4 Nokton Z-mount:
I can't remember how I did it, but you can also use focus trap. If I remember correctly you set the camera to only release the shutter if in focus and then you can hold down the shutter button and it will take once green box is confirmed. It was useful for kids running at me and when I was run and gunning with a very narrow field of focus. I usually had it set to 3 busts just in case it delayed.
I do love the silver look of the zf, but I'm happy with my z5ii... I'm happy with my z5ii... I'm happy with...
p.60 #13 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Seabassius wrote:
I can't remember how I did it, but you can also use focus trap. If I remember correctly you set the camera to only release the shutter if in focus and then you can hold down the shutter button and it will take once green box is confirmed. It was useful for kids running at me and when I was run and gunning with a very narrow field of focus.
Do you mind re-discovering how you did it? I too was looking for the focus trap possibility, and I configured the shutter release to prioritize focus like you described. But it's not enough. The camera happily fires regardless of the lens' focus position. Thanks!
p.60 #15 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
The focus confirmation with manual lenses was the one feature that sold me this camera. And made me switch to Nikon from Fuji as my main camera. Also love the shutter sound, mechanical old-school feel (even better than with Fujis), large EVF, flip screen (I'm one of the few who prefer it), and overall handling. With the Smallgrip leather case that adds little bit more grip and thumbrest I like how it feels in my hands. Only when using tripod I switch to the larger smallgrip aluminum base/grip that has the quick-release tripod mount built in. So far used it for couple of months and really loving it, after using Sony and Fuji cameras for the last 11 years. Still have my little X-T30II as well with couple of lenses. Although my daughter uses it more than I do.
p.60 #16 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
old-gregg wrote:
Do you mind re-discovering how you did it? I too was looking for the focus trap possibility, and I configured the shutter release to prioritize focus like you described. But it's not enough. The camera happily fires regardless of the lens' focus position. Thanks!
p.60 #17 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Fred Miranda wrote:
It's a bit ironic that I don't actually have any Nikon lenses at the moment, aside from the Voigtländer 35mm f/1.4 Nokton Z-mount that I will be reviewing. Here are some of my lenses adapted to the Nikon Zf.
Basically, I'm using the Megadap first to retain full electronic communication. With M-mount lenses, I add a Voigtlander close-up adapter for an extra 5mm of extension when needed. For Voigtlander MF and AF E-mount lenses, they mount directly onto the Megadap.
Oooh, I'm waiting for that 35/1.4.
I had Sony E version, was great, looked amazing, but wanted a proper Z version.
p.60 #18 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
phinix wrote:
Oooh, I'm waiting for that 35/1.4.
I had Sony E version, was great, looked amazing, but wanted a proper Z version.
When your review will be out?
I just received the lens yesterday, but I will be starting my testing soon. If you liked the E version, you'll like this one as well. It's the same optical design, slightly refined for the Nikon sensor stack. The design is based on, or inspired by, the Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux pre-ASPH, one of the most beloved classic lenses.
p.60 #19 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
Seabassius wrote:
I used this video, starting around 5:20In the video, the steps for "trap" focus are:
Set Focus Mode to AF-S
Set AF-S Priority Selection to Focus
Set AF Activation to On
I followed these settings, but when I fully press the shutter as described, the camera still takes the shot right away instead of waiting for focus confirmation. I’m not sure what I'm missing. So far I've only tested this with the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 Z. Maybe it only works with adapted lenses, but I'm not certain.
p.60 #20 · Nikon Zf as a platform for adapted/native manual focus lenses
In the 'Non-CPU Lens Data" menu, you can enter details like focal length and lens name. When you select one of those saved lenses, does the camera actually use the entered focal length for IBIS?
What I'm really trying to understand is whether the focal length you input there is what IBIS relies on. That’s the main concern when adapting lenses, and the reason you still have to enter focal length even when using electronic adapters.
