p.1 #1 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
Hi,
I have a trio of Zeiss Milvus lenses: the 35mm, 50mm and 85mm. I have been using them on my F-mount film bodies and I adore them.
Recently I started shooting digital again, but my digital system is a Sony. I have the F-to-E lens adapter which works quite well with these lenses, but I am not a fan of Sony's manual focus assist implementation. I am able to focus faster with my film bodies like FM3a or F3 because of their good focusing screens with microprisms.
I started thinking about getting a digital Nikon body specifically for these 3 lenses. My choices are their latest DSLRs or a Z-mirrorless with an F-to-Z adapter. I looked at Nikon's manual focus assist implementation on Z-bodies on Youtube and really intrigued.
p.1 #2 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
I always prefer mirrorless to dslr for manual focus because of evf and focus magnifier. Now with Zf/z9 and soon z8 where eye detection will work with manual focus confirmation, these 3 bodies would be my prefer choice.
p.1 #3 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
Z5ii if you like modern styling and controls, Zf if you want a retro dial camera. Those are really the two options for a modern Z with all the latest manual focus goodies, ignoring the Z6iii and above because those are complete overkill for what you need here.
p.1 #4 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
RoamingScott wrote:
Z5ii if you like modern styling and controls, Zf if you want a retro dial camera. Those are really the two options for a modern Z with all the latest manual focus goodies, ignoring the Z6iii and above because those are complete overkill for what you need here.
Scott, but how would you compare manual focus experience of modern mirrorless vs DSLRs? After all, these lenses were made for manual focus on DSLRs. Thanks.
p.1 #5 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
old-gregg wrote:
Scott, but how would you compare manual focus experience of modern mirrorless vs DSLRs? After all, these lenses were made for manual focus on DSLRs. Thanks.
OVFs are a total non-starter for me, I've fully moved on and enjoy the excellent tech available to us. Green box focus confirmation on Z has totally opened up the world of manual focus for me. I love punching into magnification to check when critical focus is needed.
p.1 #6 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
My take: (D)SLR viewing system requires fairly bright light for manual focus, and you're still using judgement calls for whether you've achieved exact focus. Z cams can give you perfect manual focus in any light.
p.1 #7 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
Personally I think Milvus is very good match to 45 mp sensor if you need all the resolution. My 35/1.4 Milvus is 1.1kg, adding FTZ adapter, it is not a good match to Zf or Z5 ii form factor and Z8 would be much more comfortable. While you can get the same resolution with z7 or z7ii but its manual assist implementation is not that different from Sony so it is unlikely that you would prefer z7 or z7 ii over your DSLR. Personally I was using Sony along with Nikon DSLR and all manual lens was used on Sony.
p.1 #8 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
I recently acquired the Milvus 35mm f1.4, so I am almost in the same boat as you are. I am thinking of re-purchasing the Milvus 50mm again, because I found that the lens seems to render very differently than any 50mm lens that I own. I use the Milvus with a Z8 body. I think it balances very well, since the lens is so heavy. I am not very patiently waiting for the firmware 3.0 update, because it will have subject detection. The ZF body is too small for the lens. Plus, with a lens at that level of optical performance, you want the highest resolution you can get. I will even try to use the Monster FTE adapter to fit it in the Sony A7 RV.
p.1 #9 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
I’ve used a very old 600mm Nikor f/5.6 on my Z6 with excellant results. Focus peaking works great both for that combination and my Voightlander m mount primes, with m to z adapter, on my Z50 bodies.
Definately you should go with a mirrorless Nikon. Plus expsure is so easy with the EVF, what you see is what you get, works great. I don’t even look at the meter readings the camera gives me.
p.1 #10 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
Thank you everyone, looks like the best match would be a Z8 but I need to wait for the software upgrade to get the same combination of subject auto-detection + manual focus assist as I'm seeing in Z6III videos.
p.1 #11 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
It’s likely coming in 2 weeks. The Z8 will have the least amount of lag at 100% (normal operation) but some of the worst lag while magnified.
old-gregg wrote:
Thank you everyone, looks like the best match would be a Z8 but I need to wait for the software upgrade to get the same combination of subject auto-detection + manual focus assist as I'm seeing in Z6III videos.
p.1 #12 · Which body do you recommend for F-mount Zeiss Milvus lenses?
I started with Zeiss ZF2 lenses on my d800e. Then started adapting them to Sony, and now I use them on my Z8. MF lenses play much nicer on Mirrorless cameras, where you can zoom in and have full control of the focus. IBIS helps too for stabilizing the viewfinder when focusing and pushing down to lower shutter speeds.
As for what body is best comes down to your requirements. For example, do you need 45mp or are you good with 24mp? Do you prefer smaller cameras or larger cameras that have a bigger grip?
The Z8 is definitely an awesome camera. If you go with the Z8 I would recommend picking it up in a kit with the Nikon 24-120 f4. It's a very good lens and will give you a good idea of what the Z8 and Nikon Z lenses are capable of. If you have some Sony lenses, it's probably also worth eventually picking up an E to Z adapter so you can use your E lenses on the Z8.
