Is the Nikon Z adapter good with older Nikon lenses?

[silverlakerCA]

I still have my trusty D810, put aside for the Fuji X-h1 and also the Olympus EM mk ii.

But I want to return to Nikon, likely the Z6iii for photos and video. I have two dozens Nikon and other F mount lenses and would hope to adapt them to the Z6iii.

That's why I'd like to know your thoughts.

I miss not using my Voigtlander that cost a lot but had a great quality.

Thank you in advance.

 

[PLShooter]

Look here ....

Mount Adapter FTZ II | Accessories | Nikon Consumer

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Shoot them as you see them!

 

[silverlakerCA]

Thanks. I have the page from my earlier research.

But I am looking to hear from someone who is using the adapter with older Nikon lenses.

 

[ghostfox_1]

Thanks. I have the page from my earlier research.

But I am looking to hear from someone who is using the adapter with older Nikon lenses.

There's plenty of topics you can search for and read. Nothing has changed. It's effectively a spacer with electronic contacts. It works.

 

[Bob A L]

If the lenses are older than those indicated in the Nikon chart, they are not going to work with full capabilities. No way to drive lenses that require af drive motor in camera. As noted in Nikon literature, acceptable lenses work just as they would in any Nikon camera that they were designed for. As stated above, the FTZ is only a spacer to put the lens the proper distance from the sensor and it has no effect on image quality or function of compatible lenses.

 

[buildingsights]

the FTZ works nicely with some lenses. if you have the D version, they only work in manual, i think. i have been using some ai-s lenses with all the benefits of the Z cameras: IBIS, focus peaking... and with more modern lenses for e.g the 300mm PF ED f/4 plus the 1.4xTC14EIII and it works super...
i have a 28mm ai-s f/2 with a dandelion chip (DIY job.....) that can communicate with the cameras to provide info to the exif file.

 

[shuncheung]

I still have my trusty D810, put aside for the Fuji X-h1 and also the Olympus EM mk ii.

But I want to return to Nikon, likely the Z6iii for photos and video. I have two dozens Nikon and other F mount lenses and would hope to adapt them to the Z6iii.

It really depends on what type of lenses those two-dozen F-mount lenses are. If they are AF-S (or AF-I), you can continue to AF on any Z body. "Screwdriver" AF and AF-D lenses will not be able to AF. If you have manual-focus AI/AI-S lenses, there will be no metering and of course no AF, but you can use them to take pictures.

That's why I'd like to know your thoughts.

I miss not using my Voigtlander that cost a lot but had a great quality.

Thank you in advance.

 

[monte12345]

If so the FTZ adapters will work fine.

Take note;

AF-S lenses will provide autofocus and full communication for aperture and EXIF information.

AF Nikkor "D" series lenses will not autofocus due to the lack of stepper motor in the FTS adapter. However because they are "chipped" they will provide body controlled apertures and EXIF information. A company called Monster is showing a Nikon F to Z adapter with a stepper motor for the "D" lenses but none are for sale at this point.

AI-S Nikkors are Manual Focus and don't have any electronics so they are manual focus only and you will have to control the aperture with the ring on the lens. BTW metering is "stop down metering" and because of this small apertures in low light can be too dim for the metering to work. I suggest that any Manual focus Nikkor be used at f5.6 or faster in dim lighting.

AI Nikkors are the same as AI-S Nikkors. The actual difference between these lenses is that the aperture body to lens coupling features a linear action for the AI-S lens which permitted the auto exposure Nikon's to control the aperture by the camera setting. The older AI Nikkors feature aperture triggers that were basically ON/OFF.

Pre AI Nikkors can be a real mixed bag. On all of these lenses the rear surface of the aperture ring extends PAST the rear face of the lens mount by a small amount. If the inside diameter of the aperture ring is a bit small that will cause an interference between the aperture ring and the mounting surface on the FTZ adapter. In this case the lens will NOT engage the locking bayonets and you NEVER EVER want to force it because you'll have a situation where the aperture ring won't rotate AND the lens may not be removable from the FTZ. The easiest fix for this issue is to remove the lens mount from the lens and then lift out the aperture ring and spend an hour or 3 hand filing the I.D. until the ring can clear the mounting flange on the FTZ. For aperture rings with a larger I.D. you can use the lens like an AI lens. BTW most of my older Pre-AI Nikkors were converted to the AI aperture rings back when that was a 25 dollar service from Nikon. The two lenses that didn't get converted are my 135mm f3.5 Nikkor which I used a file to open up the I.D. on and a 55mm f3.5 Micro Nikkor which has an aperture ring that clears the mounting flange on the FTZ.

 

[pluton]

If you have manual-focus AI/AI-S lenses, there will be no metering and of course no AF, but you can use them to take pictures.

The Z6II, Z7II, and Z8 meter fine with Ai/AiS lenses.

It's at shooting aperture(whatever aperture you have currently set on the lens' aperture ring), and the highlight weighted metering doesn't work, however.

 

[DVF Photography]

As others already have commented, it kinda depends on what type of lens you put on the FTZ.

In general, all Nikon AF-I, AF-S and AF-P lenses should work fine, all AF and AF-D should work, but will not autofoucs, and anything older will not meter or autofocus properly.

As for 3rd party lenses, at least Tamron and Sigma both have a page on FTZ compatibility, and Thom Hogan and PhotographyLife also address the issue. I found from personal experience that the compatibility charts only mention the lenses that work guaranteed with the FTZ. However, I have a Sigma 150-500mm that isn't on the list, but still works like a charm - the only thing not functioning being focus peaking.
As for Voigtländer, I couldn't find any conclusive info on FTZ compatibility, but as far as I know, Voigtländer doesn't make anything but manual focus lenses, so the AF issue wouldn't be relevant anyway. But I could be wrong there, I have no personal experience with Voigtländers.

All this said, ANY F-mount lens will work with the FTZ adapter!
Perhaps they will not meter properly, perhaps they will not autofocus, perhaps they will not communicate anything to the camera, but at least the glass hasn't anything to do with electronics. Glass always works!
You can still take stunning photos with them. It's just that with some lenses you will have to do a little bit more work ;-)

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[silverlakerCA]

I love my Voigtlander 40mm and hope it works.

 

[silverlakerCA]

All of you have provided me confidence and I'll try it knowing I may not have luck with all my lenses - and will/should start paring down my collection. In the end, it's about the image, less the hardware.

 

[shuncheung]

I love my Voigtlander 40mm and hope it works.

I assume that lens has the Nikon F mount, and that will work. Moreover, those newer lenses have electronics inside so that it should also meter.

If the OP would like more details, it would be better if the OP can provide more info on those F-mount lenses, such as whether they are AF-S, etc.

However, the native Z-mount lenses are generally better so that I would at least get 1 or 2 native lenses also. In particular, the mirrorless wide lenses tend to be superior.

 

[LTheWafflePWN]

So, I guess the return question is "how old are we talking?"

AF-S/AF-P lenses work at least as good as they ever have. Personally I think they work better on the FTZ than on native F mount, because they'll focus exactly as they should without ever needing to "AF Fine Tune" like with a DSLR on some of your more well-used AF-S lenses.

AF/AF-D lenses work.... but no autofocus. That's a huge deal to some, I guess manually focusing isn't that big of a deal to me. Just put the Z camera's amazing "Focus Peaking" in your "i" menu, and turn it on for these (and older) lenses, makes things easy. I never had many of these lenses, but I just bought a few cheap ones to play with on my N90S (F90X). I have no reason to ever use them on Z mount - given I already own far superior Z lenses in the same focal lengths (save the 180mm f/2.8).

Ai/Ai-S lenses work just the same that I'm aware of, but I don't own any to validate this personally

Pre-Ai (not converted either) lenses I thought all worked. I saw monte12345's post that said they are a mixed bag, so I'll have to take the rest of my pre-Ai lenses out of storage and try. I'm 1 for 1 with them working - I tried my 10.5cm Nikkor-P f/2.5 (Sonnar) on it and it mounted and worked fine. As mentioned above, Focus Peaking with a manual focus lens is a dream come true.

I only have the FTZ version 1 by the way, but I believe the only difference between the versions was that the FTZII was able to lose the tripod mount on the bottom. I've seen people say that the FTZ(one) was unable to mount on a Z9, but that's incorrect - it can mount and work successfully, but the tripod mount bump makes the vertical grip part uncomfortable/un-holdable is all.

All of this to say - I would strongly recommend looking into some second-hand Z mount lenses. Maybe just for some often used focal lengths. I don't think I've found one that I dislike, and ones like the 50mm f/1.8 S or 24-70mm f/4 S are absolute steals at their used prices.

Good luck!

 

[BudgetTraveller]

But I want to return to Nikon, likely the Z6iii for photos and video. I have two dozens Nikon and other F mount lenses and would hope to adapt them to the Z6iii.

That's why I'd like to know your thoughts.

The FTZ and FTZII adapters will allow F mount AF-S lenses to work with the Z6III. AF-D lenses will loose their autofocus, since the FTZ adapter does not have a built-in AF motor. So they will revert to being manual focus lenses.

For other F mount lenses (I assume 3rd party lenses), it's on a case by case matter. For example, my Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD required to be sent in to Tamron for a firmware update to be fully compatible with Z bodies. My Sigma F mount telephoto lens required a firmware update to work properly, but because I own the Sigma dock, the process is much more painless than the older Tamron. So most 3rd party lenses will autofocus with the Z bodies once you have them updated with the latest firmware if they require any. But some will only work in manual focus, despite them having a AF-S motor and there is no firmware update available. So for your other F mount lenses which are 3rd party, check the manufacturer's website for list of compatible lenses that will work with your Z body.

 

[freejam03]

I use a Z50ii with a wide range of NIKKOR lenses migrated from a D300 and D7200. All my DX and FF lenses work full function I would say that there is a slight increase in definition using them with the Z50ii + ZTF adapter compared to the D7200.

The ZTF weighs in at 4oz and does push out the lens - but looks a tad ugly. Plus side is a huge saving on buying new lenses. I doubt if I will buy any Z lenses, obviously not low cost and build quality is sub-par compared to my existing Nikon lenses, many Z lenses at the lower cost end have plastic mounts - something I have vowed to avoid.

I also have a Tokina 100mm macro lens and Tokina 12 - 28mm these are used with manual focussing. The manual focus on the Z50ii is superb - extremely precise. A Nikon 200 - 500mm zoom is faultless too, with full functionality and excellent tracking for birding.

Cheers,

Pete

 

[Skazochny]

What F-mount lenses do you have?

 

[LTheWafflePWN]

Hey I remembered to check back!

I just tried out my Nikkor UD 20mm f/3.5, N.C 28mm f/2, S.C 55mm f/1.2, P 105mm f/2.5 (early Sonnar, 9 bladed aperture), and Q.C 135mm f/2.8 and all of them mount fine. A little snug, maybe, but mount, unmount, and working on the Z8 just fine. All of these lenses have not been Ai converted, and I only have the FTZ original.

Before trying I was initially worried about the 55mm f/1.2 because I know for sure it's incompatible with the F4 (and possibly other cameras) due to rear clearance, but all seems well.

This sent me down a bit of a rabbit hole, because if my old 105mm and 55mm mounted I thought anything would.



I'm not a Nikon historian, but I do know that lenses measured in centimeters instead of millimeters are among the oldest around.

I checked the forum for info, and not much doing. Then I searched for Nikon's FTZ Compatibility guide , and the page acts as if Pre-Ai lenses don't exist? ... I almost stop there, but I think if anywhere is going to have the specific lenses not compatible with the FTZ, it's going to have to be in the PDF. Purusing through it, I find the incompatibility list on page 15 of 16 pages.



So, first row first column, it claims all Non-Ai lenses aren't compatible.... which is not correct.... but then it proceeds to get to a few of the other lenses that are non-Ai and are quite old. Who knows, I don't own anything that's specifically named so perhaps that much is accurate. Figured I'd publish my findings on here in hopes it might help someone else in the future.

 

[rscott900ss]

I have the FTZ II as well as a three "dumb" F-to-Z adapters for my older Nikkor.

I've used my manual focus F-mount lenses from Pre-Ai (that have been Ai converted), Ai, and Ai-S, and auto-focus Nikkor of all breeds.

These lenses are not up to the performance of the new Z-mont glass but they still do a very nice job adapted. Using them can give you time to put aside some money for new Z glass, or allow you to continue to use those older Nikkors that are special or special to you.

 

[AlainCh2]

Thanks. I have the page from my earlier research.

But I am looking to hear from someone who is using the adapter with older Nikon lenses.

FTZII bought used, glued to AF-P 70-300E + Viltrox N-TZ glued to AF-P 10-20DX





( I'm pretty happy with both )






























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