SrMi Posted January 18, 2017 Share #21 Posted January 18, 2017 Advertisement (gone after registration) As a follow up - for those pondering on using a Nikon E-lens on Leica SL - and assuming that the Nikon 300mm f4E PF is representative for the Nikon E-lenses: The Novoflex SL/NIK adapter is (very) well produced and it works as announced, no problem. The autofocus is ok and useable, although a mix of auto and manual focus will be needed for general shooting. For each shot, the aperture blades closes and opens again, implying reduced shooting speed compared to native SL-lenses (or manual lenses). No problem for me, but this could possibly be a constraint for others. Given the relative short and light-weight lens, the 300mm f4E PF will likely be my 'long' lens when hiking, possibly with a 1.4 converter attached. With the converter attached, the autofocus is less useable. The optical quality with the 1.4 converter seems fine, though. Below a shot in light drizzle (f4,1/500s, ISO5000, handheld) - illustrating out-of-focus rendering of the lens. Thanks for testing it. 300mm f4 PF is one of my favorite lenses even for landscape. You say that the aperture blades closing/opening implies reduced shooting speed. Isn't that what native SL lenses do as well (in order to be able to focus quickly)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 18, 2017 Posted January 18, 2017 Hi SrMi, Take a look here Novoflex Nikon E to Leica SL adapter. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
helged Posted January 18, 2017 Share #22 Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) What I meant to say is that the max shooting speed with the Nikon E lens on the SL is about 3 images pr second, not 10 as with native SL or manual lenses, so the closing-opening of the aperture blades is rather slow. This also means that there is a certain delay (some tenths of a sec) between pressing the shutter and the photo being taken. The Nikon lens will also go through a full focus cycle when the camera is being activated (put on ON or activated after beeig in sleeping mode) - and this may take 2 sec. So things are slower, but still fine with me. And yes, the lens looks fine, optically. Still waiting for Leica to get out a 300mm+ lens, though. But as we know, such a lens is - at best - several years into the future... Edited January 18, 2017 by helged 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted January 18, 2017 Share #23 Posted January 18, 2017 What I meant to say is that the max shooting speed with the Nikon E lens on the SL is about 3 images pr second, not 10 as with native SL or manual lenses, so the closing-opening of the aperture blades is rather slow. This also means that there is a certain delay (some tenths of a sec) between pressing the shutter and the photo being taken. The Nikon lens will also go through a full focus cycle when the camera is being activated (put on ON or activated after beeig in sleeping mode) - and this may take 2 sec. So things are slower, but still fine with me. And yes, the lens looks fine, optically. Still waiting for Leica to get out a 300mm+ lens, though. But as we know, such a lens is - at best - several years into the future... Ideally Leica would make the already suggested APO-Tele-Elmar-S 350mm f/3.5 in S-mount, this lens can then double on both systems thanks to the new great adapter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenw0lf Posted January 18, 2017 Share #24 Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) "Ideally" I would win the lottery. What price would you expect for this S 350mm lens ? 10k or even more ? And it would be quite big because of the larger sensor of the S. And it would be slow (typical S AF), and have no OIS. This is anything but a dream lens. Simply said, it does not pay to buy a midrange lens, only to use it on the SL. Only native lenses are fast enough and have a perfectly working OIS. If only the optical excellence is needed, you can buy a R 2.8/400 or a "Apo Telyt R Modular System". (second hand). Edited January 18, 2017 by steppenw0lf 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
helged Posted January 18, 2017 Share #25 Posted January 18, 2017 (edited) Since Leica already has the outstanding SL 90-280, a longer lens could possibly be a SL 400mm f4 (or 500mm f4), with 1.4 and 2.0 (or 1.7) converters. A side note: I have made some tests comparing the legendary Leica APO R 280 f4 with the Nikon 300mm f4E PF (both at f4); and the oldish APO 280 remains on top. The difference is not large - at least not on the 24MP SL-sensor - and it can be partially mediated in postprocessing, but the resolving power of the APO is impressive indeed (the 300mm f4E is fine, but possibly not the sharpest of the Nikon lenses either). That being said, a lens can hardly resolve more than dictated by the optical laws, and the APO seems to be close to perfection... Edited January 18, 2017 by helged 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted January 18, 2017 Share #26 Posted January 18, 2017 Since Leica already has the outstanding SL 90-280, a longer lens could possibly be a SL 400mm f4, with 1.4 and 2.0 (or 1.7) converters. A side note: I have made some tests comparing the legendary Leica APO R 280 f4 with the Nikon 300mm f4E PF (both at f4); and the oldish APO 280 remains on top. The difference is not large - at least not on the 24MP SL-sensor - and it can be partially mediated in postprocessing, but the resolving power of the APO is impressive indeed (the 300mm f4E is fine, but possibly not the sharpest of the Nikon lenses either). That being said, a lens can hardly resolve more than dictated by the optical laws, and the APO seems to be close to perfection... A remake of this lens (Apo 280 f4) in SL mount would also be nice. But I think like you say, Leica is already covered there with the great zoom. From a user perspective (hiking ) a Leica PF 300 f4 (with fresnel element) would be really cool, but I think Leica is a bit too conservative to do that and they prefer to make an "optical perfect" 400f2.8 or f4. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted January 18, 2017 Share #27 Posted January 18, 2017 Advertisement (gone after registration) "Ideally" I would win the lottery. What price would you expect for this S 350mm lens ? 10k or even more ? And it would be quite big because of the larger sensor of the S. And it would be slow (typical S AF), and have no OIS. This is anything but a dream lens. Simply said, it does not pay to buy a midrange lens, only to use it on the SL. Only native lenses are fast enough and have a perfectly working OIS. If only the optical excellence is needed, you can buy a R 2.8/400 or a "Apo Telyt R Modular System". (second hand). I would guess at least 13k-15k since already the S-180mm is close to 10k new. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc_P Posted January 22, 2017 Share #28 Posted January 22, 2017 SL, Novoflex SL/NIK and 1.4/105 Nikon E work really fine. Great portraits @f1.4, fine landscapes &f5.6... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenw0lf Posted January 22, 2017 Share #29 Posted January 22, 2017 (edited) A remake of this lens (Apo 280 f4) in SL mount would also be nice. But I think like you say, Leica is already covered there with the great zoom. From a user perspective (hiking ) a Leica PF 300 f4 (with fresnel element) would be really cool, but I think Leica is a bit too conservative to do that and they prefer to make an "optical perfect" 400f2.8 or f4. As a 2.8/400 will always be far too expensive and heavy for me, I hope that they will avoid that. I find the following a nice add-on to the existing 90-280 zoom lens: A SL 4/400 with Fresnel construction and a 1.7x Apo extender that could also be used on the SL 90-280. That would result in 4/280, 4/400, 6.8/476 and 6.8/680mm lenses. A very nice selection of OIS capable AF focal lengths and still very portable. But I do not know if Fresnel constructions are regarded as "good enough" by the Leica engineers. Edited January 22, 2017 by steppenw0lf 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmx_2 Posted January 23, 2017 Share #30 Posted January 23, 2017 As a 2.8/400 will always be far too expensive and heavy for me, I hope that they will avoid that. I find the following a nice add-on to the existing 90-280 zoom lens: A SL 4/400 with Fresnel construction and a 1.7x Apo extender that could also be used on the SL 90-280. That would result in 4/280, 4/400, 6.8/476 and 6.8/680mm lenses. A very nice selection of OIS capable AF focal lengths and still very portable. But I do not know if Fresnel constructions are regarded as "good enough" by the Leica engineers. I unfortunately think the last sentence is spot on... When the Nikon PF 300 came out, this was exactly my thougt, what a lovely lens this could make on the SL. But who knows, since a lot of things can be corrected in software (which is what Nikon is doing with the PF of their bodies) maybe Leica will actually come up with this Lens. Would be awesome Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
helged Posted January 23, 2017 Share #31 Posted January 23, 2017 Actually, Nikon PF 300 works quite well on the SL, even without Nikon's software corrections adjustments. So until Leica comes out with something longer than the 28-280 - and we are talking years based on the SL lens road map - Nikon PF 300 f4 (with converters) will be my low-weight, longish, go-to alternative on the SL. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reds Posted January 30, 2017 Share #32 Posted January 30, 2017 I'm using my adapter with the Nikon PC/E tilt shift lenses. They work much better on the Leica than on my Nikon bodies. Loads of room to access the adjusters and locking knobs, plus easy magnification on the screen via touch and a button press. Only issue I have is it's 50/50 whether the SL will recognise the aperture on the lens. Sometimes it comes up straight away, and other times it will show "--" and if you turn the aperture dial, it will flash f/0. Only way to fix it is to power on/off, or drop the battery until it powers up recognising the lens properly. Anyone else found this? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexP Posted February 20, 2017 Share #33 Posted February 20, 2017 I just got the adopter in today and all i got is black screen with the image once in a while flashing up then back to black screen. I'm fully aware that AF will only work with the "E" lens. My question for those of you that own this adapter, if i put a G lens to the adapter, will i at least still see the screen/image then be able to manual focus the lens? The adapter i have, i can't even see anything. Since i can't see anything, i can't even manually focus the lens. I can't even press the shutter button to take picture. Am i just throw away $700+ away? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert E Posted February 21, 2017 Share #34 Posted February 21, 2017 I was using my SL/NIK adapter today with my Nikon 200-500mm zoom lens. Previously when using this combination I had AF with the Nikon zoom lens as it is an "E" lens. Today however the AF would not work, and I had to manual focus, had no idea of why it was that way. I wonder if anyone has reported these glitches to Novoflex and asked for some explanation? In the future, I hope to obtain a Nikon PC-E 24mm tilt shift lens and use it with this adapter. Anyway, my experience with the Nikon 200-500 results in very sharp photos, even if I have to manual focus some times. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexP Posted February 21, 2017 Share #35 Posted February 21, 2017 Robert, can you do me a BIG FAVOR, can you attach another Nikon G lens to your SL. Are you see the regular image on the EVF or LCD? or just a black screen and the screen flashing? thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
helged Posted February 21, 2017 Share #36 Posted February 21, 2017 I just got the adopter in today and all i got is black screen with the image once in a while flashing up then back to black screen. I'm fully aware that AF will only work with the "E" lens. My question for those of you that own this adapter, if i put a G lens to the adapter, will i at least still see the screen/image then be able to manual focus the lens? The adapter i have, i can't even see anything. Since i can't see anything, i can't even manually focus the lens. I can't even press the shutter button to take picture. Am i just throw away $700+ away? The Novoflex SL/NIK adapter works with Nikon E lenses only. The Novoflex LET/NIK adapter is the adapter to use with Nikon G (and other manual) lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alo Ako Posted February 21, 2017 Share #37 Posted February 21, 2017 (edited) Am i just throw away $700+ away? Unfortunately: yes. You need an adaptor supporting the manual aperture of the G series. It looks like this: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! In the case of Novoflex LET/ NIK: By turning the blue ring the aperture will be open or close in several steps. And to prevent another misunderstanding: in the 1980s Nikon released an old Nikkor E series lenses. They have been cheap. Maybe some bad guys may have the idea to sell them as new E series Edited February 21, 2017 by Alo Ako Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! In the case of Novoflex LET/ NIK: By turning the blue ring the aperture will be open or close in several steps. And to prevent another misunderstanding: in the 1980s Nikon released an old Nikkor E series lenses. They have been cheap. Maybe some bad guys may have the idea to sell them as new E series ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/264481-novoflex-nikon-e-to-leica-sl-adapter/?do=findComment&comment=3217970'>More sharing options...
samuelkwong Posted February 21, 2017 Share #38 Posted February 21, 2017 Yes, SL/NIK adapter only works for Nikon E lenses! I have encountered the same problems of AlexP. Right now, on top of the newly bought SL/NIK adapter, I have to look for the LET/NIK adapter for my Nikon G lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
helged Posted March 2, 2017 Share #39 Posted March 2, 2017 From an other SL-thread, but of direct relevance here: When any of the new Nikon E-lenses are mounted on a Nikon body, the aperture can be pre-set by pressing the preview button and - simultaneously - removing the lens from the Nikon body, i.e., in the same way as to pre-set a Canon EF lens. Perhaps not very elegant, but it works (and hopefully not harmful for the electronics/mechanics...). So in summary: By using the electronic Novoflex SL/NIK adapter, you can use E-lenses on the SL similarly to a native SL-lens, with the exceptions: Slow(er) autofocus, no lens image stabilisation and max (about) 3 fps. Manual focus works beautifully, of course. By using the manual Novoflex LET/NIK adapter, E-lenses on the SL are - as default - wide open, but you have 11 fps. By using the manual Novoflex LET/NIK adapter and by pre-setting the E-lens on a Nikon body as described above, you can shoot the SL with the pre-set (fixed) aperture with 11 fps. Manual focussing can be hampered by the (partially) closed iris. Certainly not as elegant as with Leica SL lenses, but it is, at least, possible. And since the SL-system lacks longer lenses and more specialised lenses, electronic Nikon and Canon lenses can be useful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicaiste Posted March 7, 2017 Share #40 Posted March 7, 2017 SL, Novoflex SL/NIK and 1.4/105 Nikon E work really fine. Great portraits @f1.4, fine landscapes &f5.6... Could you please tell us how is the AF on the SL compared to Used on Nikon bodies ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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