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M Lens to Nikon Z mount adapter


jaeger

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Arriving a bit late in this thread, but since I have used M mount lenses on a Nikon Z6 camera for a while, and in addition have the camera "ultra-thin" converted by Kolari Vision, I will chime in here.

A bit of background: I did my research and got the lenses that were supposed to perform the best with Sony a7 series and other mirrorless full frame non-Leica cameras. This included Voigtländer 15mm f/4.5 III, 21mm f/1.8, 35mm f/1.2 II, 50mm f/1.5 and f/1.2 as well as 7Artisans 28mm f/1.4 FE+ and Leica 90mm Apo-Summicron & Elmarit-M lenses. Why on earth get a non-reversible modification on a rather new, and otherwise great camera, that allegedly even has a very thin (reported to be only 1.1mm) sensor glass layer? I even already have a set of lenses that should work well with that camera!

Well, the 1.1mm thin layer of glass that Kolari Vision measured is not the whole truth: It's only the removable layer of glass. From what I have gathered researching the issue, the total sensor stack is probably about twice of the 1.1mm. I didn't know that when I got my Z6, but naturally I compared it to my Sony a7II in order to see the improvement. There was some, but it was minor - particularly compared to what it should have been if the total sensor glass stack had been about 1.1mm.

I discovered that the Nokton 35mm f/1.2 v2 also performed poorly wide open on the Z6 (lots of spherical aberration and smearing towards the sides) and the Nokton 50mm f/1.5 had reverse field curvature. Off they went. The 7Artisans FE+ version is specifically designed for Sony sensors, so it didn't have any issues with induced smearing and reversed field curvature, but the performance at longer distances was disappointing from f/1.4 to f/2.8, and the rounded aperture blades prevented sun stars. Off it went and in came the trouble-maker:

Leica 28mm Summicron-M Asph II. Wide open it wasn't very bad on the stock Z6, but it was far from as good as you'd expect from at $5000 lens, and on my full spectrum converted Sony a7, which has sensor glass completely removed, it looks brilliant. That got me thinking. Particularly because I discovered that all my (remaining) M lenses benefited from the a7FS sensor. Some would produce more field curvature, but in general all lenses benefited at least from the removal of the low pass filter (AA filter).

Compared to Kolari Vision Ultra Thin converted Sony cameras, the Nikon Z (and possibly Canon R) cameras have the advantage that the auto white balance actually works. There is still more red transmission than on a stock Z6 camera, but this can be fixed in post when shooting RAW (particularly impressive if calibrating with X-Rite ColorChecker chart and making a custom camera profile).

Again, why go to all this trouble instead of just buying a real digital Leica M camera (or Leica SL2 or SL2-S)?

In my case, firstly because I already have an arsenal of Nikon F lenses. Secondly because a converted Nikon Z camera will let me shoot both Nikon F, Nikon Z and as well as M mount lenses. In other words, I don't need two or three cameras. I can use one camera for all these lenses. Thirdly, a digital Leica M don't have IBIS, proper EXIF and AF which a Nikon Z (and other modern mirrorless cameras) has. Fourthly, only the current Leica models will compete with the Z6 regarding dynamic range and noise at high ISO. The price of these Leica cameras is several times and thousands $ higher than the Nikon Z6. So, from an economical viewpoint, these are ruled out for that reason also (for me).

The only realistic option for me in the Leica M world would be a nice used M 240, and I actually got to test it side by side with my converted Z6. The Z6UT had clearly less "Italian flag" (color shift) issue, but more vignetting than the M 240. Regarding field curvature, the two cameras performed indistinguishably with the 28mm Summicron Asph II. In short, the micro lens design apparently didn't make a huge benefit when comparing the backside illuminated (and UT converted) Z6 sensor to the M 240.

My conclusion is a happy one. To me, the UT conversion was a great move.

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  • 2 months later...

I have a Z7 which works well with most M lenses, even the summilux 35mm gives me satisfying results. Two questions:

I use a novoflex adapter. Has anyone experience with autofocus adapter like  techart?

I have some problems focusing by picture enlargement. I have to press more than once to get a 1:1 size and, after focusing, I can't switch back to full frame by just press the release button half. I have to click the - button. This behaviour is inconvenient. Any suggestions?

 Thanks!

Martin

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40 minutes ago, saxo said:

I have a Z7 which works well with most M lenses, even the summilux 35mm gives me satisfying results. Two questions:

I use a novoflex adapter. Has anyone experience with autofocus adapter like  techart?

I have some problems focusing by picture enlargement. I have to press more than once to get a 1:1 size and, after focusing, I can't switch back to full frame by just press the release button half. I have to click the - button. This behaviour is inconvenient. Any suggestions?

 Thanks!

Martin

I have assigned the video recording button (with the red dot near the exposure button) to show 200% magnification. I press it, focus, and press it again to go back to see the full image. Works fine for me.

I also have the Megadap MTZ11 autofocus adapter, which lets me have "full" EXIF data (when used properly). Regardign the Techart TZM-01, it has a good reputation now. There were some serious issues in the beginning, but if you buy a new one, you should be fine. In that regard, based on what I have read, I wholeheartedly recommend you to not buy it directly from Techart. They apparently have awful customer service. Get a bad item, and you are lost (no response, etc.). Buy it from a shop that will cover you if something is wrong.

Edited by LarsHP
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Am 9.11.2021 um 21:10 schrieb LarsHP:

I have assigned the video recording button (with the red dot near the exposure button) to show 200% magnification. I press it, focus, and press it again to go back to see the full image. Works fine for me.

I also have the Megadap MTZ11 autofocus adapter, which lets me have "full" EXIF data (when used properly). Regardign the Techart TZM-01, it has a good reputation now. There were some serious issues in the beginning, but if you buy a new one, you should be fine. In that regard, based on what I have read, I wholeheartedly recommend you to not buy it directly from Techart. They apparently have awful customer service. Get a bad item, and you are lost (no response, etc.). Buy it from a shop that will cover you if something is wrong.

Thank you so much for your valuable hint!

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I just ordered the Techart TZM-01 adapter.

I already own the similar adapter Megadap MTZ-11, which will let me save the set aperture in EXIF, which the TZM-01 won't. The Megadap also has a longer focus throw, and is allegedly more solidly built, which means tendencies to tilt / swing with heavy lenses or long-term use are eliminated (which the previous Techart adapter has a reputation for introducing). So why on earth did I order the Techart TZM-01? Mostly for one reason:

Unfortunately, in-body image stabilization is fixed at 50mm setting no matter which focal length MTZ-11 records in EXIF. It appears that Nikon lenses communicate the focal length to the EXIF file in one place and to the IBIS in another, and Megadap hasn't prioritized - or haven't been able - to fix the issue. This means that IBIS is working against its purpose when I use a super wide-angle lens (15mm) and works ineffectively with wides and short telephoto lenses. Only 50mm lenses gets the full benefit from IBIS.

Techart TZM-01 seems to communicate the set focal length to IBIS, which is one of the big advantages of using a modern mirrorless camera, particularly when it gets dark - as we get it up here, well North of the Polar circle.

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On 11/9/2021 at 8:10 PM, LarsHP said:

I have assigned the video recording button (with the red dot near the exposure button) to show 200% magnification. I press it, focus, and press it again to go back to see the full image. Works fine for me.

Excellent advice for Z owners using adapted lenses and its true, I mean focus peaking works well for me but magnifying (albeit I use the "Ok" button instead of the the video button) after the peaking and adjusting the focus pin point takes the image output to a different level.  The only 'downside' is that it soon becomes practically apparent that there's a whole new world out there away from M mount when utilising quality and character based lenses.

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3 hours ago, LarsHP said:

Techart TZM-01 seems to communicate the set focal length to IBIS, which is one of the big advantages of using a modern mirrorless camera, particularly when it gets dark - as we get it up here, well North of the Polar circle.

Mine is a Techart LM-EA7 for Sony and allows for IBIS at all focal lengths but darkness is not its best friend.

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  • 1 year later...

The Z7 does not have the anti-aliasing filter. If that results in a smaller filter stack in front of the sensor, this may mean the Z7 is a little more suited. Else I would say no difference. There is a nice TT Artisans adapter, which reads 6-bit code and write (mostly) correct lens names into metadata. Also includes aperture (needs manual help) and shutter speed.

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1 hour ago, Photon42 said:

The Z7 does not have the anti-aliasing filter. If that results in a smaller filter stack in front of the sensor, this may mean the Z7 is a little more suited. Else I would say no difference. There is a nice TT Artisans adapter, which reads 6-bit code and write (mostly) correct lens names into metadata. Also includes aperture (needs manual help) and shutter speed.

Thank you! Also for the suggestion regarding the adapter. I have an M8 with broken LCD. I still love it but am considering other options, including M10, Pixii, Sigma FP.

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On 8/15/2023 at 12:15 PM, PeterKg said:

Is there a difference between Z6 and Z7 regarding their capability to adapt Leica/Zeiss/Voigtlander M mount lenses? Apart from resolution differences of course. Thanks!

The Z7 has the same sensor glass thickness as the Z6 IIRC. This means "difficult" M lenses won't perform as they should on that camera. For instance, my 28mm Ultron v2 gets outward bending field curvature near the edge and in the corners on the Z7 (while having a perfectly flat plane of focus on an M camera).

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On 8/17/2023 at 7:46 PM, LarsHP said:

The Z7 has the same sensor glass thickness as the Z6 IIRC. This means "difficult" M lenses won't perform as they should on that camera. For instance, my 28mm Ultron v2 gets outward bending field curvature near the edge and in the corners on the Z7 (while having a perfectly flat plane of focus on an M camera).

Interesting and good to know. I searched the web and came across quite some others stating it does not work that well, m glass on Nikon Z. But there are also users that are complety happy with it it seems.

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2 hours ago, PeterKg said:

Interesting and good to know. I searched the web and came across quite some others stating it does not work that well, m glass on Nikon Z. But there are also users that are complety happy with it it seems.

FWIW

I am a happy Z6ii users, not as a primary platform for my Leica/Voigtlander lenses - I shoot mostly film - but as supplement.

Also, I don't sweat too much over small imperfections if they are not noticeable in the resulting photographs. To my big surprise I found my 1st gen. Voigtlander 12mm/5.6 LTM quite useable on the Z6ii - back when I used Micro4/3 that lens looked like crap on even the cropped sensor - completely unusable.

My Nokton 35mm f/1.4 (V1) works fine - the alleged focus shift (which I haven't experienced with film) is of no consequence in live view. My Color-Skopar 21mm f/4 LTM (V1) produces perfectly useable results. So does my Ultron 28mm f/2 (V1).

I don't have any Voigtlander or Leica lenses designed with digital capture in mind, but they are all very satisfying to use on the Z6ii.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/19/2023 at 10:07 AM, nitroplait said:

FWIW

I am a happy Z6ii users, not as a primary platform for my Leica/Voigtlander lenses - I shoot mostly film - but as supplement.

Also, I don't sweat too much over small imperfections if they are not noticeable in the resulting photographs. To my big surprise I found my 1st gen. Voigtlander 12mm/5.6 LTM quite useable on the Z6ii - back when I used Micro4/3 that lens looked like crap on even the cropped sensor - completely unusable.

My Nokton 35mm f/1.4 (V1) works fine - the alleged focus shift (which I haven't experienced with film) is of no consequence in live view. My Color-Skopar 21mm f/4 LTM (V1) produces perfectly useable results. So does my Ultron 28mm f/2 (V1).

I don't have any Voigtlander or Leica lenses designed with digital capture in mind, but they are all very satisfying to use on the Z6ii.

While I understand that you are happy with the results you get, I would like to add that the Color-Skopar 21mm f/4 is infamous for its outward bending field curvature. The same characteristic applies to the Ultron 28mm f/2 (both new and old version). If I am not mistaken, the Nokton 35mm f/1.4 VM falls in the same category. What they have in common is a quite short exit pupil because they aren't retro-focus designs. Does this mean these lenses are completely useless on non-M cameras? No, but they will perform much poorer than on the camera they were designed for - particularly outside the center and wide open.

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42 minutes ago, LarsHP said:

While I understand that you are happy with the results you get, I would like to add that the Color-Skopar 21mm f/4 is infamous for its outward bending field curvature. The same characteristic applies to the Ultron 28mm f/2 (both new and old version). If I am not mistaken, the Nokton 35mm f/1.4 VM falls in the same category. What they have in common is a quite short exit pupil because they aren't retro-focus designs. Does this mean these lenses are completely useless on non-M cameras? No, but they will perform much poorer than on the camera they were designed for - particularly outside the center and wide open.

Neither of the 3 lenses where made for digital.
There wasn't even a digital M or full frame mirrorless on the market when they were conceived in the mind of the designers.
So no-one should expect stellar performance on a digital platform.

They are lenses designed exclusively with film in mind, but the 28/2 (v1) and 35/1.4 (v1) came out with the first Digital M and were subsequently often evaluated in the Internet echo-chamber on digital cameras (typically without that important disclosure) causing unfavourable and often unfair comments.
The introduction of first FF mirrorless cameras didn't help - if anything, they were much worse to accommodate light rays in sharp acute angles than the M8/M9.

What I am proposing is that current BSI sensors with thinner filter stacks (than in past digital mirrorless cameras) may give renewed life to those lenses we once dismissed.

I certainly think with my Z6ii that I have found the mentioned lenses highly useable - even without having to resort to lengthy photo editing on my computer. YMMV obviously.

After all, if superior results from a purely objective performance perspective are expected, there is no need to even bother with lenses manufactured before the advent of digital M/mirrorless.

Edited by nitroplait
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Nikanosony have little reasons to bother about thin sensor stacks thay don't sell i guess. Using legacy lenses on modern digital cameras is not a problem on Leica Ms and Kolari mods Sonys in my experience. Kolari makes mods for Nikon too AFAIK.

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1 hour ago, nitroplait said:

Neither of the 3 lenses where made for digital.
There wasn't even a digital M or full frame mirrorless on the market when they were conceived in the mind of the designers.
So no-one should expect stellar performance on a digital platform.

They are lenses designed exclusively with film in mind, but the 28/2 (v1) and 35/1.4 (v1) came out with the first Digital M and were subsequently often evaluated in the Internet echo-chamber on digital cameras (typically without that important disclosure) causing unfavourable and often unfair comments.
The introduction of first FF mirrorless cameras didn't help - if anything, they were much worse to accommodate light rays in sharp acute angles than the M8/M9.

What I am proposing is that current BSI sensors with thinner filter stacks (than in past digital mirrorless cameras) may give renewed life to those lenses we once dismissed.

I certainly think with my Z6ii that I have found the mentioned lenses highly useable - even without having to resort to lengthy photo editing on my computer. YMMV obviously.

After all, if superior results from a purely objective performance perspective are expected, there is no need to even bother with lenses manufactured before the advent of digital M/mirrorless.

"current BSI sensors with thinner filter stacks" equals digital Leica M cameras and perhaps the Leica SL-2 and SL-2S. Otherwise, the camera has to be modified with extremely thin hot mirror glass, like Kolari Vision offers.

The Nikon Z cameras have a total sensor glass thickness of about 2.2mm which is slightly less than Sony (about 2.5mm), but twice as thick as digital Leica M cameras (typically slightly more than 1mm). There is a common misunderstanding that Nikon Z cameras has a much thinner sensor glass thickness than Sony based on tear-downs of the Z6 and Z7. However, these didn't account for the total thickness, only the removable glass layers.

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3 minutes ago, lct said:

Nikanosony have little reasons to bother about thin sensor stacks thay don't sell i guess. Using legacy lenses on modern digital cameras is not a problem on Leica Ms and Kolari mods Sonys in my experience. Kolari makes mods for Nikon too AFAIK.

Exactly.

Kolari offers ultra-thin mods for both Sony, Nikon, Canon, Panasonic and Sigma mirrorless cameras:

https://kolarivision.com/product/sony-a7-series-thin-filter-legacy-lens-upgrade/

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