NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: Macro_Cosmos on February 26, 2026, 07:26:14
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https://nikonrumors.com/2026/02/25/monsteradapter-to-announce-two-new-z-mount-adapters-la-fz11-for-nikon-f-mount-non-cpu-lenses-and-la-nz1-for-contax-n-mount-lenses.aspx/
MonsterAdapter to announce two new Z-mount adapters: LA-FZ11 for Nikon F-mount non-CPU lenses and LA-NZ1 for Contax N-mount lenses
At the 2026 CP+ show, which starts tomorrow, MonsterAdapter will announce two new Z-mount adapters:
MonsterAdapter LA-FZ11 (the previous version was LA-FZ1): manual-focus enhanced adapter for Nikon F-mount non-CPU lenses, designed exclusively for Nikon Z-mount. It features AE control, EXIF recording, and innovative MF assist functions (with automatic aperture control and focus indicator, but no AF).
MonsterAdapter LA-NZ1: enables the use of Contax N-mount Carl Zeiss lenses on Nikon Z-mount cameras with autofocus functionality.
This is a pretty interesting product from MonsterAdapter.
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For those tightfisted neoluddists among us who do not care about Exif and set the aperture according to the subject, the enlargement focussing method and auto timing of the Z will do, it allows a much cheaper mechanical adapter for lenses including Zeiss, Leitz, Kinoptic, Angenieux as well as some of the excellent Nikon glass.
p.
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MonsterAdapter LA-FZ11 (the previous version was LA-FZ1): manual-focus enhanced adapter for Nikon F-mount non-CPU lenses
The pictures show the adapter has a pre-AI aperture coupling. Still nothing for AI which I think would have a far wider audience. Surely there are far more people using AI lenses than pre-AI?
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I don’t think anything will come of it. Its predecessor has been pulled by Monster, and if this does ever make it beyond a model I predict it will be buggy, and subsequently pulled!
But I do have a QR entry code for CP+, so I might get my lazy ass off the sofa and take some trains down there to probe the monsterous staff.
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The pictures show the adapter has a pre-AI aperture coupling. Still nothing for AI which I think would have a far wider audience. Surely there are far more people using AI lenses than pre-AI?
Unless it was removed by the owner, all MF AI & AiS lenses came with the necessary rabbit-ear linkage, and are thus usable with this adapter.
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Unless it was removed by the owner, all MF AI & AiS lenses came with the necessary rabbit-ear linkage, and are thus usable with this adapter.
Unless the rabbit ears have been removed or lost! :-X
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Unless the rabbit ears have been removed or lost! :-X
Well, to be fair, that's basically what I said! In all my years of shopping for used MF Nikkors, I have literally never seen one with the rabbit-ears removed. I am aware of a few internet-photographers who _do_ remove them (supposedly because they can snag on things), but that was for sure a minority position.
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I removed them from my AI lenses :) It was for aesthetic reasons and I kept the rabbit ears.
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I removed them from my AI lenses :) It was for aesthetic reasons and I kept the rabbit ears.
I can see the potential desire to simplify the look of the lens by removing them, and in practical terms, the ADR (Aperture Direct Readout) feature of the AIS lenses was somewhat impeded by the rabbit-ears (despite the small holes to let light through, it was for sure the case the f/8 and f/4 were a bit harder to read in the viewfinder due to the rabbit-ears presence blocking the light). I guess I always treated my Nikkors as "sacred objects" that should be treasured and preserved as-is: One reason I never CPU-chipped my AiS Nikkors!
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I can see the potential desire to simplify the look of the lens by removing them, and in practical terms, the ADR (Aperture Direct Readout) feature of the AIS lenses was somewhat impeded by the rabbit-ears (despite the small holes to let light through, it was for sure the case the f/8 and f/4 were a bit harder to read in the viewfinder due to the rabbit-ears presence blocking the light). I guess I always treated my Nikkors as "sacred objects" that should be treasured and preserved as-is: One reason I never CPU-chipped my AiS Nikkors!
I would have liked an official Nikon replacement rear bayonet for AI and AIS Nikkors that included a CPU. I would think today such could be made with contact blocks that included the CPU without the need for a ribbon that needs to be tucked into the lens.
If one's eye's allow the compatibility of AI and AIS Nikkors is better with my D850 than my Z8. My vision, corrected with eye glasses, have declined from 20/15 to 20/20 and the focusing aid in the D850 is neither practical or ac curated enough. EV magnification to 1:1 is quite useful on the Z8 with 105mm lenses and shorter. The magnification can be canceled with a half press. Nikon has done a fairly good job with compatibility with legacy Nikkors.
None of my AI and AIS Nikkors have been chipped.
I wish Nikon would give AI and AIS Nikkor users a red/green focus signal. I find that red/green indicator quite usable with AF and AF-D Nikkors.
I removed the rabbit ears do to snagging and saved them somewhere.
Dave
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Yes, it is quite weird that the supposedly new LA-FZ11 relies on the Rabbit's Ears. If it gets built as depicted, then let us hope that users of it don't have to do the each way f/5.6 "shuffle" of old to ensure that the lens is properly indexed.
Maybe the manufacturer is only "Kite Flying" - i.e. just showing a mock up to see what peoples reactions to it are?
Sadly the LA-FZ1 was also without an aperture follower, so not an adapter that could give the full DSLR experience with the likes of an AF or a AF-D F-Mount lens. And it was very expensive and seemed to have issues with some lenses. Still at least they are now trying to build a more fully functional adapter for the pre-AF Nikkors. Lets hope they succeed and have an aperture follower tab on the production version.