Guidance on Moving from F to Z mount

[ColinM]

With the Z bodies having been out a few years, is there a "Moving from F to Z mount" guide anywhere?

Many of you seem to have searched out ways to improve the handling & ergonomics of the Z bodies, or attach lenses from a wide range of suppliers.

By now, I'm sure many of you have found devices, settings or practical approaches that really help you get the best out of
- grips, shutter buttons, remote shutter releases etc for the various Z bodies
- adapters to allow other lenses that you can now attach to a Z nikon body
- strange Nikon design decisions in hardware, menus etc
- or just be able to do things that you couldn't achieve so easily with your previous F mount setups?

Can anyone point me to some FAQs or websites where I can benefit from the hard work others have put into this

[paul hofseth]

Sir,


as an unreformed neoluddist I never use autofocus (but do have an Angenieux screwdriver autoforus lens) which focusses well on igts own, I do, however really like the eletronic  viewfinder which makes lens speed and aperture irrelevant for focussing once the ampification button is pressed. I detest the excessive buttonry and  random control movements which may force you to look at all kionds of displays insted of the motive. The over(undr exposure wheel lacking a lock is number two on gthe dislike scale after the unpredictable spotmeter and focussing point. Yes ooen can press teh "no joy" stick to interrupt what oen is doing IF one has noticed.

My neoluddism also extends to never using Exif , so I can use cheap mechanical adapters to fit my library of unfashionable lenses. never worrying about whether AI or other flavours vill work.

in short, i would recommend anyone to move from the Fmount to the Zmount. Not even my old leitz wide angles misbehave on its sensor.

p.

[Ian Watson]

I am not aware of such a guide. So let us make one here!

The Z-mount bodies share the ergonomics that endeared us to their F-mount brethren. Or frustrated us, in Paul's case. That part of the transition is easy.

The big difference is the electronic viewfinder. I started as one who detested the idea but now love it. In good light you might not notice the difference. In bad light you will be able to see better.

There are various options but I like the one that gives preference to the viewfinder. It behaves much like a DSLR but, when you want to review something on the rear screen, you can look into the viewfinder and see it there. As one coming to terms with presbyopia, I like being able to see menus or photographs taken without having to resort to my reading glasses.

Manual focus is now so much easier. There is no more peering at small, dark screens that are ill-suited to the task. The buttons for zooming in or out work but are not convenient. So assign the task to the button of your choice. (I use the video recording button generally. When going out with manual lenses, I re-assign the AF-ON button to 100% zoom and the FN-2 button to selecting the programmed manual lens.)

As a former computer instructor would say, the big piss-off is that the square showing the focusing are does not turn green when focus is achieved unless one is using a lens with a chip. Otherwise one is restricted to zooming in to the area under the square. I see no reason for this restriction. On the other hand, it generally works better than with a DSLR.

If you want to use off-camera flash then set the viewfinder to disregard the "LiveView" settings. This makes it mimic an optical viewfinder. Otherwise it would try to show the scene according to your settings, which would probably be a bit darker than you had in mind.

The Z-mount enjoys a very short register. (My apologies if that is the wrong term for the distance from the mount to the sensor.) So one can adapt just about any lens. The trick is to buy a good adapter. I followed Akira's advice and bought one from Rayqual. It is very, very impressive.

Battery life is a bit shorter compared with your DSLR habits but not terribly so.

Autofocus has some different quirks. My guide there was Thom Hogan. Nothing earth-shattering but you should practice and not be discouraged.

Mine is a Z6. The limiting factor is definitely the photographer  The files are gorgeous in post-processing!

[Anthony]

For Z autofocus, try Steve Perry's "Secrets To The Nikon Autofocus System: Mirrorless Edition". Very practical, and regularly updated to take account of firmware changes. Also, his "Secrets To Stunning Bird-In-Flight Photography" would be of interest to you.

Enjoy!

[ColinM]

Thank you Ian and Anthony.

Paul, I appreciate your thoughts.....
....I've added some emphasis to my original question to show the keys areas I'm interested in

For example Ian naming the adapter that Akira recommended is a great example of what I needed.

[Birna Rørslett]

Another excellent adapter for various mounts to Nikon Z is the K&F Connect brand. They are reasonably priced as well. The German Novoflex range is of course of the highest standing reflected by the elevated prices.

I would recommend against using more than one adapter to get your third-party lens to fit your Z camera. The adapter stack often works but can easily get sloppy with a lot of play and infinity focus sometimes is unattainable. Admittedly some times the only feasible approach is by stacking adapters, so it not per se a deal-breaker if the lens is tempting enough

If "small is good" is  factored into your equation the tiny ancient Nikkor rangefinder lenses are funny to deploy on the Z system. However many of them are collectors' items so carry heavy price. The 3.5cm W-Nikkor f/1.8 is very nice and a perfect match for a Z-DX camera like Z50 or Z fc, and shines on the Zf/FX  as well. Corners might be a tad soft on the FX format, though, if the lens aperture is opened up. The legendary 8.5cm f/2 and 10.5cm f/2.5 Nikkors can be had at acceptable price as they exist in substantial numbers. The 5cm f/1.4 normals are the tiniest however require a focusing helicoid.

Plesse note that Cosina/Voigtländer made a number of tiny S rangefinder lenses in the early '00s. They are modern optical designs and performance can be outstanding. The modestly sized 21 and 25mm Skopars, both f/4, are very very good even by today's standard and often are listed on eBay. Put them on a good Nik.S-Z adapter and fire away. Get them now as long as they continue to be insider's tips.

[Birna Rørslett]

Here is the Cosina/Voigtländer 21mm f/4 Skopar on my Z fc. A super nice combination. I paid less than USD 200 for the lens, brand new.

[Ian Watson]

There was a thread here about adapters that might be worth a read.

https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=9130.msg151598#msg151598

[ColinM]

Thanks Birna & Ian

At some stage, I may do more wideangle photography.
And I'm still interested in PCE lenses for a specific project (I understand older, simpler Nikon PC-Es become less of a handful on the Z bodies, e.g.easier to judge exposure)

Meanwhile, my main interest is at the telephoto end.
So once I find an option that offers a convincing upgrade path from my D500 (pixels, similar AF capability and equivalent reach to what DX offers), I'll be ready to move

[Ian Watson]

Nikon's FTZ II adapter works well with AF-S lenses and any other F-mount lens with a chip. It can sometimes be had for a discount when purchasing a camera. You might find the original used. The foot on the bottom is not a problem when I'm using the 200-500mm monster or the 60mm f/2.8G with the ES-2. However, it is annoying with my AI Nikkors.

My little finger rests comfortably underneath my Z6 and so a grip is unnecessary. Nikon has their usual selection of remote shutter releases. Foolography has their wireless gizmo but reading their forum suggests that they have yet to solve its habit of eating camera batteries even when the camera is off.

The autofocus system has a few quirks when coming from a DSLR but you will get the hang of it with a bit of practice. Steve Perry or Thom Hogan can help there.

[Ian Watson]

We crossed posts 

So once I find an option that offers a convincing upgrade path from my D500 (pixels, similar AF capability and equivalent reach to what DX offers), I'll be ready to move

Nikon may yet surprise us with a Z-mount version of the D500. An alternative, however, would be a Z8 or Z9 set to DX mode. That would give you similar pixels and the latest AF technology. The only downside is the price.

[ColinM]

Thanks again Ian.
I guess renting a Z8 and 400mm f4.5 for a few days will be the best way to assess things

Meanwhile, I'm sure I read a post here recently where someone was adding a blob of something [glue?] to some of the buttons or controls on their Nikon mirrorless body!

[fish_shooter]

A few weeks ago I used my old 28mm PC (ie. non-E) on my Z9. Bottom front FN is set to 200% mag that I used to focus with but it was mostly done at infinity. Exposure via M by trial and error - mainly was trying to minimize the blinkies exposing for the shadows (most of the scenes) as the sun was single digits above the horizon (60° N latitude) at true noon (1330 to 1400 in my time zone during DST). Traveling now so cannot show. MF on the Zs is much superior to the DSLRs due to magnification function.

Thanks Birna & Ian

At some stage, I may do more wideangle photography.
And I'm still interested in PCE lenses for a specific project (I understand older, simpler Nikon PC-Es become less of a handful on the Z bodies, e.g.easier to judge exposure)

Meanwhile, my main interest is at the telephoto end.
So once I find an option that offers a convincing upgrade path from my D500 (pixels, similar AF capability and equivalent reach to what DX offers), I'll be ready to move

[paul hofseth]

As to  the question of applying a drop of cyanoacrylat, I decided against since the offending knobs and wheels at times do have a useful function, BUT like on my R9, Leitz decided that the easily moved wheel on the R8 ought to have a locking button. Nikon should have introduced something similar on my Z7

p.

[Nasos Kosmas]

We crossed posts 

Nikon may yet surprise us with a Z-mount version of the D500. An alternative, however, would be a Z8 or Z9 set to DX mode. That would give you similar pixels and the latest AF technology. The only downside is the price.

I fully agree
If you need z for birding-BIF Z8/9 is the only option
I tried Z8 and despite the extra weight (910 gr) , limited battery (compared to d500) , I was amazed with 20fps raw tracking capability with 500pf plus 1.4x teleconverter
Plus unlimited customization, cleaner files , 22 Mb compressed raw files and many more
As I  already said  for me a FF body is preferable for Birding-BIF, you have a better viewing angle an don’t miss the target easy