Start of Z-mount manual focus lenses ?

[Tristin]

There are small options with existing 45/50mm lenses on the Z6/Z7   like the 45 p  and the 50/1.8 pancake.  Also the E-series are pretty small (in 28mm and 35mm too.)  The Nikkors  20mm f/4.0,  f/3.5 and f/2.8 Ai-S  are also very compact.

Added bulk/weight from FTZ, no aperture in the exif and no rangefinder focus confirmation.  FTZ is also ugly, shame on such a beautifully designed body.  The FTZ in that pic looks ~3x the size of the pancake mounted on it.  Still worth the platform, but certainly not ideal.

[Airy]

Sure, and I'd like to add the Voigtländer 40/2 to the list of "legacy pancake". But my point is different. It is about having native lenses, taking advantage:
- of the short registration length
- of the electrical contacts (not yet the case here, obviously)
and not following the general trend "the heavier, the bulkier, the better".
I was quite pleased with the OM-D and assorted smaller lenses, and having a FF equivalent system would fulfill my wettest dreams. It seems that Nikon has not released the specs for the Z mount interface (see Tamron interview), so I do not expect Zeiss or Voigtländer to fill the gap anytime soon. I wonder what Nikon's intentions are. Mechanical compatibility with F-mount lenses is good to have, but does not tell about the future.

[John Geerts]

Yes agreed.  It is a 'current' work-around.

The 45P is chipped by the way, the Voigtlander 58/1,4 too and will register aperture in Exif.

[Airy]

Indeed, and that applies to all current F-mount Zeiss and Voigtländers. But Zeiss does not bake pancakes...

[Tristin]

I wonder what Nikon's intentions are.

Undoubtedly it is fleshing out the S line with wide profit margin products to offset a shrinking market and get the Z mount up to speed.  I doubt we will see Nikon make a foray into a manual lineup until a solid base of Z mount lenses is established, but they would be absolute fools not to do so.  The sheer number of mount adapters on the market is irrefutable proof that manual lens operation is very popular.  B & H alone lists 2,024 mount adapters, Ebay likely has another few thousand, which actually exceeds the number of lenses they list!  831 for MILC, 909 for DSLR for a total of 1,740.  Considering the simplicity of design, relative to AF lenses, a range of manual lenses could easily have a wider profit margin than their AF brethren as well. 

I would like to see a polarized approach to lens design from Nikon.  Continue taking the S line in the contemporary direction of sterile perfection across the board at the cost of bulk, and begin a manual line that favors character and mechanical ergonomics while improving the defects no one appreciates.  If, for example, Nikon produced a Z mount version of the 50/1.2 ai-s that maintained a degree of aberration for that lovely wide-open glow, while correcting the field curvature and distortion, they would sell hoards.  The vast adapter market makes it clear there is quite an appetite for manual lenses.  "Corrected" native manual lenses would be a home run, I would bet money on it.

[chambeshi]

Nikon should be capable of packaging AFP into prime optics with a much more compact chassis for the Z-mount. Today it is the rare exception for a lens to not include at least a couple of ED and aspherical elements. These have been standard in more affordable kit lenses for many years, and we read the Z-mount overcomes R&D challenges for wide and normal lenses. Classic MF optics will continue have a fruitful life on the latest electronic cameras, but many of us find AF extremely useful. There's the tendency for emerging photographers to expect AF

Perhaps squeezing a Z-Mount prime down into the dinky size of a 45 f2.8AIP is not possible (the F-mount is a tessar design).  But why not give us wide or normal primes approximating the dimensions of a 28 f2AIS or 28 f2.8AIS. These will be more than wonderful on a Z MILC. Two or three of complementary focal lengths (yes, Rorslett's Rule) will delight many for a lighter compact Nikon system for travel and many other genres. Many of the instructive discussions wrt building an optimal lens for the Nikon Df hold true for these compact and capable Z Nikon MILCs eg http://nikongear.net/revival/index.php/topic,2141.msg25329.html#msg25329

Such a family of slower "Traveler's" Z-Nikkor primes can ultimately be populated with: 20 f2, 28 f2.8, 35 f2, 45 f2, 85 f2, 105 f2.5, 135 f2.8. Perhaps a 180 f2.8 to round off the options. Personally, I seek 20 f2, 45 f2, 105 f2.5 and perhaps 180 f2.8 :-) Each and every one of these optics will perpetuate legendary Classic F-Nikkors. If Nikon ignore this market, we can expect 3rd party optical designers to seize it. All the better if they rvs engineer the Nikon Z-AF protocols

[Tristin]

Nikon should be capable of packaging AFP into prime optics with a much more compact chassis for the Z-mount.

Then we wouldn't have a reason for a Z-mount MF lens thread, would we? 

[pluton]

But why not give us wide or normal primes approximating the dimensions of a 28 f2AIS or 28 f2.8AIS. These will be more than wonderful on a Z MILC.

I'm for this, but including AF starts you on the road to bloated barrels, like the current f/1.8 "lower end" F-mount primes. 

[kpinkert]

I have been using all sorts of manual focus lenses on my Nikon Z6 from the early 1950s and on. I have used all sorts of projector lenses (Schneider, ISCO, Leitz), a wide variety of M39, M42 and Exakta mount lenses. Including many Soviet lenses, DDR lenses, Zuiko, Pentacon, Pentax, Sonnar, Pentax 6x7 to name a few. I am having a blast. I started out using the Z to whatever adapters that you can easily find on ebay and Amazon. But then I switched over to helicoids and I like them much better. Mainly because I can use them like a macro bellows and get much closer focusing than what the lenses were made for.

I do also have the Dandelion chips for some of the fixed adapters that go into the FTZ adapter and that is nice, particularly when I use some the the AI chipless mount lenses such as the Zenitar 16mm f/2.8. This give me control of the aperture via the camera controls.

But for the majority of the lenses, I use manual focusing with the helicoid with not camera electronic or otherwise connection. Up until a few days ago, I had not way to update the lens exif data in the raw .NEF files. Now I do. Check out this free piece of software. https://www.jazzycamel.photography/NameThatLens and it runs on Linux, Mac and Windows as a standalone. In windows I found that I needed to run it as Administrator. It works great and it allow my photo editing software (ON1 Photoraw) to allow me to play with other predefined lenses once I get editing.

As far as lens adapters and helicoid adapters (not the helicoids themselves, but anything you want to stick on the front of it. This is the guy for me. https://www.rafcamera.com/

Kevin

[John Geerts]

Thanks Kevin for your helpful addition.   Which Helicoid size is your preferable solution for the projection lenses?   a 52mm thread?

[Birna Rørslett]

The Z needs 65mm.

[Jack Dahlgren]

Any suggestions for a good helicoid for a mount? Would like to learn from those who have made it work.

[Erik Lund]

https://nikongear.net/revival/index.php?topic=8146.msg146591;topicseen#new
Here is another thread on that