Nikon FTZ screw-mount lens adapter?

[Birna Rørslett]

I checked the database for the largest lens Nikon made with "AF screwdriver" and it seems it is the one I have......the AF 300/2.8 ED-IF? 
I even have the latest N-version.....so lens is a bit of Nikon history......unless I have missed a larger Nikkor using "AF-screw" method?

I think 300 is the upper limit for screwdriver AF. The 400 and 500 had internal motors if memory serves.

[Jack Dahlgren]

I have an AF 300/2.8 ED-IF where such an adapter would bring new life to the lens.
A screwdriver adapter is needed here. The Megadap principle does not work with such heavy lenses.

I would expect that the Megadap would be less optimal with lenses which have internal focusing and longer lenses which need greater extension to close focus. I suppose for the latter you could use a combination of manual focus to set approximate range, then rely on the adapter to focus within that range.

[MILLIREHM]

I think 300 is the upper limit for screwdriver AF. The 400 and 500 had internal motors if memory serves.

Nikon was long time lacking to provide superteles with AF, the 300/2,8 remained the only one for a significant amount of time
IIRC there was a prototype of a 600/4 AF lens that never made it into a release- probably this design did not work and showed the limit of screwdrivers AF
Canon hat its ultrasonic motors and NIkon wasnt able to compete (patent reasons?) announced to bring something better
the AF-I series came out with 300,400,500 and 600 mm lenses the first with internal motors - not too convincing, until NIkon finally managed to bring out ultrasonic motors as well in the firs AF-S series.

[MEPER]

If a "screwdriver" adapter is made then the AF 300/2.8 ED-IF could be a good buy as in the moment prices are low on these?   .....about 1000 USD for a near mint?
Then with a Z-body and "screwdriver" adapter both VR (in body) and AF is achieved?
When I got my 300/2.8 years back used price was like 2000 USD and when they where sold as new is was about 5000 USD here in DK.

Yes, Canon took over totally. 90% white Canon lenses at sports games etc......now it is more even.
It also took a long time for Nikon to develop VR. Canon had its "IS" and this was also a reason to go with Canon teles.
The optical quality of Canon long teles was very good......is my understanding. 

[Birna Rørslett]

I had the AF 300/2.8 ED-IF for a while. The image quality was good but not outstanding. The subsequent AFS models clearly surpassed it in optical excellence.

[MILLIREHM]

Then with a Z-body and "screwdriver" adapter both VR (in body) and AF is achieved?

That's how I'd understand it

Yes, Canon took over totally. 90% white Canon lenses at sports games etc......now it is more even.
It also took a long time for Nikon to develop VR. Canon had its "IS" and this was also a reason to go with Canon teles.
The optical quality of Canon long teles was very good......is my understanding.

This was the times of the F5 when Nikon lost ground on the Pro-Level and never gained back its former importance (the D3 had some impact)
When Nikon was starting to introduce silent wave motors, canon had it's full fast supertele lineup with IS ready
And Nikon (who actually had IS- first but only in a compact camera) finally came out with a slow 80-400 Telezoom, with first generation VR (but with screwdriver AF not AF-S! - which also shows that an Aperture ring is not an obstacle for a VR unit) and then 24-120 was the next with VR I think. Did not understand this then and still now.
BTW that appears to be the same with hybrid AF,which saw thelight in the Nikon 1 System, now Sony is way ahead and Nikon behind again.

[MEPER]

I had the AF 300/2.8 ED-IF for a while. The image quality was good but not outstanding. The subsequent AFS models clearly surpassed it in optical excellence.

When I used the AF 300/2.8 there was a good improvement when stopped down to 4 or 5.6. It was good at 2.8 but very good at 4 or 5.6......as I remember the lens.
It has been locked down for many years in its big flight case. Could be fun to try it out again and see what it can do. It will require a tripod.......

[Wally]

I think 300 is the upper limit for screwdriver AF. The 400 and 500 had internal motors if memory serves.

Indeed, the first AF versions of the 400 and 500mm (and the 600mm) were of the type AF-I with internal focus motor before starting with AF-S

[chambeshi]

Focusing of AFD Nikkors in L'view on the D850 and D780 works - Nothing more to add IME. This is using 85 f1.4AFD, 28-105 AFD and 70-180 Micro-Nikkor. The D780, as we all know, is built around the Z6 sensor. [I've read somewhere, that some years back, Sony included s'driver AF support in an adapter.]

Far more pertinent is the release of Fringer's new NF-FX adapter. It supports AFD Nikkors fully (ie it supports 'driver AF) on Fuji X MILCs. When we acknowledge their older EF-NZ adapter also works well on Nikon Zeds, this confirms their engineers not only rvs engineered the Z AF successfully, but they continue to upgrade the firmware for this adapter. Priced at $324.00, the Fuji adapter is slightly more than the EFNZ ($300) plus shipping. A no brainer if one needs to use even just one favourite AFD Nikkor.

https://www.fringeradapter.com/blog/fringer-nf-fx-smart-adapter-is-released

Thus, Fringer possess both "sides" of the code etc for a fully functional NF-NZ. This would fix what's missing in the FTZ. And including EXIF data with AI/AIS Nikkors cannot be difficult. 3rd party extension rings (eg Kenko) do this (+ G and E support).

Much ink has been split, justifying a "FTZd"; it is strange how forum posts on the question catalyze negativity and worse. Those no longer using older F-Mount lenses can ignore any such adapter (as just another Accessory). Nikon's neglect of their installed user base must rate as one of the company's biggest strategic blunders with the Z System, by alienating so many loyal clients. Only recently, Nikon did officially discontinue the latest cohort of AFD lenses. Arguably, a FTZd would have sold Nikon a pile more Z cameras, and further at least some of these new owners to try Z glass.

How ironic should Fringer show up Nikon! But perhaps Thom sources are correct and we will hear something soon

[Ilkka Nissilä]

So how is the LV AF of screwdriver Nikkors on the D780? Have you used it a lot? How does it compare with native Z Nikkors on Z cameras in live view and on the other hand the viewfinder AF on the D780 (or other DSLR cameras)? I am sure the issue here is the added complexity vs. the results that might be expected, and whether it would truly work for users of these lenses.

I think Sony's new adapter ("LA-EA5") which is skinny and supports screwdriver AF lenses for Minolta/Sony A-mount is a remarkable achievement. I wouldn't have thought it possible to make it so small without considerable external protrusions like their previous and Nikon's current adapters.

[F2F3F6]

Yes, Canon took over totally. 90% white Canon lenses at sports games etc......now it is more even.
It also took a long time for Nikon to develop VR. Canon had its "IS" and this was also a reason to go with Canon teles.
The optical quality of Canon long teles was very good......is my understanding.

Yes, MEPER but...Nikon was first to introduce VR...in it's compact zoom touch 105 VR camera in 1994. It was the first camera and lens with VR. A few months after that Canon released first 75-300 (non L) IS zoom.
Then came 4/300 L IS (1997) and 28-135 IS (1998)...and a lot more.
But NIKON was indeed the first to use a VR in a compact camera..and why Nikon needed many years (6 years) before its 4,5-5,6/80-400 VR came out (in 2000) is a mystery for me ! What a pity !

[MEPER]

I know the Danish Nikon importer asked the same question.
Maybe Nikon was so "old school technical" that putting something that could move the lens elements around into a professional tele was "too much".....
I have sometimes wondered if VR is switched off if lens elements are centered as precise as in a "non-VR" lens.
Leica and Zeiss is still very old school it seems?
Maybe Nikon was just "too German"?  ....if you can say so? :-)   

[Erik Lund]

Yes, MEPER but...Nikon was first to introduce VR...in it's compact zoom touch 105 VR camera in 1994. It was the first camera and lens with VR. A few months after that Canon released first 75-300 (non L) IS zoom.
Then came 4/300 L IS (1997) and 28-135 IS (1998)...and a lot more.
But NIKON was indeed the first to use a VR in a compact camera..and why Nikon needed many years (6 years) before its 4,5-5,6/80-400 VR came out (in 2000) is a mystery for me ! What a pity !

Zoom 700VR / 700VR QD =Zoom Touch 105 VR QD
 https://imaging.nikon.com/history/story/0035/index.htm

[chambeshi]

Hi Ilkka
I found some time earlier this morning to compare 28-105 f3.5/4.5 AFD, 85 f/1.4 AFD, 70-180 Micro-Nikkor and my 58 f1.4G 'Neo-Noct' on the D780. Using AF-On, I compared each focusing from up close on pot plants and patio-bricks, canvas etc within 10-20 feet at most, and then out to large trees and clouds on the horizon at ~50m and more. A Bright sunny day here today warming up to a  max forecast of 27 C.

In the test of all 3 s'driver AF in Liveview [Dynamic AF-Mode] in a "Full Refocus" from the MFD to infinity, each AFD lens has tendency to only find its focus at infinity, after a single hunt cycle before it grabs the focus. This is mostly with the 70-180. All three lenses have no problem to maintain focus if engaging AF-On while scanning from the closest leaves to infinity.

In typical usage using D780 Lv, I find this zoom and the 85 'Cream-Machine' focus at about about the same speed as the Neo-Noct - very fast. None causes any delay for my subjects. Neither is discernably slower and certainly any difference is irrelevant for my needs. The 70-180 is a notorious tortoise, with very slow AF in either OVF or LV refocusing to a new subject. But I find its AF is more than fast enough for insects, snakes etc when refocusing over a shorter range (within only a few centimetres usually). This is using Df, D850, D500 and D780.

kind regards

So how is the LV AF of screwdriver Nikkors on the D780? Have you used it a lot? How does it compare with native Z Nikkors on Z cameras in live view and on the other hand the viewfinder AF on the D780 (or other DSLR cameras)? I am sure the issue here is the added complexity vs. the results that might be expected, and whether it would truly work for users of these lenses.

I think Sony's new adapter ("LA-EA5") which is skinny and supports screwdriver AF lenses for Minolta/Sony A-mount is a remarkable achievement. I wouldn't have thought it possible to make it so small without considerable external protrusions like their previous and Nikon's current adapters.

Focusing of AFD Nikkors in L'view on the D850 and D780 works - Nothing more to add IME. This is using 85 f1.4AFD, 28-105 AFD and 70-180 Micro-Nikkor. The D780, as we all know, is built around the Z6 sensor. [I've read somewhere, that some years back, Sony included s'driver AF support in an adapter.]

Far more pertinent is the release of Fringer's new NF-FX adapter. It supports AFD Nikkors fully (ie it supports 'driver AF) on Fuji X MILCs. When we acknowledge their older EF-NZ adapter also works well on Nikon Zeds, this confirms their engineers not only rvs engineered the Z AF successfully, but they continue to upgrade the firmware for this adapter. Priced at $324.00, the Fuji adapter is slightly more than the EFNZ ($300) plus shipping. A no brainer if one needs to use even just one favourite AFD Nikkor.

https://www.fringeradapter.com/blog/fringer-nf-fx-smart-adapter-is-released

Thus, Fringer possess both "sides" of the code etc for a fully functional NF-NZ. This would fix what's missing in the FTZ. And including EXIF data with AI/AIS Nikkors cannot be difficult. 3rd party extension rings (eg Kenko) do this (+ G and E support).

Much ink has been split, justifying a "FTZd"; it is strange how forum posts on the question catalyze negativity and worse. Those no longer using older F-Mount lenses can ignore any such adapter (as just another Accessory). Nikon's neglect of their installed user base must rate as one of the company's biggest strategic blunders with the Z System, by alienating so many loyal clients. Only recently, Nikon did officially discontinue the latest cohort of AFD lenses. Arguably, a FTZd would have sold Nikon a pile more Z cameras, and further at least some of these new owners to try Z glass.

How ironic should Fringer show up Nikon! But perhaps Thom sources are correct and we will hear something soon

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Okay, thanks for the information, it's good to know.

How is autofocus in live view in lower light, e.g., indoors in available light?