Tag: Nikon FTZ adapter

Review: Viltrox adapter for Nikon Z mount

Compatibility

The Viltrox adapter for Nikon Z-mount enables you to use your Nikon F-mount glass with Nikons mirrorless cameras, such as the Nikon Z6 or the Nikon Z50. It is intended to work exactly like the FTZ adapter from Nikon, making it possible for you to use your F-mount glass on a Nikon Z mirrorless camera body.

You need to study the list of compatible lenses carefully, as Viltrox do not promise to support all lenses. Selected lenses from both Nikon, Tamron and Sigma are supported according to Viltrox, but here I have only tested with Nikon lenses on my Nikon Nikon Z6ii with camera body software version 1.3.

It is my impression that Viltrox has put in an effort to make the adapter work with lenses with built in AF motors (AF-S and G), including image stabilization and obviously EXIF information. I have been shooting with the 70-200mm f/2.8 G lens extensively, and it works like a charm. I have also used it with my wide 16-35mm f/4 G ED and although I felt the AF was a tad slower than with the Nikon adapter, it also worked really well (speed of AF with a wide lens is not critical to me).

The Viltrox NF-Z mount adapter.
The Viltrox NF-Z mount adapter. Notice both the USB-C plug bottom left on the adapter and also the button next to it, reserved for future appliances.

However, my older lenses seem to work less well:

  • My good old 135mm AF f/2 Defocus Control lens, I could get the on-camera aperture selection to work.  It was simply stuck at f/1 and did not move no matter how much I turned the front command dial. The Nikon adaptor worked fine with this lens.
  • I got the “FE” message when I used my trusty 28-105mm AF zoom lens despite it being locked at the minimum aperture, but a software update from Viltrox set that straight.

So my conclusion is that the adapter from Viltrox does not have the same wide coverage as the Nikon original in terms of lenses it will work with, and that you should consult the list of compatible lenses carefully before investing.

For the AF lenses that are dependent on a AF motor in the camera body, the autofocus will not work with this adapter, as there is no motor built in. This is the same for both both the Nikon and Viltrox adapter, so no difference between original and copy here.

Build quality

Viltrox and Nikon adapters.
Can you tell the difference? Viltrox left, Nikon original right.

The original FTZ adapter from Nikon and the NF-Z adapter from Viltrox are very similar in built quality. The Viltrox is 146 grams and the Nikon is 131 grams.  Both of them appear very solid and both of them lack a gasket towards the camera side to keep out moist and dust.

Viltrox and Nikon adapters.
Nikon left, Viltrox right.

One of the big differences in terms of appearance is that the Viltrox adapter has a USB-C connector, which enables you to install new software updates in case Nikon releases new software for their camera bodies or lenses, that the Viltrox software needs to adapt to. Also, the Viltrox adapter has a button prepared for future use – right now I don’t think it has a function. So the Viltrox adapter is pretty well equipped to deal with future changes, provided of course that they will continue to develop the software for the adapter.

Price

As far as I can tell, the Viltrox adapter does not do anything more than the Nikon original adapter. In fact it does a little less, as the range of supported lenses is less. However, where the difference kicks in is the price. I will not quote prices as inflation is crazy this day and age, but he Viltrox is easily 30% cheaper than the Nikon original. And for the lenses supported by the spec sheet most likely does exactly the same as the Nikon original. And to me the build quality seem to be on par with the original Nikon. Add to this the fact that the FTZ mark 1 adapter has been difficult to get from new since the release of the FTZ mark 2, then you start so see why the adapter from Viltrox starts to be interesting.

Conclusion

The Viltrox adapter to me seems to be very close to the original from Nikon. The build quality is very much the same and the adapter seems to work well to provide auto focus, image stabilization and all the modern features that say a G-series lens support. And then the price is significantly lower – 30% or more.

So what not to like? Well, I would recommend that you study the spec sheet to see if the lenses that you plan to use with this adapter is covered. It may not be the case. After all, Viltrox are reverse engineering the software to behave like the Nikon equivalent without Nikon providing an open source or insight to the inner workings of the adapter. So it will probably be so that the  lenses and camera bodies supported are less than the original. But then again, if all your lenses are supported, then this may not be important to you and the price differences is worth a serious consideration.

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Nikon FTZ adapter: Is it waterproof?

When it rains, it pours…

The other day I was out shooting, a happy camper that did not consult the weather forecast. I paid the price for my ignorance, and was soon caught in a heavy downpour in January. The problem with January in Denmark in combination with rain is that there are no leaves on the trees, and hence nowhere to seek shelter.

The Nikon FTZ adapter
I hope you can see here how heavy the rain came down. This is actually a quiet lake on a windless day, but the hard rain makes all the difference!

Towards the end of the shoot I arrived at a big lake where the rain came down as if I had stepped into my morning shower wearing all my clothes! I was wearing proper clothing for the weather fortunately, but my camera gave up just when I was about to take a shot of the dramatic lake.

The Nikon FTZ adapter
As you can see in the surface of the lake, the rain was pouring down. This was shot on my iPhone, as my camera had stopped working.

Lucky for me, I was able to use my iPhone to take a shot. The iPhone was difficult to operate because there was so much water on the screen that the phone had difficulties figuring out what was rain and what was my fingers trying to give instructions! But I succeeded as you can see above. I am still today really annoyed that I was not able to take shots with the Nikon Z6ii that I had brought along with the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm VRii. But the camera had stopped working and the iPhone image is all I got.

The Nikon FTZ adapter
This is the error message I got from the camera. I figured that the camera and the lens did not communicate well anymore, as there was water shortcutting the CPU contacts, so I turned off the camera and walked home.

If you remember mounting a lens on a DSLR without setting the aperture locked at the minimum value (say f/32), then you probably also know the “FE” error, where the camera tells you that you need to change the aperture on the lens. This is exactly the message I got in the top LCD, and a more elaborate version in the rear LCD. The camera had stopped working, and there was nothing I could do out in the rain. It was clear to me that the CPU contacts had been short-circuited by rain getting into the camera somehow.

The Nikon FTZ adapter
The water got in between the F-mount lens and the FTZ adapter. Here traces of water where it should not be – in the FTZ adapter. After drying the adapter for a few hours, the problem was solved.

Arriving at home I could get the Nikon Z6ii to work with a S-series lens, so the camera was fine. And I could get the Nikon AF-S 70-200mm VRii to work with my Nikon D4. So the problem was isolated to the FTZ adapter. And I found water inside the FTZ adapter, that should not be there, so no wonder the camera could not talk properly to the lens.

After drying the FTZ adapter for a few hours it all started to work again and I was very relieved. I would have been sorry to see my almost brand new Nikon Z6ii being damaged for obvious reasons, and also I would have hated my beloved Nikon AF-S 70-200mm VRii lens to stop working. I could have accepted the FTZ adapter to be damaged, but was so lucky that also this one got back in operation.

My solution to all this is to get a rain cover for the camera. They come in different sizes and price ranges, but I am sure they would have saved me for the watery experience. I know that both lens and camera are waterproof, but going forward I prefer to be better safe than sorry, and will bring a rain cover for eventualities.

Video link

Related reading

Nikon FTZ adapter – when is it relevant?

Nikon Z6ii vs Z6 – Which one for you?

Nikon FTZ adapter: When is it relevant?

The go-between solution

When Nikon launched their mirrorless camera series, they did so introducing a new lens mount called the Z-mount. It was a brand new design with a larger diameter than the classic F-mount and also it had a much shorter flange distance, both – according to Nikon – to improve image quality.

The new Nikon Z-mount is only compatible with a brand new line of lenses, known as the Z-mount lenses or S-lenses. These lenses fit directly to the Z-mount. As all the S-lenses have motors built into them, there is no need for a focus motor in the mirrorless camera bodies.

In order to give some backward compatibility with all the good glass made from the middle of the former century and still being made today, Nikon decided to market an adapter, the so called FTZ adapter, or the F-mount to Z-mount adapter. It was probably also because the amount of glass available to the Z-mount was very limited when the ML series was new, so many focal lengths were simply not available for the Z-mount previously.

Nikon FTZ adapter
The back of the FTZ adapter shown to the left. This side faces the Nikon mirrorless camera when mounted.

The FTZ-adapter allows you to shoot with all the glass that is made for the F-mount, as the adapter takes F-mount glass on the front and fits to the Z-mount on the back. The only downside of this adapter, other than the price of it and that is slows down AF speed a little bit, is that it has no focus motor built into it. All the glass with mechanical auto focus is dependent upon a motor in the camera body, and hence you are left with manual focus for these lenses. AF-S glass with the motor built into the lens of course auto focuses as it should, but many will probably hold on to their DSLRs to maintain auto focus for AF and AF-D glass.

Nikon FTZ adapter
The Nikon FTZ adapter sits between the F-mount lens and the camera body.

Many have speculated that Nikon would produce a FTZ-adapter with a motor built into it, but I doubt it will happen. Nikon did produce a FTZ adapter version 2, but this one is specifically designed for the Z9 camera body, and still has no motor built into it.

Nikon FTZ adapter
The classic 50 mm f/1.2 mounted on the FTZ adapter mounted on the Nikon Z6ii.

So my best guess – and it is a guess – is that we will not see mechanical auto focus motors in the FTZ-adapter. I think Nikon finds that you have lots of aid in focusing manually in the ML system, if you insist to use vintage glass with the mirrorless cameras.

So the FTZ-adapter is relevant if you have F-mount glass that you love and want to hold on to, and at the same time want to upgrade to a mirrorless camera body. Other than giving you the benefits of a mirrorless camera relative to a DSLR, it also opens up a new (and expensive) world of S-series glass that in most cases have got excellent reviews for stunning results.

Video link

Related reading

Which Nikon lens type should you buy?

Is mirrorless cameras better than DSLRs?