Advice on buying a lens? (Nikon)

[Clix Pix]

A lot depends upon which F-mount Nikon lenses one has, as not all of them will continue to work in the same way on the new camera with the FTZ adapter; some will no longer be AF, for instance, and others won't work at all. Somewhere there is a compatibility list which describes which F-mount lenses function in which way with the FTZ adapter. For me that was a show-stopper, plus the relative paucity of native lenses, especially in the beginning.

As it happens, four lenses that I have happily using as native Sony FE-mount lenses (50mm macro, 90mm macro, 100-400mm, and 200-600mm) on my A7R IV are still not available as native Nikon Z lenses in their respective equivalent ranges. If back in November 2019 I had decided to stay with Nikon and go with the Z series I'd still be waiting for those lenses to eventually come down the pipeline....

 

[mollyc]

A lot depends upon which F-mount Nikon lenses one has, as not all of them will continue to work in the same way on the new camera with the FTZ adapter; some will no longer be AF, for instance, and others won't work at all. Somewhere there is a compatibility list which describes which F-mount lenses function in which way with the FTZ adapter. For me that was a show-stopper, plus the relative paucity of native lenses, especially in the beginning.

As it happens, four lenses that I have happily using as native Sony FE-mount lenses (50mm macro, 90mm macro, 100-400mm, and 200-600mm) on my A7R IV are still not available as native Nikon Z lenses in their respective equivalent ranges. If back in November 2019 I had decided to stay with Nikon and go with the Z series I'd still be waiting for those lenses to eventually come down the pipeline....

I know you love to hate on the Nikon system but believe it or not, it does actually work for some people and the adapter works well. You have made your point ad nauseum why you converted to Sony, but the Z system is more than capable.

there might be valid reasons for not choosing the Z system but there are plenty of reasons to use it. Please be considerate.

 

[Clix Pix]

I was responding to the general flow of the discussion and offering some things to consider. I don't hate the Nikon Z system at all, nor did I suggest that it doesn't work. Good grief! Actually I think it is a real shame that it doesn't work out well for everyone, because it sounds as though the bodies and native lenses are quite good. Unfortunately the current Z system just doesn't meet my particular needs and desires, and I am not alone in that..... Yes, there are quite a few people on Nikon Cafe who are very happy with their Nikon Z cameras and their lenses, both the native lenses and their F-Mount ones that they use with the FTZ.

 

[dimme]

I'm curious as a DSLR user what the advantages are to switching to mirrorless cameras. I been shooting with DSLR's for my whole life and been happy, I not looking to switch but just want to know why people are investng in mirrorless

 

[mollyc]

I'm curious as a DSLR user what the advantages are to switching to mirrorless cameras. I been shooting with DSLR's for my whole life and been happy, I not looking to switch but just want to know why people are investng in mirrorless

I wanted something smaller and lighter and I love the focus peaking. At the time for me my options were the Nikon Z series for $2k-ish (including a lens) or the D850 for over $3k, with no size advantage or lens at that price.

I think in general people move to mirrorless fir the smaller and lighter kit.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

Everyone, thank you all for your thoughtful replies! I landed with the 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.4. Happy with both!

I really should have done more homework before buying my camera body, but thankfully I am still in the return window.

I am thinking about returning my D7500 and picking up a Z50 body + FTZ adapter. It seems to me that the big tradeoffs between the two cameras are that the D7500 has water proofing and a better battery life, but the Z50 allows for being able to see the exposure in realtime (sounds amazing to me) and better video capability (which is important to me). It also seems the autofocusing system is better on the Z50, especially for video. I also think the Z50 would be easier for my wife to use. She's not interested in getting artsy but still wants to be able to take good pictures easily of me and our kids - she complains that since I always take the pictures, there's not as many pictures of me with the kids.

I think the Z50 might be the way to go. The bodies themselves are actually the same price. The extra cost is the adapters which I'm willing to get.

Now the big question - is there any major disadvantage for using an older style lenses (ie, non-Z lens) on a Z body in terms of quality? Obviously the adapter will add weight, but besides that?

EDIT: I don't want to appear as being so easily swayed. I normally read up much more before making a big purchase like this, but rushed into this one which has me backtracking.

 

[mollyc]

To be honest, I really don't know much about the Nikon crop bodies. I think the D7500 has been well regarded, and I don't think it's a bad option. However, the Z50 is newer technology. This can be good or bad, but Nikon has worked out most of the kinks with the Z system. They are announcing two new full frame bodies on the 14th of the month, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a current Z camera today if I needed one. The Z50 gets high marks for video.

Regarding the adapter, there are some lenses that will not AF via the adapter. Most modern lenses will, and the 35mm and 50mm you just bought will AF with the adapter (there are older versions of those lenses I am pretty sure, so I've linked the ones that work). When I bought my Z6 I had only one Nikon lens that would not AF (an older style 85mm). I have personally not found ANY issues using the adapter with my F mount lenses. In fact, the adapter actually adds VR to older lenses, so they can become more useable. You can read about the adapter here and if you have other older F mount lenses, a quick google search will tell you if they will AF or not. Obviously AF is a really big piece of photography now, but many people love the Z system with older and otherwise MF lenses because of the focus peaking.

Shooting with an EVF was a little weird for me at first, but now I really love it and it makes getting exposure and WB in camera a lot easier and faster.

@Hughmac has a Z50, and @kallisti and @kenoh also shoot with full frame Z cameras. I know @Apple fanboy shoots Nikon but he likes his dSLR setup and doesn't plan to switch to mirrorless anytime soon (if ever); I am not sure what body he uses, but he might be able to weigh in on the D7500.

ETA: I think @r.harris1 also uses a Z camera.

 

[dimme]

For me the camera body is the least important piece of the system. I'm all about the lenses, I shoot manual or aperture preferred. Half of my lenses are 30+ years old and MF. I sometimes carry my old Luna pro meter for light readings. So what I trying to say is the body depends on your shooting style. I know lots of people who use all the new functions of the new body's for fantastic results. I came up in the manual world developed my shooting style around it. Both bodys you are looking at do a fine job and I think there are only advantages between the two, so you can't go wrong.

 

[gkarris]

I wouldn’t say the Nikons are way way overpriced. The Z6 launched for the same price as the A7 III and they are quite comperable. The same could be said about the Z7 vs A7R III. Maybe you mean too expensive for your tastes? I think if anything, the Z5 was a bit overdue, as Nikon really needed a less expensive FF model as a gateway product. Sony can sell the A7 and A7II for that purpose, and to their advantage. Still, the competition in these segments is pretty tough, so no one is really overpriced for the segments they are in, as they slot these models directly against each other.

Nikon, being so late in the game, used prices are still sky-high.

I bought a used Sony A6000, which is great, for body only $200... Kit lenses were $100 each.

A used Nikon Z50 (apsc equivalent) is $720... and used kit lenses are $310 and $230.

So the Sony system I got used was $400, and a Nikon Equivalent would've been $1260 - way, way beyond my budget.

Used Z6 & Z7 is way way out there compared to Canon EOS FF Mirrorless.

 

[Apple fanboy]

To be honest, I really don't know much about the Nikon crop bodies. I think the D7500 has been well regarded, and I don't think it's a bad option. However, the Z50 is newer technology. This can be good or bad, but Nikon has worked out most of the kinks with the Z system. They are announcing two new full frame bodies on the 14th of the month, but I wouldn't hesitate to buy a current Z camera today if I needed one. The Z50 gets high marks for video.

Regarding the adapter, there are some lenses that will not AF via the adapter. Most modern lenses will, and the 35mm and 50mm you just bought will AF with the adapter (there are older versions of those lenses I am pretty sure, so I've linked the ones that work). When I bought my Z6 I had only one Nikon lens that would not AF (an older style 85mm). I have personally not found ANY issues using the adapter with my F mount lenses. In fact, the adapter actually adds VR to older lenses, so they can become more useable. You can read about the adapter here and if you have other older F mount lenses, a quick google search will tell you if they will AF or not. Obviously AF is a really big piece of photography now, but many people love the Z system with older and otherwise MF lenses because of the focus peaking.

Shooting with an EVF was a little weird for me at first, but now I really love it and it makes getting exposure and WB in camera a lot easier and faster.

@Hughmac has a Z50, and @kallisti and @kenoh also shoot with full frame Z cameras. I know @Apple fanboy shoots Nikon but he likes his dSLR setup and doesn't plan to switch to mirrorless anytime soon (if ever); I am not sure what body he uses, but he might be able to weigh in on the D7500.

ETA: I think @r.harris1 also uses a Z camera.

Actually it’s Mrs AFB who doesn’t plan on me buying any new camera gear anytime soon!

I shoot with a D750 (FF) and D7100 (APC). Both have served me well. As a hobbiest I’m not looking to spend a lot at the moment. The benefits of moving to mirror less are not that significant for me. I can nail exposure in manual on a DSLR pretty easily enough. The times I’ve used a mirror less I didn’t like the way the viewfinder looked. Like most things I’m sure you’d get used to it and the benefits of focus peaking for macro work are plan to see.

Interesting to here that the adapter adds VR. I didn’t know that.

The camera bodies and lenses I own are both capable of producing much better photos than I’m able to produce.

 

[Hughmac]

@Apple fanboy, the adapter doesn't add VR, the full frame bodies Z6 / Z7 have in body stabilisation; the Z50 does not.

As for which body to buy, I could probably have done just as well with a D7500, but I jumped at the Z 50 mainly because as @mollyc says I can use focus peaking on my manual focus lenses, and that is very useful to me.

Cheers

Hugh

 

[mollyc]

@Apple fanboy, the adapter doesn't add VR, the full frame bodies Z6 / Z7 have in body stabilisation; the Z50 does not.

yes, the adapter does add VR to non-VR lenses (although you are right only on the 6/7 and not the z50). This is from the Nikon page I linked above.

An added benefit of using your older F-mount lenses is the built-in Vibration Reduction image stabilization of the Z series cameras that feature in-camera VR, so lenses without VR now become image stabilized using 3-axis VR (Pitch/Yaw and Roll), and compatible F-mount NIKKOR lenses with VR (Pitch and Yaw) get the addition of roll axis for a total of 3-axis VR.

 

[Clix Pix]

Be careful about buying third-party lenses, though, as some of them, especially older ones, will not work with the FTZ unless there is some sort of firmware update provided either by that lens manufacturer or Nikon. I read this on Nikon Cafe when someone who has just purchased a new Z7 posted wondering why some of his older third-party lenses aren't working with the FTZ and some of his older Nikon lenses suddenly no longer AF. Maybe that's not important to some people, but it certainly would be to me if I were plunking down money for a new system in the expectation that I could magically use all my earlier gear....

 

[Apple fanboy]

I’ve only ever used Nikon lenses so can’t really comment on the others. I’d say Sigma over Tamron though.

 

[mollyc]

I would always encourage people to research their lens options before buying them. Nobody wants to put a Dx lens on an Fx camera. But newer Tamron and sigma lenses can have firmware updates for Z compatibility.

and lots of people have found new life for old manual focus lenses with the addition of focus peaking.

 

[Clix Pix]

I'm curious as a DSLR user what the advantages are to switching to mirrorless cameras. I been shooting with DSLR's for my whole life and been happy, I not looking to switch but just want to know why people are investng in mirrorless

For me one big difference and advantage is the electronic viewfinder (EVF). I first encountered one some years ago with the NEX-7 and once I saw how I could easily not only have all the shooting information right there, but could see the effects of changes I was making in the exposure prior to ever pressing the shutter release, the value of this became apparent. I can see instantly what happens if I adjust exposure compensation, for example, and can proceed accordingly, without ever taking my eye from the EVF. With a DSLR and the optical viewfinder (OVF), one doesn't see the impact of adjustments until after the shot has been made. No chimping needed with a mirrorless camera! EVFs have come a long way since that NEX-7, too. Also, yes, focus peaking is a real help when shooting in manual mode and also in DMF on Sony (don't know what the latter is called in other systems).

Mirrorless cameras can shoot silently, which is a real asset in certain situations such as weddings and other occasions when the photographer does not want to draw attention to himself or annoy others, and it's handy for wildlife shooting so as to not spook skittish creatures.

Another attractive advantage of mirrorless bodies, both APS-C and FF ones, is that they are smaller in dimension and lighter in weight, and some of the lenses are also smaller, but many of them (especially full-frame ones) are still fairly hefty, especially the long zooms and primes.

Mirrorless cameras have IBIS (in-body-image stabilization), and many systems also offer stabilization in lenses (Nikon calls this VR, Sony calls it OSS).

One big advantage of mirrorless is that there is no need to calibrate one's lenses with the body the way that has been necessary for some DSLR systems in recent years. AF is fast and pretty reliable, and some systems offer very, very fast shooting with as much as 20 frames per second, so they're becoming competitive with DSLRs in that respect -- important for sports shooters and wildlife shooters.

These are all off the top of my head and I'm sure that there are other reasons people choose to go with mirrorless systems as opposed to DSLR or to add a mirrorless system to their existing DSLR setup.

 

[FocusAndEarnIt]

I bought the Z50. Will test them out side by side and then make the call!

 

[gkarris]

I bought the Z50. Will test them out side by side and then make the call!

Please post your findings on th Z50's EVF lag and blackout, especially when shooting continuous action. Thanks.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I bought the Z50. Will test them out side by side and then make the call!

Enjoy. All cameras these days take good pictures in the right hands.

 

[Hughmac]

yes, the adapter does add VR to non-VR lenses (although you are right only on the 6/7 and not the z50). This is from the Nikon page I linked above.

Oh, sorry, I didn't realise that; thanks for pointing it out!

Cheers

Hugh

 

[tcphoto1]

I subscribe to the theory that lenses are more important than cameras. I will take a fast prime lens over a zoom any day and forget about variable aperture lenses (kit lenses). Buy cheap and you'll have nothing but regret.

 

[Clix Pix]

I do love my two long zooms, but yeah, I would love to have a 400mm prime, a 500mm prime, a 600mm prime...... At the price tags for each of them, that's not gonna happen, unfortunately!

 

[Apple fanboy]

I do love my two long zooms, but yeah, I would love to have a 400mm prime, a 500mm prime, a 600mm prime...... At the price tags for each of them, that's not gonna happen, unfortunately!

Agreed. Plus the assistant to carry them for you!

 

[Clix Pix]

Agreed. Plus the assistant to carry them for you!

Boy, isn't that the truth!?! Those prime long lenses are pretty darned hefty, from what I can remember from having had a Nikon 300mm prime and seeing fellow photographers with the Big Guns, the Nikon 500mms and the 600mms.....I nicknamed my lens "Arnold," because I felt as though I needed to be as strong as Arnold Schwartzenegger (sp?) in order to carry him around! LOL! Tripod-only lens, obviously!

Actually, in recent years Nikon has come out with a nice series of "PF" [Phase Fresnel] long prime lenses which are lighter in weight and not as bulky to handle, and which may be not as stressful on the bank account -- on Nikon Cafe, a lot of wildlife and sports shooters have embraced those with enthusiasm. From what I've seen in various comments, these lenses work really nicely on the Nikon Z series cameras, too (with the FTZ adapter).

 

[Apple fanboy]

Boy, isn't that the truth!?! Those prime long lenses are pretty darned hefty, from what I can remember from having had a Nikon 300mm prime and seeing fellow photographers with the Big Guns, the Nikon 500mms and the 600mms.....I nicknamed my lens "Arnold," because I felt as though I needed to be as strong as Arnold Schwartzenegger (sp?) in order to carry him around! LOL! Tripod-only lens, obviously!

Actually, in recent years Nikon has come out with a nice series of "PF" [Phase Fresnel] long prime lenses which are lighter in weight and not as bulky to handle, and which may be not as stressful on the bank account -- on Nikon Cafe, a lot of wildlife and sports shooters have embraced those with enthusiasm. From what I've seen in various comments, these lenses work really nicely on the Nikon Z series cameras, too (with the FTZ adapter).

As much as I’d love to be buying new glass, right now the priority is fencing. Still waiting for the guy who came last week to give us a quote. We have a third contact recommended to us, but he’s not returned our call as yet.