Nikon glass on A7s?

S

stoppingby

Active member
Hi,
I was going to buy a Nikon D810 with an 85mm Otus and, eventually, a couple of Nikkor lenses.

But I'm beginning to think that an A7s may be more relevant for me (see this thread http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?341428-Which-camera-can-do-this-Is-A7s-the-only-option if you like).

However, I still like these Nikon lenses - but is there any decent way to use them with the A7s?

I ask because people seem to use Canon glass on A7 without problems, while I haven't heard of anybody using Nikon. There's even this Nikon-guy on YouTube who talks about buying an entire new range of lenses after his move from Nikon to Sony...

So, it would be great to hear your Nikon experiences - if any?
 
I have nikon lenses and am interested in the A7sII or A7rII. Right now it doesn't look like there is good support for all nikon glass. You can get the metabones adapter but you will need to have an ais, or af-d type lens with aperture dial (no g lenses). Other adapters might offer aperture control. If you get the speedbooster you can use your g glass but you still adjust the aperture manually and you are stuck in APS-c mode. So basically no electronic connection to the camera as far as I know. Everything manual. You might still have focus peaking, not sure. It's not the end of the world, since most videographers prefer manual focus (with af for video often less than perfect) but if you are using it for stills, that may be another matter.
 
sbrenner said:
I have nikon lenses and am interested in the A7sII or A7rII. Right now it doesn't look like there is good support for all nikon glass. You can get the metabones adapter but you will need to have an ais, or af-d type lens with aperture dial (no g lenses). Other adapters might offer aperture control. If you get the speedbooster you can use your g glass but you still adjust the aperture manually and you are stuck in APS-c mode. So basically no electronic connection to the camera as far as I know. Everything manual. You might still have focus peaking, not sure. It's not the end of the world, since most videographers prefer manual focus (with af for video often less than perfect) but if you are using it for stills, that may be another matter.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much, that's exactly the information I needed! Too bad about the g-lenses.

I primarily need the camera for video though, but it would be nice to be able to use it for stills, too.

Then again, my plan was to start with an 85mm Otus, aiming for something like this: http://i2.wp.com/www.nakedpixel.ro/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/experienta-zeiss-otus-1-485-027.jpg - and the Otus is manual focus to begin with, so it's not really the end of the world.

I guess my real concern is whether there would be any penalty to pay what image quality is concerned. In that case, I would prefer to find some Sony or Canon alternatives to the Nikon g-series.

EDIT: I just saw an B&H review of the Speed Booster saying that it sometimes doesn't allow the lens to fully lock. I'm not sure how comfortable I would be if the lens were a $4,500 Otus...

Link to the review: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...on_g_emount_speed_booster.html#customerReview
 
Last edited:
I kind of doubt there would be any IQ penalty. One of the advantages of mirrorless is that those fine lens tunings aren't needed. So if you like the look of nikon glass, it should be ok. It would be good to hear from an A7Sii or A7rII user if the Zebra, Gamma, and Focus Peaking still work for Nikon glass. I presume they would, but who knows. Also we know that the Nikon VR won't work, but how good the body's IBIS works is another question.
 
I switched from nikon. Say bye bye to autofocus. There are adapters for g lenses. There seems to be an adapter for every system for nex cameras. Just the other day i found a pentacon p6 to nex adapter.
14-24 g lens
24-70 g lens
50mm
105 macro g lens
80-200 manual
fantastic lenses. No image penalty. Because sony glass is so ridiculosly expensive i started buying m42 glass for the a7s. To hell with otus. Pancolar zeiss 80/1.8 http://www.ebay.com/itm/PANCOLAR-1-...803160?hash=item1a07e82198:g:KHcAAMXQMTlRcBYs
the flares <3
You will need a FF. Manual focusing with autofocus lenses is a pita.
 
I've found the peaking on the A7 cameras is so nice, that autofocus hardly seems necessary. I was nailing action shots of people moving quickly, wide-open on a 50mm f/1.4.... that's insane.
 
Grug said:
I've found the peaking on the A7 cameras is so nice, that autofocus hardly seems necessary. I was nailing action shots of people moving quickly, wide-open on a 50mm f/1.4.... that's insane.
Click to expand...

That's impressive, your focusing reflexes are much better than mine. I have a hard time following a 3 year old around... But it's fun to try and worth it for the Nikon look.
 
You just likely won't have 5 axis unless your lens has VR and your mount adapter powers it. So if it's just the sensor I believe it'll be only 3 axis, which is still quite useful.
 
caseywilsondp said:
You just likely won't have 5 axis unless your lens has VR and your mount adapter powers it. So if it's just the sensor I believe it'll be only 3 axis, which is still quite useful.
Click to expand...


Casey....dude...how did you get so talented??? Your work is awesome, mate. You really know what you are doing. I want to film the way you film. 28-70 Nikon yeah? I bet you got it because of the aperture ring otherwise you'd have used the newer 24-70? amiright?
 
I regularly use a 35-70/2.8 Nikkor that I bought specifically to use with all my cameras (Panasonic, Canon, Sony, etc) when shooting video. Nikon is one of the most universally compatible mounts due to flange distance, so its considered somewhat future proof (and I own a lot of camera bodies to use it on).
The one I got is of the older screw-drive focus lenses (I think I paid just over $200 for it), but I'm focusing manually anyway. Has aperture ring, and attached to my Sony with a simple passive ring adapter that offers a wheel to change aperture on G lenses.

The problem with using the ring to adjust on G-lenses is that you don't know what F-stop you are at. You have to sort of eyeball it because there is no feedback to the camera. So, its just a heck of a lot easier to stick with lenses that offer actual aperture dials. Still, you mentioned that the Canon guys have it good with electronic adapters... don't worry. Honestly, until recently, a lot of my friends who switched from Canon to other systems lamented their EOS glass, selling them for Nikon equivalents wherever possible. Not many other systems can take EOS lenses because they are entirely electronic and need a sophisticated adapter to communicate. Even with the latest EOS to Canon adapters, the autofocus is more or less rubbish. All you get is aperture control (which you can do with Nikon lenses mechanically all along) and stabilization if the lens supports it. The AF is rubbish because the focus systems aren't compatible with each other (although the A7Rii is supposed to be a lot more compatible in that regard), slow and inaccurate and completely disabled in video mode. With the A7Sii, you have stabilization built into the body, so you already have IS and aperture, and since AF doesn't really work on either one, you actually have everything the Canon lenses do! Quality won't be effected as there is no glass in the adapter. It just physically has to hold the dang thing the correct distance from the sensor. Heckuva lot cheaper than a Canon adapter too, since its mechanical, and less to go wrong.
You can't lose!
 
Grug said:
The image stabilisation stabilises the image at the sensor, so it should work regardless of what lens you use.
Click to expand...

I guess i'm confused as I've seen you have to manually set the focal length for proper stabilization. so that's fine for prime lenses but if I need to zoom from 24 to 70, do I have to set the zoom range each time?
 
Matthew, while I don't deny that Nikon lenses - in particular their AF-D's - are a great option for video/cinema use, your post is a little bit misleading in some aspects.

Nikon is one of the most universally compatible mounts due to flange distance, so its considered somewhat future proof (and I own a lot of camera bodies to use it on).
Click to expand...

Not many other systems can take EOS lenses because they are entirely electronic and need a sophisticated adapter to communicate
Click to expand...

This may have been true 4-5 years ago when we had to choose between Canon or Nikon stills cameras, and when the Red One had a Nikon mount, but these days, in the new world of low-end cinema cameras, it is a different story.

Most cameras in this range (including Canon, Blackmagic and Red) have an optional native EF mount, while Sony camera's are easily adapted. And the same goes for Panasonic's cameras. You can use EOS lenses on pretty much any widely used Cinema or mirrorless camera, bar those that have a native PL mount, with electronic aperture and IS. And given the wider native support, It'd be just as easy to argue that Canon lenses are perhaps more future-proof than Nikon for video applications.

The only way EOS lenses will become obsolete compared to Nikon for film-making in the foreseeable future is if Nikon or Pentax, with their longer flange-distances, suddenly become the market leader for cinema cameras.

With the A7Sii, you have stabilization built into the body, so you already have IS and aperture, and since AF doesn't really work on either one, you actually have everything the Canon lenses do!
Click to expand...

Several reviews have already stated that the in-body IS works better in conjunction with IS lenses. So Canon still has an edge over Nikon in this department. One other thing the Nikon lenses lack is the communication with the camera, so the user can not see their f-stop on the screen or in photo metadata.
 
tatawaki said:
I guess i'm confused as I've seen you have to manually set the focal length for proper stabilization. so that's fine for prime lenses but if I need to zoom from 24 to 70, do I have to set the zoom range each time?
Click to expand...
Yes, I think you have to. The camera needs to know what focal length you're shooting, because it determines how much the sensor has to be moved when the camera detects a certain amount of shake.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top