A few years ago, a small Hong Kong-based company called Megadap surprised some people when it announced its latest product, MTZ11allows Leica M-mount lenses (along with a host of other manual focus mounts when used with adapters) to be used with Nikon Z bodies with autofocus.
The idea of being able to use M-glasses with autofocus is certainly appealing, as there are so many impressive M-mount lenses on the market. Between that announcement and now, several other similar adapters have been announced under various names and manufacturers. Both Fotodiox and TechArt have similar devices that take on largely similar roles.
The concept of autofocus adapters for manual focus lenses is not entirely new. In the 1980s, Nikon released the TC-16A, a 1.6x converter that worked in a similar way to the MTZ11. The TC-16A features a lens element that moves back and forth inside the converter, powered by a screw-drive motor then found in Nikon cameras. The trick is to focus the MF lens to infinity and the TC-16A will move the element behind until your image is in focus. But a neat little trick like this, it never works. First, the image quality is noticeably reduced and you lose a half-stop of light. Second, focusing to infinity doesn’t always work; Sometimes, you’ve got to focus on your concentration to make it just right. Third, it doesn’t work with every lens: some have a rear element that sticks out too far, resulting in damage to both the lens and the adapter.
The MTZ11 can solve some of these problems due to the nature of mirrorless cameras. Since the camera has no mirror and prism, there is no need for a corrective lens in the adapter. The motor is powered by the camera, but resides in the adapter and moves the lens back and forth physically. You still need to set the lens to infinity (and sometimes need to make small adjustments), but if not, you should still use it.
For my tests, I used the Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2, the Leica 50mm f/1.5 Summarit, and the 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit. Between my M3 and my Z 6, it was a change of pace to be able to carry both the film body, the digital body, and those three lenses without having to sling a shoulder bag. I have to admit that, as I got older, the wear and tear of carrying multiple bodies and heavy, professional lenses took hold of my shoulders and back. Everything fits in my pocket and has room to spare.
During my tests, I carried the adapter with me to do a number of exercises, including a police-engagement shooting on the Upper West Side. Police lights can cause a distracting, distracting effect on some autofocus systems. Constantly changing colors and lighting can cause some autofocus systems to struggle, constantly searching back and forth. The Megadap doesn’t seem to have this problem any more than the original lenses, although the Elmarit 90mm f/2.9 that I used for this scene has a rather soft opening, especially when compared to more modern native lenses. .
I’ve used the Z6/MTZ11 combo in a variety of weather and lighting conditions and have had no significant problems. Although the adapter is not weatherproof, I feel confident enough to use it in light rain. At the same time, it had no trouble focusing and tracking my subject in low light. Physically, the MTZ11 is well built: the metal construction is solid enough to beat. I will admit that it is a bit tricky to mount or remove it when used with the MB-N10 battery grip, which needs to be removed to do so.
I specifically used lenses with a narrow depth of field for this test, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well they performed with the adapter. More specifically, the 50mm f/1.5 has always been a somewhat unwieldy lens; With practice, it can produce beautiful images with pleasant bokeh, but if you’re not paying attention or are in a hurry, it can easily give you soft, low-contrast frames . However, during my testing, the adapter gave me reliably accurate focus and produced some solid frames.
Having said all this, the adapter has some things working against it. The first and most obvious thing is that it’s big; there is a significant “humming” noise and is distracting when the motor drives the lens back and forth. For news work, this can be a problem: if you’re covering a fire or protest, it probably won’t matter, but if you’re in the middle of a press conference, you’ll be fine. angry a lot of people watching TV and sound. During the press conference after the UWS shot, the noise was simply too much and I had to put the adapter away. If you’re shooting in the city for your daily shoot, you probably won’t notice it, and for casual photographers it might not be a big deal, but it’s something you should know. if you are considering buying it. If you’re using a Z-series camera to shoot video, you should keep this in mind when staging your shots. Second, as I mentioned above, it’s a bit of a hassle to use in conjunction with the battery grip.
Other than that, I found the adapter to be well made, sturdy, and capable. I don’t think I would trade off my Nikon glasses entirely for an M-mount lens for everyday work, but as a walking kit, this combination could be a lot of fun. You can get yours here.
