Anyone have success w/WIDE Nikkors?

[ajcourtney]

Looking for some experienced insight here...so we recently decided to try to standardize on a fully manual lens line that we could use on both the Canon APS-C cams and the Panny GHx's (for filming, not necessarily stills). The Pentax SMC M's are out because (1) they're stupid expensive and (2) the 35/1.4 is nonexistent.

So I decided to try the old Nikkor AI/AIS lenses and dropped some dough @ KEH on the 35/1.4. Got a Nikon F to 4/3 adapter, put the lens on, and focal range is practically nill until I stop down somewhere around f8. Lens is completely useless.

Thinking it's the adapter, I ordered a Pixco Nikon F to EOS adapter to try the same lens on one of our Canon APS-C cams - same problem. I know the cheap Pixco adapters are decent because we're using a bunch for some Pentax M glass and they're fine.

So, does anyone have any experience with these Nikkors and these Fotodiox/Chinese 4/3 adapters? I have read people having similar experiences with Nikon lenses and these adapters where some just don't work. Does anyone have success adapting wide Nikkors to the Panny GHx/AF line and getting full aperture and full focal control? I thought about going to a camera store to try to put this lens on a D3S to see if the lens behaved the same way on the new cam as it did originally on an F series body.

Any answers? I will probably start the RMA process with KEH today which is a real shame.

Thanks!

 

[addieleman]

focal range is practically nill until I stop down somewhere around f8. Lens is completely useless.

What do you mean by that? No infinity focus perhaps?

I've had a cheap Chinese adapter that I used for Nikkors on my G1. It generated a lot of flare (see here) so I sold it and bought a Novoflex Nik-MFT adapter instead. The Novoflex adapter works fine. However, almost all of my lenses were a disappointment on the G1, they weren't really sharp. I'm talking about a.o. Nikkors 20/2.8 AIS, 105/2.5 AIS, 28/2.8 AIS, 28/3.5 AI, 35/2 AIS, 135/3.5 AI, 85/1.8 AI'd etc. so some very highly regarded lenses. I sold almost all of them and only kept the Micro-Nikkors 55/3.5 and 105/4 and a 50/1.8 AI. The latter one isn't great wide open but very good at f/4. Most of these lenses did quite well on the Nikon D200. My 35/1.4 AI was useable wide-open on film but not great on the D200. The 55/1.2 was surprisingly useful wide-open on the D200, never tried it on the G1.

 

[ajcourtney]

Thanks for the reply...when shooting at f1.4-5.6, infinity focus equals about 6 feet. So either the lens is seriously messed up or these adapters do not work with very wide lenses - which i find hard to believe because the lens behaved EXACTLY the same adapted to a 550D. So that would mean BOTH adapters (Voigtlander style for the GH1 and Pixco F to EOS) would be defective at the wide end - and that seems highly unlikely.

I don't care about overshooting infinity focus a bit - that's not a big deal since all of these DSLRs are used for close-up "beauty" shots while intercutting with traditional vid cameras locked down for wide shots.

 

[Warren T.]

sorry, i'm not sure what your particular problem is, but I have been using a cheap Nikon to M43 adapter that I got from Ebay and I have not had problems using Nikkor and Nikon-mount lenses from a Sigma 15-30mm af-zoom, Tokina 17mm f3.5 ATX-AF, all the way up to a 500mm Nikkor-Reflex. I also used a Nikkor 24mm f2.0 ais and Nikkor 35mm f2 ai with no problems.

Maybe you should try another adapter?

As a side note, it is fun adapting all sorts of lenses to my G1, and GF1, but in the end, I find that I tend to use the native M43 lenses most of the time.

--Warren

 

[ajcourtney]

Thanks Warren T, I do believe this is a bad lens. I've tried multiple adapters on both the Canon APS-C cams and our Panny GH1s and have never had this problem with Canon FD glass or Pentax SMC M lenses. Just so we're on the same page, you are able to use your 35/2 @ f2 and focus on objects 10 feet or more from the lens?

We're not interested in using new lenses because the focus rings are terrible compared to the old lenses and most of the lenses are too slow. We're putting follow focus gears on our glass and throwing these cams up on our shoulders for filming purposes. Generally, we never stop down these lenses beyond f2.8.

 

[Warren T.]

Thanks Warren T, I do believe this is a bad lens. I've tried multiple adapters on both the Canon APS-C cams and our Panny GH1s and have never had this problem with Canon FD glass or Pentax SMC M lenses. Just so we're on the same page, you are able to use your 35/2 @ f2 and focus on objects 10 feet or more from the lens?

We're not interested in using new lenses because the focus rings are terrible compared to the old lenses and most of the lenses are too slow. We're putting follow focus gears on our glass and throwing these cams up on our shoulders for filming purposes. Generally, we never stop down these lenses beyond f2.8.

AJ, I am sure that I've been able to focus at 10ft. and beyond on the 35/2, but if you can wait until tonight, I'll check it again when I get home from work and let you know for sure.

--Warren

 

[f6cvalkyrie]

Hi,

if your Fotodiox Nikkor F to µ4/3 were to be the shift one with tripod collar (called Pro @ their site), then, read this :

Fotodiox Shift adapter. Anyone tried it? - The GetDPI Photography Forums

C U,
Rafael

 

[Warren T.]

AJ, I am sure that I've been able to focus at 10ft. and beyond on the 35/2, but if you can wait until tonight, I'll check it again when I get home from work and let you know for sure.

--Warren

AJ, I confirmed tonight that I have no problems focusing at 10ft. and beyond on my Nikkor 35/2 on my G1 w/cheap Chinese Nikkor to M43 adapter.

--Warren

 

[ajcourtney]

Thanks Warren, I'm sure this 35/1.4 has malfunctioned internally and you have just confirmed that (as long as you tried @ f2). And f6, that's not the adapter i'm using...it's just the cheap Voigtlander knockoff.

 

[Warren T.]

Thanks Warren, I'm sure this 35/1.4 has malfunctioned internally and you have just confirmed that (as long as you tried @ f2). And f6, that's not the adapter i'm using...it's just the cheap Voigtlander knockoff.

yes, I tried @f2 and no problems from 10ft. to infinity.

--Warren