Ask Matthew...
Our resident Nikon expert Matthew Richards answers your questions and solves your problems. If you have a Nikon-related question, email it to mail@nphotomag.com
Q
I bought a Z 6 24-70mm and FTZ mount adapter kit a while ago. What would you suggest as a compact and lightweight telephoto zoom? Jane Worsley
A
70-300mm telephoto zooms have been popular since the days of 35mm film photography and it’d be great to see a Z-mount version of this lens. In the meantime, my favoured option is to make use of the FTZ mount adapter and go with the excellent F-mount AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6e ED VR, at around £535/$397. It’s a high-tech lens for a ‘humble’ 70-300mm variable-aperture zoom, with the same kind of fast and near-silent stepping motor AF system and electromagnetically controlled aperture diaphragm that you find in Z-mount lenses. It’s also compact and lightweight at 81x146mm and 680g, so is easily manageable, even after adding the FTZ mount adapter.
If you’d rather stick with a native Z-mount lens and don’t mind a shorter 200mm max focal length, the Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR delivers excellent all-round performance, but is pricier at around £669/$797.
Q
N-photo has given ‘best buy’ awards to Z-mount lenses in several categories. Will Nikon produce an adapter that enables the use of these lenses on DSLRS?
Brian Keenan
A
Good question! But an adaptor for using Z-mount lenses on F-mount bodies is impractical. With the mirrorless Z system, there’s no reflex mirror in the body. This enables the lens flange to be positioned much closer to the image sensor, at a distance of just 16mm compared with 46.5mm for F-mount DSLRS. The diameter of the flange in Z system cameras is also rather larger, with an inner diameter of 55mm compared with 47mm for the F mount.
With the smaller flange and greater flange distance needed for F-mount lenses, it’s easy to design the FTZ mount adapter for using them on Z system cameras. The adapter can take up the extra space required between the rear of an F-mount lens and the sensor inside a Z camera, while the smaller rear diameter of F-mount lenses also raises no problems in the design.
Q
I’m looking for a small ‘throw in the pocket’ wide-angle lens for my Z 7 and was thinking of the Laowa 14mm f/4 Zero D. Are there any other options? John Cooper
A
The Venus Optics/laowa 14mm F4 FF RL Zero-d (£599/$549) sounds like the best option. It’s lightweight at just 58x59mm and 228g. The only real alternative (currently) is the Samyang MF 14mm f/2.8 in Z-mount (£359/$499), but that’s heftier at 87x124mm and 810g.
Both lenses are fully manual and have no CPU, so can’t communicate electronically with the camera. But you can still use the ‘focus peaking’ display in Z-series cameras to help with accurate focusing, and the EVF/ rear screen can automatically boost the preview image brightness when narrowing the aperture using the on-lens aperture ring. You can also enable the in-body stabilization of
full-frame Z-series bodies. Just select the ‘NON-CPU lens data’ option in the Setup menu and enter the focal length and max aperture of the lens.
Q
I’m using a Nikon SB-700 flashgun with my D750 but shots usually come out a bit on the dark side. Am I doing something wrong? Jake Martin
A
The SB-700 defaults to ITTL-BL (Balanced Light) flash, which aims for a good balance between flash and ambient lighting. This produces a more natural look for close foreground objects illuminated by flash, set against a darker background. The trade-off is that the flash might not fire as powerfully as you’d like.
Switching to standard ITTL mode can yield punchier results with foreground areas looking brighter, but without such a good balance throughout the scene. Unlike some flashguns, however, the SB-700 has no physical switch or menu option for swapping to regular ITTL mode instead of ITTL-BL mode. To enable regular ITTL mode, you’ll need to select the Spot metering mode in your camera body, instead of Matrix or Centre-weighted metering. An easier option is often to simply dial in some positive flash exposure compensation.