Megadap is a brand name that you may not recognize immediately because their product line comprised of only adapters. These adapters aren’t your basic mounting rings however. For instance, with the MTZ11 adapter, it adds the autofocus feature to lens that have never were equipped with autofocus: Leica M lenses on Nikon Z cameras.
This remarkable technical feat comes with all the functions that are typical of Nikon Z autofocus, like Eye AF and AF-C, with a wide selection of Leica M lenses. In addition, non-Leica-M lens can be attached on Nikon Z cameras with autofocus by using the MTZ11 with adapters for additional lenses.
But is it really feasible? Is it possible to get an autofocus that is usable on lenses that have no autofocus capability? In this article, I’ll review Megadap MTZ11, I’ll show you how. Megadap MTZ11, I’ll check the lens’ performance under a few of the most difficult autofocus conditions.
Specifications for Adapters
The MTZ11 is a fascinating product with a number different reasons even though it doesn’t appear immediately similar to it. It’s not as big as other adapters and is much smaller that the FTZ Nikon adapter in most dimensions. Beyond the release button for the lens and two index dots on the mounting the adapter sports an uncluttered exterior.
There’s a tiny base on the bottom, which could be close to tilt plates, or grips for verticals however, it was not a problem in my tests. The base houses its serial numbers, the focusing motor, as well as a micro-USB port to allow for simple firmware updating (more on this crucial feature in the coming days). The backside of the base is an ordinary Z mount, constructed out of steel, and has Z mounting contacts. The front side is an Leica M mount, with no contacts. Mounting lenses and an adapter onto the camera feel extremely smooth.
How It Works
Nikon Z cameras feature a extremely short flange focal distance which is it’s the gap between lens’s sensor and its mounting flange. Since this distance is tiny, it’s simple to transfer lenses that aren’t Nikon-Z compatible to Nikon Z cameras, like mounting Nikon’s F-mount glass using FTZ adapters. FTZ adapter. In contrast it is difficult to adapt lenses in the opposite direction, such as for example, a Nikon Z lens on an F-mount DSLR is not possible.
The MTZ11 Comparing against the FTZ Adapter
In particular To be specific, the Z series comes with an flange diameter of 16mm however, Nikon F lenses have a 46.5mm flange distance. This means that you can convert F lens mounts to Z by stretching the mounting flange to 30.5mm and then fitting all required electrical contacts into that space. The FTZ isn’t compatible with autofocus for the screw drive F mount lens, which is an important point to note.
The adapter is equipped with Z mount contacts but doesn’t transmit any information to the lens.
Leica’s M mount features an flange length of 27.8mm in comparison. This implies that Megadap could fit the adapters for the mount and a method to autofocus into 11.8mm which is a remarkable technical feat.
How does this adapter convert the manual focus lens into the autofocus type lens? Megadap claims that the adapter employs an extension mechanism that is circular to shift the lens forward as well as backward. The focal distance of 6.5mm is thought to be sufficient for both adapting wide-angle and telephoto lenses. The mechanism is meant to hold heavier lenses and prevent them from wobbling. In a minute you’ll find out what I’ve found in my tests reveal about these claims.
From the rear you can observe the mechanism that the lens is moving around.
Another intriguing aspect about this model MTZ11 is that Leica’s M mount comes with an insignificant flange length of 27.8mm. This means that there’s a huge selection of lens mounts which can be converted to Leica and are in use for quite some time.
It is the result that you can create an adapter chain that can be used to connect virtually any type of lens for Nikon Z cameras using the MTZ11. For instance, you can utilize an M42-mount camera using two adapters which include an M42-to Leica M adapter, and the MTZ11. This means that any lens mounted on M42 can be utilized with autofocus on the Nikon Z body.
This chain may sound odd however, it is an incredible opportunity to bring autofocus into an extensive range in manual-focus lenses. It could even get better than expected quality images from those lenses. Nikon Z cameras have a large bayonet diameter and a thin filter glass, both of which can enhance image quality when using adapters for lenses.
Megadap provides Leica M adapters for the following mounts: Canon FD, Leica R, Nikon F, Canon EF, Pentax K C/Y and Minolta MD M42, Olympus OM Exakta, Konica AR, Contarex CRX, QBM, Arri, Alpa and DKL. It covers almost every major and classic mount I’ve come up with except the Sony E mount (which it offers an additional adapter from E-to-Nikon-Z for) and the latest mirrorless mounts such as Fuji’s X and Hasselblad’s.
In Use
All these technical guarantees aren’t worth anything in the event that the product doesn’t function. This was the case in my experience straight from the beginning. I was using the Nikon Z7 running firmware 3.0 I was not able to get any autofocus feature.
Luckily, I only had to update the firmware of my adapter that Megadap makes extremely simple. To update the firmware, I needed connect the adapter to the computer via Micro-USB and it immediately appeared as a drive that could be removed. It was then a matter of transfer the firmware file and then remove the adapter. The process was fast and easy, which is a big benefit when it comes to firmware upgrades. In addition, Megadap has seemed to keep up with the updating process with five updates already released, fixing minor bugs and enhancing performance. To illustrate the speed, they had the fix available in just 10 days for a problem that was a problem with 1.3 firmware of cameras like the Z6 II and Z7 II camera. If, like me, and are waiting a few days for an update to the camera’s firmware it could mean no downtime.
My subsequent remarks are based on my testing using the Z7 operating software version 3.0 or higher as well as the MTZ11 running firmware 3.0 and an Leica M mount Zhongyi 50mm f/0.95. I picked this lens because it’s an extremely difficult scenarios: a slender the field of view, low in contrast and sturdy metal construction that has a lot of glass. If this adapter is able to deliver the results with this lens, it will be able to work with a variety of other.
1. Still Photos Use
In order to use the adapter, there isn’t much to installed. You can adjust the length of your adapted lens to be transferred to the adapter by making a minor calibration using an aperture-priority mode (detailed within the instruction manual). This setting can improve stabilize images by using internal image stabilization. Also, you’ll want to match the aperture to the value you set on your lens, since this information isn’t transmitted to the camera. This doesn’t affect the quality of images but is merely giving you precise EXIF information.
Once the configuration is completed now all you have to do is to fix the lens’s focus to infinity before you begin shooting. The adapter slowly moves the lens in a circular motion to ensure the desired focus. I began with simple static subjects and AF mode. I was immediately amazed. It truly does get focus, and it does so with repeatability and precision. At f/0.95 I was a bit restricted by the sharpness of the lens than by the adapter, because focus tests showed that the lens was not focused in either direction.
At f/0.95 the focus precision and sharpness resulting from it are limited by the lens. AF was as precise as I could achieve with my hands.
The stop-down at f/2.8 and f/4 did not cause any issues, either, with meters and the focus functioning perfectly.
At f/2.8 at f/2.8, the adapter will be capable of focusing on the subject.
As I moved to more advanced modes such as AF-C and Eye Detect, I was nonetheless amazed. The lens was performing well even though rapid movements could result in poor focus on a couple of frames. I’d say it’s somewhere in the performance of earlier AF-D lenses, such as the 85mm f/1.4 A-D. In comparison to modern lenses that have high-speed motors, it’ll be somewhat slow and uncertain however, this was the most likely scenario, at f/0.95. It’s extremely usable even for someone with an abundance of manual experience in focus, it produced better results than what I could achieve using my hands.
It is important to remember that the use of this adapter could affect the battery longevity. It’s in fact, moving the entire lens around. Consider the effect of moving the same glass element around, and you’ll understand why it will draw down more juice. However, it’s hard to determine precisely and can vary depending the way you’re using it. It draws more energy than AF-S, and so can switching frequently between close and far or using a heavier lens instead of a lighter one. It’s not a problem however, it’s something you should be aware of if you’re planning on an extended shoot and will primarily make use of the adapter.
2. Video Use
I also conducted some further tests using my lens using video modes. The adapter was able to perform poorly. It took a long time to lock focus to allow for significant pulls and the device itself was surprisingly noisy.
Reducing the focus speed slightly, but at this moment, it’s much easier to manually pull focus in the end. I’m not able to fault the adapter, considering that video autofocus isn’t exactly what it was meant to use however if you’re thinking about it, be aware that it’s not going to be simple.
Conclusion
Its MTZ11 adapter is an intriguing product which will provide a significant benefit to a select group of users. If you’re a big fan of old-fashioned lens mounts, such as Minolta, Pentax, or other brands, this is a fantastic method to inject new life into these lenses, as long as you’re willing to use two adapters. Also, if you use Canon EF lenses – or even Nikon AF-D lenses which do not autofocus using the FTZ adapter, you’ll be able to have autofocus when you adapt those lenses.
It’s not without its limitations but. I’d be uncomfortable with an enormous lens such as 150mm or more on this mount, since the weight could be a problem. Additionally, the release of updates to firmware is essential. Although Megadap has been able to keep up until now, future Z body models as well as firmware updates could cause problems with compatibility, requiring a new update.
The adapter, priced at $349 isn’t cheap, particularly when as compared with “dumb” adapters which connect two mounts. This lens instead offers the user with a modern experience for lenses that date back to the 1950s and offers a price that is unique but it’s not suitable for all users.
If you have some classic mid-range lenses that are mounted on the M mount, or one of the daughter mounts compatible with it using this adapter along with Z7 Z7 could be among the most effective ways to bring them out into the field with the additional benefit of autofocus. If you’ve always wanted to try traditional lenses, but you’re not interested or unable to focus manually using this adapter, it’s an ideal choice.
Overall, I thoroughly loved working with the Megadap MTZ11. It as well as Megadap overall far exceeded my expectations of an expensive product with excellent build quality and satisfying software experience. Although it isn’t able to turn the M-mount lens you have into Z-lens with regard to autofocus speed but the fact that it’s able to provide a reliable AF experience with manually focused M mounts is enough to be impressive.