Hands On With the Nikon 1 FT1 Adapter – Part I

One of the appealing features of the Nikon 1 mirrorless camera system is the ability to mount and use many of the lenses made for Nikon’s F-mount used in the company’s DX and FX DSLRs. After one year of field experience with the FT1 I thought it might be useful to share some of my findings. Please note that this is not a full product review. A number of highly regarded reviewers have already done that (hint: Google Search is your friend… ;~) ). So, here is the good, the bad and the ugly….

There are some documented limitations when using F-Mount lenses with the FT1 adapter:

– only AF-S and AF-I lenses meter and auto-focus; I have no experience with non Nikon lenses, but I understand it is a hit-and-miss proposition, as third party lens makers have not updated all lens firmware to work with the FT1 adapter
– you can ONLY use MF or AF-S focusing (manual or single servo) with S area; this is probably the most important limitation you will have to deal with – no AF-C, no subject tracking
– weight: this one is often neglected, which can inflict serious damage to your camera mount and bank account; I will speak more to this later

There are a few less obvious limitations you have to deal with:

– VR is on as long as the camera is active; as soon as it goes in Auto Power Off mode, VR turns off
– the size of the lens will interfere with the focus assist lamp and in some cases with the flash, especially the built in one on the J1
– the pixel density of the J1/V1 sensor is equivalent to that of a yet-to-be-built 70 MP full frame sensor; if the 36MP D800 has taught us anything, it is that you need exceptional lenses and great technique to realize the benefit of such pixel density; the same goes for the 1 system – mediocre lenses will be mercilessly exposed
– the crop factor is 2.7; this means that F-Mount lenses will not provide super-wide angles when mounted on the FT1; a 14mm prime becomes a 38mm wide angle lens;
– a similar rule applies for the DOF – you need to be at least three stops more open to get the same DOF with the same lens compared to FX

I assume by now you are just about to give up on the idea that the FT1 might be worth it. Despite the limitations above, I think the FT1 opens some amazing opportunities that would otherwise cost you a lot of money or not be achievable with a conventional setup.

Let’s quickly deal with how we can get around the limitations:

Using only modern, good quality AF-S lenses will take care of the AF and metering limitation and ensure you extract everything you can out of the sensor.

Don’t bother trying to take shots that require a super-wide angle lens or extreme subject isolation. Using large aperture lenses does help with low light photography, but remember that you loose between one and three stops of low light performance compared to larger sensor cameras, so you are better of using those if you have the option.

The weight problem is easily solved by purchasing a shoulder strap that screws into the tripod socket of the FT1 adapter. You can remove the camera’s own strap to make sure you are not tempted to grab the camera by it and damage the mount. I strongly recommend this setup whenever you use a lens that weighs more than 300g.

If you are using lenses with VR, set your Auto Power Off timer to the shortest interval you can live with. I use 15s, which greatly reduces the additional battery drain due to VR being on for too long. The camera starts up from sleep reasonably quickly, but make sure you do not get caught by the proximity sensor for the models that have an EVF.

Now the auto-focus limitation. In good light, the Nikon 1 focuses as fast as any high end DSLR. You can use this to overcome the lack of AF-C and subject tracking. Use quick bursts to shoot moving subjects. Try to pre-focus where possible and do not keep the shutter pressed half way. The longer you keep the shutter pressed, the longer the subject has to move away from the point of focus. With a little practice you will be able to get your keeper rate up to a reasonable value.

The combinations I have tested are:

– cameras – Nikon 1 J1 and V1 with the FT1 adapter
– lenses
– AF-S 35mm f/1.8 – portraits, night photography
– AF-S 85mm f/1.8, – fast telephoto (235mm equivalent), night photography
– AF-S VR DX 18-105mm – various situations; you are much better off using the 1 Nikkor 30-110mm lens if you have it, as it delivers the full Nikon 1 set of features in a much smaller package
– AF-S VR 70-300mm – long telephoto (up to 810mm equivalent); exceptional results in good light
– AF-S Micro Nikkor VR 105mm f/2.8 – mainly macro photography, but also as a fast 290mm equivalent telephoto

In an upcoming article I will share samples made with each of these lenses and briefly discuss key points.