Zeiss ZF on D700 - novice question

<p >Hi all,</p>

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<p >I am looking to buy a Zeiss ZF lens for my D700. I understand, apart from being manual focus, these lenses don’t have an electronically controlled aperture. </p>

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<p >How does then one use these on the D700? Would all the exposure modes work? I would be fine with the Apertre-priority mode, though.</p>

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<p >I have so far used only AF lenses and have no experience of MF lenses.</p>

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<p >Pls share your inputs.</p>

 

Aperture and manual mode should both work fine, you use the aperture ring on the lens itself to set the desired aperture value.

<p>Thnaks. Wouter.<br>

If I set an aperture on the lens narrower than wide open, would the Viewfinder also go dark to that extent? (One advantage of fast primes on modern cameras is a bright VF as the lens is always kept open till the shutter is fired).</p>

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<p>Funny question... :) Almost every Nikkor in F mount works with an indexing mechanism&lever system that permits the photographer to see&meter throught the lens at full aperture, with independence of the f/stop set on the aperture ring. It is with ZF lenses, too. "G" type lenses could be the exception, as they don`t work with non "G" cameras.</p>

<p>In certain models there is a "stop down" lever or switch that permits the viewing at the selected aperture (here the viewfinder will get that dark), mostly for Depth of Field checking. Your D700 has this switch.</p>

<p>The issue with ZF lenses is that are not chipped. There is a certain limit in the matrix metering, it will not work in "3D" mode, most of the times unnoticeable in real life shooting. Only AF-<strong>D</strong> and G lenses are "allowed" to use this system.</p>

<p>As far as I know, they don't work any differently to AI and AIS nikon lenses</p>

<p>Zeiss ZF lenses are Ai-S type lenses. On the D700 you get the center spot (off center spot metering doesn't work), centerweighted, and matrix (if you fill up the non-CPU lens info menu) in manual and aperture priority modes.</p>

<p>BTW. Of Nikon lenses, only the PC-E Nikkors have electrically controlled apertures.</p>

<p>Hi Ashim,<br>

Manual and aperture priority will work fine as others have said.<br>

I have several ZF lenses now and I think they are fantastic - even the worst one is excellent. Which one are you thinking of getting?<br>

One thing I think is essential in order to use these lenses to their best is the Katzeye focusing screen - the rangefinder dot is good enough only to get within a fairly narrow range of focus but actually having a well adjusted focusing screen allows you to narrow this down further.</p>

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<blockquote>

<p><em>"I understand, apart from being manual focus, these lenses don’t have an electronically controlled aperture." </em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>As Ilkka has noted, all Nikkor or 3rd party Nikon mount lenses (be they AF, AF-D, AF-S, 'G' autofocus lenses or manual focus Ai/AiS) with the exception of the three <a href="http://imaging.nikon.com/products/imaging/lineup/lens/mf/index.htm#pc_micro">PC-E Nikkors</a> use mechanical control for aperture setting. However, some bodies require electronic data from a lens CPU for metering and all autoexposure modes to function, and others, such as your D700, require that data for certain exposure modes (shutter priority or program) or certain metering modes.</p>

<p>Zeiss ZF lenses are identical in function to AiS Nikkor lenses, and your D700 considers these to be "non-CPU" lenses. So check the sections of your D700 manual that refer to use with non-CPU lenses, and you'll be good to go for normal function (sans autofocus) in A and M modes, and if you input the appropriate parameters, all metering modes too.</p>

<p>I think Katzeye has focusing screens for the D700 now, but does anyone have anything for the D3? I'm thinking of getting the 50mm or 35mm zeiss for my D3...</p>

<p>I have the Zeiss ZF 1.4/50mm and use it on my Nikon D200. I move the aperture ring manually, knowing that the ring doesn't move in full stops but rather 1/2 stops. I usually shoot in aperture mode or manual mode, and as long as I tell the camera the "non-CPU lens" information, everything seems to work great. It's a beautiful lens and it feels good in my hands. I have come to prefer manual focus over time - I use both, but the shots I have focused manually tend to be more precise. It can take a little getting used to.</p>

<p>I agree about the focusing screen/viewfinder being a problem however. I have had a lot of difficulty focusing this lens on my D200, and I find I am not using much as a result because I cannot count on it, or me, to focus (which stinks because this is a GREAT lens). My 55mm micro Nikkor (also manual focus) is super easy to focus, but not the Zeiss. F-stop doesn't seem to affect my ability to focus it much. I am thinking about buying that Katz-eye, but it's $105 so I have to hold off for now. </p>

<p>John, they don't have the D3 listed on their web site, but if you contact them they might have more up-to-date news or a release date. <br>

http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/cat--Nikon-DSLRs--cat_nikon.html</p>

<p>John the D3 screen is not bad at all.<br>

I used the Katz eye screen on my D200 and I really needed it to proper focus MF lenses and even though it was expensive I never regretted to fit the new screen on the D200.<br>

With the D3 screen I can MF even my 28mm f2.0 AIS Nikkor. In poor light or when in MF I also manually focus my 24-70mm on the D3.<br>

The F2 or F3 may be somewhat better to focus than the D3 but I can tell only from memory and not by direct comparison since I sold these bodies before I got my D3. I would like to see a real improvement before I would spend any money on a Katz eye screen for the D3.</p>