3rd party lenses soon available for Nikon Z mount.

Looks like there will soon be several 3rd party prime lenses available for the Nikon Z system from Kipon. They appear to be manual focus only, seem like very affordable options, but of course image quality is yet to be seen.

 

KIPON releases ELEGANT series lenses, world-first full-frame lenses for new Nikon Z &Canon R mount cameras from third-party-KIPON adapter

but of course image quality is yet to be seen.

Just look for the performance of the HandeVision IBERIT lenses: Handevision - they are the same.

Do they have the same optical formula? Never seen them myself. Having bought a D850 less than a year ago, I am not planning to be an early user of the Z system, but thought the news could be interesting to those who are.

With Canon and Nikon, and soon Panasonic and Sigma, producing FX-format mirrorless, I expect a lot more 3rd-party mirrorless lenses available. However, I am only interested in lenses specifically designed for mirrorless, especially with the current short flange distance in mind, not some transplant lenses designed for film cameras or lenses designed for SLRs with the mirror space in mind. E.g. those Sigma Art 35mm/f1.4 type lenses are really for DSLRs. Building in an "extension tube" space with a new mirrorless mount doesn't fundamentally change its optical formula to take advantage of mirrorless bodies.

Do they have the same optical formula?

From what I've read they are the exact same lenses.

IIRC, then they first appeared in Leica M-mount.

 

I assume that most third party manufacturers will design lenses for the longest flange-to-sensor distance of current mirrorless mounts (about 20mm) and then adjust the correct distance with build-in tube extensions.

Edited December 13, 2018 by Dieter Schaefer

I assume that most third party manufacturers will design lenses for the longest flange-to-sensor distance of current mirrorless mounts (about 20mm) and then adjust the correct distance with build-in tube extensions.

The Leica L mount (now Leica, Panasonic and Sigma) and Canon RF are both 20mm. Nikon Z is 16mm. The difference is not huge. I have seen Nikon's 35mm/f1.8 S lens, and the rear element is not against the very rear of the lens. However, a lens specially designed for Nikon Z will have a bit of advantage.

 

In any case, I don't want any Sigma Art 35mm/f1.4 transplanted to mirrorless; that defeats one of the main advantages of mirrorless. I might as well use my F mount version on an FTZ.

Edited December 13, 2018 by ShunCheung

However, a lens specially designed for Nikon Z will have a bit of advantage.

 

- I'm really not seeing how a shorter register is going to lead to noticeably improved optical performance. The issue of the sensor microlens mask needing near-telecentric design remains, if severe vignetting and/or colour fringing isn't to be a problem.

 

Telecentricity requires that the rear element has the same or greater diameter as the image-circle. Obviously this makes any telecentric lens big and heavy. It also requires a retrofocus design in a wideangle lens if the marginal rays are to hit the sensor at a near-normal angle.

 

With the current state of sensor and optical design, the only real advantage of a wide throat angle is to allow higher aperture lenses to be used. Leica have already been in this position, and failed miserably to capitalise on it.

Edited December 13, 2018 by rodeo_joe|1

- I'm really not seeing how a shorter register is going to lead to noticeably improved optical performance.

 

During the Nikon Z launch event in September, they showed this video from a Nikon optical engineer, and Nikon explained that you want to put the rear element of the lens as close to the sensor as possible. I have shared this video in previous threads before back in September. That engineer has a pretty strong Japanese accent, but at least I can understand him, and there are English subtitles.

 

Edited December 13, 2018 by ShunCheung

Drawing a box camera several times over demonstrates nothing.

 

Like I said, the Z mount only enables larger aperture lenses, and at the rate that sensor ISO speed is increasing, that means very little.

 

F/0.95 - pah! Nobody can reliably focus an f/1.4 lens yet. And if Canon's new f/1.2 lens costs 2.5K and is the size and weight of a full beer glass, who'll be able to afford, or lift, f/0.95?

 

That video is just hype and marketing puff with very little science to back it up.

I'm still hoping Sigma release the new 70mm macro in native Z Mount.

 

Looks like a great focus stacking lens at f4/5.6

 

It does look like it's got a built in extension tube on the back though to make it 'fit' the mount depth of choice.