What's the difference between AI, AF-D, AF-S, and AF-P Nikon F lenses?

AI / AI-S (1977-) are pure manual-focus lenses with a mechanical aperture coupling tab. AF and AF-D (1986-) add screw-drive autofocus, where the body turns a screwdriver coupling at the mount to drive focus. AF-S (1998-) and AF-P (2016-) move the AF motor into the lens itself (Silent Wave Motor and stepping motor respectively). Adapter compatibility depends heavily on this — most Nikon Z FTZ II features only work cleanly on AF-S and AF-P.

Can I autofocus AF-D screw-drive Nikon lenses on a Nikon Z body?

No — the Nikon FTZ II adapter has no internal screw-drive motor, so AF-D, AF, and earlier screw-drive autofocus lenses become manual-focus on Z bodies (the focus-confirm chip still works in the viewfinder). AF-S and AF-P lenses keep full autofocus because the motor lives in the lens. Sony's LA-EA5 is the only mainstream camera adapter that ships its own built-in screw-drive motor, but that's for A-mount, not F.

Why is Nikon F so hard to adapt onto mirrorless?

The 46.5 mm flange is the deepest of any common mainstream SLR mount, paired with a narrow 44 mm throat. A Nikon F-to-mirrorless adapter must span roughly 28 mm of flange gap on Sony E, leaving little room for both rigid construction and internal electronics; commercial smart adapters with AF for F→E are scarce (Techart TZE-01 covers only a narrow lens whitelist). Most F-to-mirrorless adapters are dumb mechanical rings without AF.

Nikon · DSLR / SLR mount

Nikon F — flange distance, protocol, and adapter compatibility

Nikon's bayonet SLR mount, in continuous production since 1959 — the longest-lived camera mount in mainstream use. Spans mechanical AI/AI-S manual lenses, screw-drive AF/AF-D, in-lens-motor AF-S/AF-P. Notoriously hard to adapt onto: 46.5 mm flange (deepest of any common SLR mount) plus the small 44 mm throat constrains options.

Mount specifications

Flange focal distance: 46.5 mm
Throat diameter: 44 mm
Electronic protocol: Nikon F (AI/AI-S/AF/AF-D/AF-S/AF-P)
Supported formats: full-frame, APS-C
Manufacturer: Nikon
Introduced: 1959
Status: Active production

Nikon F on the flange-distance axis

Nikon F sits at 46.5 mm — highlighted in orange below. The flange-distance gap between the mirrorless and SLR clusters is the room a mechanical adapter occupies; that gap is why almost every SLR lens adapts onto every mirrorless body, and why the reverse is mechanically impossible.

Flange focal distance (mm)SLR / DSLRMirrorlessRangefinderMedium-format mirrorlessCinemaLegacy SLR

Adapting Nikon F lenses onto other bodies

You own Nikon F glass and want to mount it on a body with a different lens mount. Rows are sorted by feasibility.

Body mount	Result	Adapter examples	Caveats
Body mount Canon EF flange 44 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Canon EF body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Canon EF-S flange 44 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel1.5× crop	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Canon EF-S body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Canon RF flange 20 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Canon RF body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Canon FD flange 42 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Canon FD body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Canon EF-M flange 18 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel1.5× crop	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Canon EF-M body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Nikon Z flange 16 mm	Mechanical AF partialIS fullAp. electronic	Nikon FTZ II Nikon FTZ	AF-S and AF-P lenses (in-lens focus motor): full AF preserved. AF-D / AF screw-drive lenses: focus motor missing on FTZ — manual focus only with focus-confirm.
Body mount Sony A / Minolta A flange 44.5 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Sony A / Minolta A body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Sony E (incl. FE) flange 18 mm	Mechanical AF partialIS fullAp. electronic	Commlite CM-ENF-E1 Pro	The Commlite CM-ENF-E1 Pro is the only AF-capable Nikon F → Sony E adapter; it drives autofocus, electronic aperture (including E-type electromagnetic diaphragms) and VR on G / E electronic Nikkors that carry their own in-lens motor (AF-S, AF-P), plus Sigma HSM and Tamron USD F-mount lenses. AF is meaningfully slower and less reliable than native FE glass and depends on a firmware compatibility list — usable on PDAF Sony bodies (a7 III and later), hence partial rather than full.
Body mount Fujifilm X flange 17.7 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel1.5× crop	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Fujifilm X body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Fujifilm GFX (G-mount) flange 26.7 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheelvignettes	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Fujifilm GFX (G-mount) body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Micro Four Thirds flange 19.25 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel2× crop	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Micro Four Thirds body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount L-Mount flange 20 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and L-Mount body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Leica M flange 27.8 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Leica M body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Canon EF (cine) flange 44 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Canon EF (cine) body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Canon RF (cine) flange 20 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Canon RF (cine) body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount C-mount flange 17.526 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel2.7× crop	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and C-mount body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Praktica B flange 44.4 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Praktica B body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Konica AR flange 40.5 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Konica AR body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount Minolta SR / MC / MD flange 43.5 mm	Mechanical MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Minolta SR / MC / MD body. Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
Body mount M42 (Pentax / Praktica screw mount) flange 45.46 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only 1.0 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.	Speed Booster equivalence calculator Plug in any Nikon F lens and pick the focal-reducer family. The calc returns the effective focal length and aperture on a M42 (Pentax / Praktica screw mount) (APS-C), plus the full-frame equivalent angle of view after the body's crop stacks on top. Lens focal length (mm)Max aperture (f/N)Focal-reducer family Effective focal length 35.5 mm 50.0 mm × 0.71 on the reducer. Effective aperture f/1.28 0.99 stops brighter than f/1.80. Full-frame equiv. angle of view 53.3 mm 35.5 mm × 1.5× (APS-C sensor crop). A focal reducer concentrates the lens's image circle, so both focal length and f-number scale by the same ratio (stops gained = `−2 · log₂(ratio)`). The body's crop factor still applies on top — the full-frame-equivalent angle-of-view multiplier is ratio × body crop. Calculator is informational; verify against the adapter vendor's per-lens compatibility chart before purchase.
Body mount Pentax K flange 45.46 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only 1.0 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.	Speed Booster equivalence calculator Plug in any Nikon F lens and pick the focal-reducer family. The calc returns the effective focal length and aperture on a Pentax K (APS-C), plus the full-frame equivalent angle of view after the body's crop stacks on top. Lens focal length (mm)Max aperture (f/N)Focal-reducer family Effective focal length 35.5 mm 50.0 mm × 0.71 on the reducer. Effective aperture f/1.28 0.99 stops brighter than f/1.80. Full-frame equiv. angle of view 53.3 mm 35.5 mm × 1.5× (APS-C sensor crop). A focal reducer concentrates the lens's image circle, so both focal length and f-number scale by the same ratio (stops gained = `−2 · log₂(ratio)`). The body's crop factor still applies on top — the full-frame-equivalent angle-of-view multiplier is ratio × body crop. Calculator is informational; verify against the adapter vendor's per-lens compatibility chart before purchase.
Body mount PL (Positive Lock) flange 52 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -5.5 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.	Speed Booster equivalence calculator Plug in any Nikon F lens and pick the focal-reducer family. The calc returns the effective focal length and aperture on a PL (Positive Lock) (APS-C), plus the full-frame equivalent angle of view after the body's crop stacks on top. Lens focal length (mm)Max aperture (f/N)Focal-reducer family Effective focal length 35.5 mm 50.0 mm × 0.71 on the reducer. Effective aperture f/1.28 0.99 stops brighter than f/1.80. Full-frame equiv. angle of view 53.3 mm 35.5 mm × 1.5× (APS-C sensor crop). A focal reducer concentrates the lens's image circle, so both focal length and f-number scale by the same ratio (stops gained = `−2 · log₂(ratio)`). The body's crop factor still applies on top — the full-frame-equivalent angle-of-view multiplier is ratio × body crop. Calculator is informational; verify against the adapter vendor's per-lens compatibility chart before purchase.
Body mount Exakta flange 44.7 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only 1.8 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.	Speed Booster equivalence calculator Plug in any Nikon F lens and pick the focal-reducer family. The calc returns the effective focal length and aperture on a Exakta (APS-C), plus the full-frame equivalent angle of view after the body's crop stacks on top. Lens focal length (mm)Max aperture (f/N)Focal-reducer family Effective focal length 35.5 mm 50.0 mm × 0.71 on the reducer. Effective aperture f/1.28 0.99 stops brighter than f/1.80. Full-frame equiv. angle of view 53.3 mm 35.5 mm × 1.5× (APS-C sensor crop). A focal reducer concentrates the lens's image circle, so both focal length and f-number scale by the same ratio (stops gained = `−2 · log₂(ratio)`). The body's crop factor still applies on top — the full-frame-equivalent angle-of-view multiplier is ratio × body crop. Calculator is informational; verify against the adapter vendor's per-lens compatibility chart before purchase.
Body mount T-mount (T2) flange 55 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -8.5 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.	Speed Booster equivalence calculator Plug in any Nikon F lens and pick the focal-reducer family. The calc returns the effective focal length and aperture on a T-mount (T2) (APS-C), plus the full-frame equivalent angle of view after the body's crop stacks on top. Lens focal length (mm)Max aperture (f/N)Focal-reducer family Effective focal length 35.5 mm 50.0 mm × 0.71 on the reducer. Effective aperture f/1.28 0.99 stops brighter than f/1.80. Full-frame equiv. angle of view 53.3 mm 35.5 mm × 1.5× (APS-C sensor crop). A focal reducer concentrates the lens's image circle, so both focal length and f-number scale by the same ratio (stops gained = `−2 · log₂(ratio)`). The body's crop factor still applies on top — the full-frame-equivalent angle-of-view multiplier is ratio × body crop. Calculator is informational; verify against the adapter vendor's per-lens compatibility chart before purchase.
Body mount Olympus OM flange 46 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only 0.5 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.	Speed Booster equivalence calculator Plug in any Nikon F lens and pick the focal-reducer family. The calc returns the effective focal length and aperture on a Olympus OM (APS-C), plus the full-frame equivalent angle of view after the body's crop stacks on top. Lens focal length (mm)Max aperture (f/N)Focal-reducer family Effective focal length 35.5 mm 50.0 mm × 0.71 on the reducer. Effective aperture f/1.28 0.99 stops brighter than f/1.80. Full-frame equiv. angle of view 53.3 mm 35.5 mm × 1.5× (APS-C sensor crop). A focal reducer concentrates the lens's image circle, so both focal length and f-number scale by the same ratio (stops gained = `−2 · log₂(ratio)`). The body's crop factor still applies on top — the full-frame-equivalent angle-of-view multiplier is ratio × body crop. Calculator is informational; verify against the adapter vendor's per-lens compatibility chart before purchase.
Body mount Contax/Yashica (C/Y) flange 45.5 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only 1.0 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.	Speed Booster equivalence calculator Plug in any Nikon F lens and pick the focal-reducer family. The calc returns the effective focal length and aperture on a Contax/Yashica (C/Y) (APS-C), plus the full-frame equivalent angle of view after the body's crop stacks on top. Lens focal length (mm)Max aperture (f/N)Focal-reducer family Effective focal length 35.5 mm 50.0 mm × 0.71 on the reducer. Effective aperture f/1.28 0.99 stops brighter than f/1.80. Full-frame equiv. angle of view 53.3 mm 35.5 mm × 1.5× (APS-C sensor crop). A focal reducer concentrates the lens's image circle, so both focal length and f-number scale by the same ratio (stops gained = `−2 · log₂(ratio)`). The body's crop factor still applies on top — the full-frame-equivalent angle-of-view multiplier is ratio × body crop. Calculator is informational; verify against the adapter vendor's per-lens compatibility chart before purchase.

Adapting other lenses onto a Nikon F body

You own a Nikon F body and want to mount glass from other systems. Mirrorless-lens-onto-DSLR-body combinations are omitted (rear element collides with the mirror box).

Lens mount	Result	Adapter examples	Caveats
Lens mount PL (Positive Lock) flange 52 mm	Mechanical MFno ISAp. ring	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between PL (Positive Lock) lens and Nikon F body.
Lens mount T-mount (T2) flange 55 mm	Mechanical MFno ISAp. ring	generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)	Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between T-mount (T2) lens and Nikon F body.
Lens mount Canon EF flange 44 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -2.5 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Canon EF-S flange 44 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheelvignettes	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -2.5 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Canon FD flange 42 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -4.5 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Sony A / Minolta A flange 44.5 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -2.0 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount M42 (Pentax / Praktica screw mount) flange 45.46 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -1.0 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Pentax K flange 45.46 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -1.0 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Canon EF (cine) flange 44 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -2.5 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Exakta flange 44.7 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -1.8 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Praktica B flange 44.4 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -2.1 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Konica AR flange 40.5 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -6.0 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Minolta SR / MC / MD flange 43.5 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -3.0 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Olympus OM flange 46 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -0.5 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.
Lens mount Contax/Yashica (C/Y) flange 45.5 mm	Speed booster MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel	Speed Booster / focal-reducer family	Flange clearance is only -1.0 mm — a plain mechanical adapter cannot reach infinity focus; a focal reducer (Speed Booster) with optical glass is required. Speed Boosters typically widen the effective focal length (~0.71×) and add ~1 stop of light, which can be desirable on crop bodies.

Adapter SKU teardown

Curated adapter SKUs that involve the Nikon F mount on either side, with the operational specifics — body-side electronic contact count, firmware-update path, weather sealing, and whether optical glass is in the path.

Nikon FTZ II
released 2021
Nikon F lens → Nikon Z body
- 11 body-side contacts
- no firmware updates
- weather sealed
- no glass — pass-through
- Replaces the original FTZ; loses the tripod foot for clearance with super-telephotos. AF preserved on AF-S and AF-P lenses; screw-drive AF-D becomes manual.
- Required for any F-mount lens on Z-series bodies — there is no third-party AF F→Z adapter.
Nikon FTZ (original)
released 2018
Nikon F lens → Nikon Z body
- 11 body-side contacts
- firmware updatable
- weather sealed
- no glass — pass-through
- First-generation F→Z adapter shipped alongside the Z6 / Z7 launch. Mechanically identical to FTZ II for the lens-side mount; the visible difference is a removable Arca-style tripod foot on the underside.
- Firmware updates are pushed by the Nikon body's firmware-update mechanism over the Z protocol — no separate USB port. Z body owners running the latest body firmware get the latest FTZ behaviour automatically.
- Still preferred over FTZ II by users mounting heavy AF-S super-telephotos (200-500 / 500 f/5.6 PF / 600 f/4) because the tripod foot offloads the lens's tail from the Z body's mount.
Firmware history
1. v1.002018-09
  - Initial release alongside Z6 / Z7
  - AF-S and AF-P G/E-type F-mount lens compatibility
2. v1.012019
  - Eye-AF stability fixes on select AF-S 1.4G primes
  - Auto-AF mode behaviour aligned with native Z-mount lens behaviour
3. v1.102020
  - Z6 II / Z7 II AF tracking refinements
  - AF-P DX 70-300 / 18-55 compat polish
Approximate milestones — verify against the Nikon firmware page for the authoritative changelog.
K&F Concept Nikon F-NEX Pro
released 2019
Nikon F lens → Sony E (incl. FE) body
- no firmware updates
- not weather sealed
- no glass — pass-through
- Pro-line Nikon F (AI / AI-S / AF-D / G-type) onto Sony E with a copper-inset bayonet and matte-black interior. Mechanical-only — no AF, no electronic aperture pass-through.
- Built-in stop-down ring engages the lens's aperture lever — required for G-type Nikkors that lack an aperture ring on the lens itself. AI / AI-S / AF-D users set aperture on the lens ring as usual; the adapter ring is left wide open.
Urth Nikon F to Fuji X
released 2020
Nikon F lens → Fujifilm X body
- no firmware updates
- not weather sealed
- no glass — pass-through
- Nikon F (AI / AI-S / AF-D / G-type) onto Fujifilm X-mount APS-C bodies (X-T5 / X-H2S / X-H2 / X-Pro3 / X-S20). Built-in stop-down ring for G-type Nikkors that lack an aperture ring on the lens.
- Recycled-aluminum body, anodised matte-black finish, plastic-free packaging, tree-planting commitment per product.
Kipon T/S Nikon F-GFX
released 2018
Nikon F lens → Fujifilm GFX (G-mount) body
- no firmware updates
- not weather sealed
- no glass — pass-through
- Mechanical tilt-shift adapter: ±10° tilt and ±15 mm shift between a Nikon F-mount lens and a Fujifilm GFX 44×33 mm sensor body. Useful for architectural correction or selective-focus work without buying a dedicated PC-Nikkor lens.
- Mechanical-only — no AF, no aperture pass-through. F-mount lens aperture handled by the lens ring (AI / AI-S / AF-D) or the adapter's built-in stop-down ring (G-type Nikkors).
- Lens-side image circle must cover the 44×33 mm GFX sensor when shifted — most Nikon F primes (AI 50 / 35 / 24, AF-D 85, Sigma Art F-mount) cover with limited shift; PC-Nikkor lenses cover with full shift.
Novoflex NIKZ/NIK
released 2018
Nikon F lens → Nikon Z body
- no firmware updates
- not weather sealed
- no glass — pass-through
- CNC-German alternative to Nikon's FTZ / FTZ II for the manual-focus AI / AI-S Nikkor user — purely mechanical, no electronics, lighter than the FTZ, with Novoflex's dual-screw bayonet precision.
- No AF, no metering pass-through, no EXIF — every value (focal length, aperture, lens model) goes manual on the Z body. The tradeoff: precision mechanical tolerances and a lifetime warranty for daily use with classic manual-focus Nikkor glass (Noct-Nikkor 58 mm f/1.2, Nikkor 105 mm f/2.5 AI-S, Nikkor 28 mm f/2 AI, etc.).
Commlite CM-ENF-E1 Pro
released 2018
Nikon F lens → Sony E (incl. FE) body
- 11 body-side contacts
- firmware updatable
- not weather sealed
- no glass — pass-through
- The market's only AF-capable Nikon F → Sony E adapter (Sony's first-party LA-EA series is A-mount-specific; no major third-party offers an F → E AF bridge). Preserves AF on G / E electronic Nikkors and Sigma HSM / Tamron USD F-mount third-parties via the lens's own in-lens motor.
- Screw-drive AF-D and earlier lenses fall back to manual focus — no internal screw-drive motor inside the adapter. USB-C firmware updates; cadence ~2-3 years per major revision (v6 → v7 → v8).
- Niche product — most photographers moving from Nikon F to Sony repurchase native FE glass rather than adapt. Useful for users with deep Nikkor G / E primes (Noct 58 f/0.95 S equivalent, 105 f/1.4E, Sigma Art 35 / 50 / 85 / 105 / 135 F-mount Art primes) where repurchase isn't worth it.
Firmware history
1. v6.02018
  - Pro release — phase-detect AF on G / E electronic Nikon F-mount lenses for Sony a7 III / a9 / a6500
2. v7.02020
  - a7 IV / a7R IV stability fixes
  - Sigma HSM / Tamron USD F-mount third-party lens compatibility additions
3. v8.02023
  - a7R V / a1 / FX-line PDAF rule alignment
  - Z-prefix Nikkor F-mount third-party retrofit additions
Approximate milestones — verify against the Commlite firmware page for the authoritative changelog.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikon_F-mount

Common questions

What's the difference between AI, AF-D, AF-S, and AF-P Nikon F lenses?: AI / AI-S (1977-) are pure manual-focus lenses with a mechanical aperture coupling tab. AF and AF-D (1986-) add screw-drive autofocus, where the body turns a screwdriver coupling at the mount to drive focus. AF-S (1998-) and AF-P (2016-) move the AF motor into the lens itself (Silent Wave Motor and stepping motor respectively). Adapter compatibility depends heavily on this — most Nikon Z FTZ II features only work cleanly on AF-S and AF-P.
Can I autofocus AF-D screw-drive Nikon lenses on a Nikon Z body?: No — the Nikon FTZ II adapter has no internal screw-drive motor, so AF-D, AF, and earlier screw-drive autofocus lenses become manual-focus on Z bodies (the focus-confirm chip still works in the viewfinder). AF-S and AF-P lenses keep full autofocus because the motor lives in the lens. Sony's LA-EA5 is the only mainstream camera adapter that ships its own built-in screw-drive motor, but that's for A-mount, not F.
Why is Nikon F so hard to adapt onto mirrorless?: The 46.5 mm flange is the deepest of any common mainstream SLR mount, paired with a narrow 44 mm throat. A Nikon F-to-mirrorless adapter must span roughly 28 mm of flange gap on Sony E, leaving little room for both rigid construction and internal electronics; commercial smart adapters with AF for F→E are scarce (Techart TZE-01 covers only a narrow lens whitelist). Most F-to-mirrorless adapters are dumb mechanical rings without AF.

Mount specifications

Nikon F on the flange-distance axis

Adapting Nikon F lenses onto other bodies

Adapting other lenses onto a Nikon F body

Adapter SKU teardown

Nikon FTZ II

Nikon FTZ (original)

K&F Concept Nikon F-NEX Pro

Urth Nikon F to Fuji X

Kipon T/S Nikon F-GFX

Novoflex NIKZ/NIK

Commlite CM-ENF-E1 Pro

References

Common questions

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