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lensmount

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

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 mountResultAdapter examplesCaveats
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sony E (incl. FE)
flange 18 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. wheel
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between Nikon F lens and Sony E (incl. FE) body.
  • Lens has no aperture ring; choose an adapter with a built-in aperture-control wheel.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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 mountResultAdapter examplesCaveats
PL (Positive Lock)
flange 52 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between PL (Positive Lock) lens and Nikon F body.
T-mount (T2)
flange 55 mm
Mechanical
MFIS lens-onlyAp. ring
  • generic mechanical adapter ring (multiple vendors)
  • Mechanical adapter only — no electronic communication between T-mount (T2) lens and Nikon F body.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

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.

References

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