Nikon lenses with Fuji cameras: they work but maybe not well enough?

I have been using Nikon lenses with Fujifilm cameras and now I report my findings and offer advice. I will show you technically and with examples how to use Nikon lenses with Fuji cameras (that use the Fuji's X-mount). There are some things you need to pay attention to to make it work properly: use mount adapter and specific camera settings. I test Nkkor AF-S 50mm F/1.8 G and Nikkor AF 50mm F/1.8 D lenses with Nikon D3400, Fuji X-T20 and Fuji X-T30. My test results show that the Nikon's 50mm pime lenses produces nice and higher contrast results with a Nikon camera but not so nice with Fuji cameras. The sharpness of the photos with both cameras was about the same. At the same tine the same lenses render less contrast than for example Fujinon XF 18-55 mm lens when in front of a Fujifilm cameras. So my conclusion is that you can mix Nikon and Fujifilm but you get better results when you don't.
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LINKS:
Nikkor AF-S 50mm F/1.8 G lens review: • Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50 m...
Nikkor AF 50mm F/1.8 D lens review: Nikkor AF 50mm F/1.8D - a really nice lens!
Nikon 50 mm prime lenses comparison: • Nikkor AF-S 50mm F/1.8...
Nikon D3400 review: • Nikon D3400 - buy it o...
Fujifilm X-T20 review: • Fujifilm X-T20: get it...
Fujifilm X-T30 review: • Fujifilm X-T30 (in 202...
K&F Concept lens mount adapters: • K&F Concept lens mount...
PR_83

[@uncertainrelease]

I used to use a dumb G type adapter (the one with the ring that would allow you to control the aperture on lenses without an aperture ring) from Gobe/Urth, and I can attest of its quality. I replaced it recently with a Fringer NF-FX adapter, and it's been prety great with some lenses. It's definitely a good investment to do if you have heaps of AF-S Nikon glass, however if you use a lof of AF-D lenses, it's maybe better to stay with a dumb adapter that will for sure be cheaper. That allowed me to get into wildlife with my X-H1 using a Sigma 100-400 lens on Nikon mount that I also used on my D700, instead of buying the Fuji 100-400 which is extremely expensive (even the Fuji 70-300 was out of the question). It's very lens dependant, the 100-400 and the 50mm 1.8G are very good on this as far as autofocus goes, but older kit lenses like my 55-200G are not working well at all, so a bit of research is needed, even if the lens appears in fringe's compatibility list. I would avoir any adapter coming from Viltrox. I don't know if they are making an adapter for Nikon on Fuji (I know they are making one for Nikon on Sony, but based on how the Viltrox EF adapter performed against the Fringer EF adapter on Fuji, I would just not even bother with them. Especially if those adapters double as speedboosters) Also, I'm not quite sure the metodology is correct to compare the colors here. Each camera has its own color science based on the processor and sensor, and the differences in Nikon and Fuji are quite big on that regard. In the end, a lens is a piece of glass. Colors should be the same if you use the same exact lens, everything else is a matter of what is the color science of the camera. In the end, the adapter you use is just an empty tube made to compensate for the flange distance, nothing more, there shouldn't be any color shift between using it on its native lens mount or an adapted one, it's not like the adapter had a piece of glass to compensate for a different flange distance like you would see with Nikon to Pentax adapters. Here comparing colors would make more sense. The difference you observe between the X-T30 and the D3400 is due to the fact that those two cameras are not using the same ISO scale standard, and therefore if you match the ISO on both cameras, the "real" ISO will not be the same on both cameras. Fuji uses SOS (Standard Input Sensitivity) while Nikon uses REI (Recommended Exposure Index). In practice, that means that ISO 200 on Fuji is the same as ISO 100 on Nikon when it comes to exposure. So if you matched both cameras at let's say ISO 400, the Nikon would be around astop brighter than the Fuji at that setting. It's also worth nothing that you used JPEG here, and that Nikon is quite notorious to put pretty heavy processing in their JPEGs, generally fixing most of the lens' "defects" like a lack of contrast, chromatic abberations or a color profile on a per-lens basis. So the fact that the Nikon camera looks better than the Fuji using the same Nikon lens doesn't surprise me. A better test would have been to use a vintage Nikon AI-S lens, where neither the Fuji or the Nikon get to apply any lens correction profile, and then compare the results.

[@tom_photo]

Hi Uncertain Release! Thank you for making many valid points. I agree with what you're saying. The purpose of my video was to show what it means to a user in practice when you have a Fuji camera but want to take some photos with a Nikon lens. It is true that the glass is only a glass and there is color science behind what each camera does but different cameras are optimized for different glass. When you use something that the camera is not prepared for it does not know what or how it should fix. It is not that one lens or camera is better; but it is worthwhile to underline that not every lens-camera combination doesn't immediately work equally well. You are right that there are many ways to test these issues and my methods may not be the very best (partially because I don't own all lenses or cameras) but they helped me to make my point. Thanks again for watching and for writing such a thoughtful and interesting response. I enjoyed reading it. Kind regards!

[@paullafleur6112]

Very interesting observations. Have not tried my Nikkor lenses on Fuji yet. Apart from one old 50mm f1.4, I was considering selling them and just going fully for Fuji X-mount lenses. Maybe now I will after all since I don't plan to return to Nikon DSLR

[@tom_photo]

Hi Paul! Thank you for your feedback. I think if you have every situation covered with Fuji X-mount lenses and you don't have Nikon cameras then this could work well. I continue to use my Nikkor lenses with Nikon but at the same time use them for video with Fuji (this is where they shine). Kind regards!

[@wysinawyg]

Using AFS lenses with Fringer Adapter on XH2s and get perfect results. But I prefer the Vivid mode, which reminds me a bit of the Fuji Velvia Film.

[@tom_photo]

Hi Dieter! Thank you for this info. I've also seen that with non-native lenses I tend to like Velvia. For example Helios 44-2 on Fuji seems to work the best with Velvia. Kind regards!

[@bijosn]

this was also an issue with adapting to sony mirrorless, but the general consensus is the new BSI sesnsors have a thinner glass on the sensor and are better suited for adapted lenses So on sonys the BSI was impremented from the 3rd gen onwards and on fuji from the X-Trans CMOS 4 onwards

[@tom_photo]

Hi Bijo! Thank you very much for making these points. Kind regards!

[@bijosn]

@@tom_photo thanks tom_photo, did you notice any difference in the images when adapting on the x-t30 and newer vs the older gen sensors?

[@tom_photo]

@@bijosn Hi Bijo! I have not compared different Fuji cameras to see which one is best with Nikon lenses. I think it's a good idea to try it. Thanks again!

[@shy-guy5544]

Nice video. I have used my old Nikon AI lenses with my Fuji XT3 with the same adapter with very nice results.

[@tom_photo]

Hi! Absolutely, these lenses can work very well. Different lenses can give you different results. For example I like how my Helios lenses work with Fuji. Kind regards!

[@shy-guy5544]

@@tom_photo Thanks for responding.

[@utube321piotr]

I think, the thickness of glass protecting the sensor (it is called filter stack) is different between Nikon and Fuji. Glass filter stack thickness impacts the refractive angle. On top of that the fan angle of image projection of rear most lens is also not the same between Nikon and Fuji. In essence, the cameras are "tuned" with lenses, and when you break to brand bond it results in differences in sharpness you speak about.

[@tom_photo]

Hi utube321piotr! Thank you very much for your valuable feedback. This is, indeed, probably one of the reasons these differences are seen. Kind regards!

[@bijosn]

this was also an issue with adapting to sony mirrorless, but the general consensus is the new BSI sesnsors have a thinner glass on the sensor and are better suited for adapted lenses So on sonys the BSI was impremented from the 3rd gen onwards and on fuji from the X-Trans CMOS 4 onwards

[@JoanArabia]

The lenses are calibrated and designed for each sensor of the brand and many times for a specific model. Even those made for Fujifilm or Nikon from other brands do not have the same performance, which does not mean that it is worse. Sincerely.

[@tom_photo]

Hi Joan! Very true, indeed. Thank you for watching. Kind regards!

[@sclogse1]

Great looking video. I'm assuming you shot standard jpeg and not raw. I don't remember hearing the word raw in this. But I'm getting the drift anyway. yeah, Nikon's like those are not very expensive. But I'd rather see tests done with Nikon and Fuji primes. But that gets expensive...yes the 35mm 1.4 is the sweet spot these days, but I seem to be having fun buying lenses like the Rollei 50mm 1.8, The Tair 11A, The Minolta Celtic 135mm 2.8, (wow) Some fast Pentax 50's, the Konica Hexanon 45mm 1.8, and the amazing and must have Sears Auto 55mm 1.4. That lens has more character than a Sherlock Holmes movie. All these lenses together cost me less than 400. All for Fuji. Are we having fun yet?

[@tom_photo]

Hi! Absolutely, using a 50mm Fuji F/1.2 R would be great for comparison. I don't have it yet but I might get it soon. This is currently on my list of lenses to get. Your list, however, sounds truly amazing. It is a lot of fun to discover the character of these old lenses. Cheers!

[@luisafernandagomezvargas8051]

Hi! I have a FujiFilm XT200 and I would like to know if its possible to adapt to it a Nikon lenses 70-300? Thank you!

[@tom_photo]

Hi Luisa! Thank you for asking. Yes, you can attach this lens to your Fuji. I'm using this adapter to attach Nikon lenses to Fuji camera: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKHWkpWCq61moNk . With this you can use automatic metering and focus peaking but you'd need to focus manually. Kind regards!

[@ebitai46]

📷Great Video👍✨

[@tom_photo]

Hi ebitai46 ! Thank you very much for watching. Kind regards!

[@ideaman1087]

Hello Sir how about attaching Nikkor 200-500 on Fuji XT30II using Fringer adapter?

[@tom_photo]

Hi idea man! Tanks for asking. I do not have first hand experience with Fringer adapters but they should work fine. I've been using K&F Concept adapters: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKHWkpWCq61moNk . Kind regards!

[@ideaman1087]

@@tom_photo how about Autofocus on K&F sir?

[@tom_photo]

@@ideaman1087 Hi! These adapters are "dumb" adapters and do not support auto focus. Kind regards!

[@NCSTalkid]

I plan on doing this. Can manual lens enable manual focus assist?

[@tom_photo]

Hi Sahamkitaoke! Thank you for asking. Yes, I've used manual lenses with focus peaking and and it works very well. Kind regards!

[@marvinlee5926]

Hi there... If i were to use a nikon lens f mount 50mm on a fuji camera with an adapter will the focal length still remain the same? Thanks

[@tom_photo]

Hi Marvin! Thank you for asking. The focal length of the lens doesn't change when you adapt it to a different camera system, but the field of view and how the depth of field appears can be influenced by the sensor size and crop factor of the camera you're using. So if the two cameras you are comparing (Nikon and Fuji) have exactly the same sensor size, everything stays the same. Kind regards!

[@marvinlee5926]

@@tom_photo hi Tom... Thanks for your clarification.. really appreciate that very much...

[@tom_photo]

@@marvinlee5926 Hi Marvin! You are most welcome!

[@seventwarior]

i use 24mm nikkor with fuji xe1, so far so good, if you think nikkor lens not good enough for fuji body, what lenses you recomend i mean cheap solusion, so it means old lens. i apreciated if you want give me your sugestion.

[@tom_photo]

Hello! Thank you for this question. All Nikon lenses I've tested with Fuji work well. There's really nothing wrong with them. If the contrast is not high enough it can be corrected in post processing. So you are fine using your Nikon lenses. However, if you want even better results then native Fuji lenses do even better job. If you are looking for a very affordable solution, I'd recommend Fujinon XC 15-45 mm or XC 16-50 mm lenses. These are wonderful lenses and I've reviewed them on my channel. You may also be interested in the Fuji XC line prime lenses. Kind regards!

[@seventwarior]

@@tom_photo can you recomended prime fuji lens? is 27mm pancace lens its any good?

[@tom_photo]

@@seventwarior Hi! Yes, the 27 mm prime is a very good lens, I highly recommend it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Znmlm6KkZ5aepJo . Kind regards!

[@seventwarior]

@@tom_photo thank you for your help tom, i now considering to buy fujinon 27mm

[@tom_photo]

@@seventwarior Hi! I think this is a good idea. Cheers!

[@EolicoJM]

IMO The images on the Fuji camera, despite having a crop, are prettier

[@tom_photo]

Hi EolicoJM! Thank you very much for your feedback. Kind regards!

[@eskilo9689]

Is using with telephoto lens like a 70-300mm will it be good? and is it easy to use for street photography? Thank you! Thinking of buying one

[@tom_photo]

Hi Eskilo! Thank you for asking. Could you specify what 70-300 mm lens you intend to buy? Their quality can vary quite a lot. The general rule is that the wider the range the of focal length, the lower the quality. Generally the most affordable 70-300 mm lenses are not very fine lenses. I once had such lens and seeing its results made me sad. If you could describe your camera system and what type of photography you are doing, maybe I could help you better. Kind regards!

[@eskilo9689]

I was thinking of getting a tamron 70-300mm nikon or canon lens for my fuji

[@tom_photo]

@@eskilo9689 Hi Eskilo! Even when focal length is given, there are still several options. I'm assuming that you mean the Tamron SP 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di VC USD. This is considered a nice lens for the price. It works very well with Nikon and Canon cameras. How well it works with Fujifilm is unknown as far as I'm aware. I have a feeling that there might be some surprises in terms of aberrations, but I don't know this for a fact. In general, if there is no real need, I'd try to avoid long range zoom lenses. However, I cannot really say that because it might be exactly what you need. Luckily Fujifilm has some amazing zoom lenses. My favourite is the XF 55-200 ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/jau2fGyhmp6ofdk ), and when it comes to very affordable options then the XC 50-230 ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/qaiWoKZ-l95gl80 ). The latter is a very smart buy because of the quality that you will get for a relatively small investment. So my recommendation is to get a dedicated Fuji lens. They are optimized for Fuji cameras and Fuji optics generally beats most others (at least in the more affordable price range). Best of luck to you!

[@eskilo9689]

Is it still a good option though? My problem is the price difference

[@tom_photo]

@@eskilo9689 Hi Eskilo! Overall the lens you are thinking of buying is a good lens and can be recommended. I don't know how it will work with Fuji, though. It is often a good idea to try to avoid zoom lenses with very wide zoom range. The 70-300 is a huge range and that would make me a bit vary. If you could reduce the upper end of the zoom a bit. Maybe go with 80, 130, 200, or maybe avoid zoom altogether, that is often a safer solution. You mentioned you needed the lens for street photography. A lot of street photography is done with 23 mm lens. I like 50 mm for streets, too. Prime lenses will give you much better low light capabilities and better bokeh. If you have a Fuji camera and have a need for a lot of zoom and want a budget lens I still think that the Fuji XC 50-230 will check those boxes. Best of luck!

[@waterfun2610]

IS there any lens mount allow autofocus?

[@tom_photo]

Hi! Thanks for asking. There are some third party adapters available that allow autofocus with Nikon lenses and Fuji cameras. Some examples are Fringer and Viltrox. Kind regards!

[@skipg4660]

i first started using nikkor 35mm f 1.8g on my fujifilm camera.. its good but i havent use it that much anymore.. now im searching for a lens for street shooting..

[@tom_photo]

Hi Skip G! Thank you for your feedback. I find the XF 27 mm perfect for street photography. Have you considered it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Znmlm6KkZ5aepJo . Kind regards!

[@skipg4660]

@@tom_photo i was thinking of getting this.. also the 23mm f.2 i am stillndeciding on what to get between them

[@skipg4660]

@@tom_photo recently i bought the 15-45mm.. its really good too.. but.. its kinda addicting to get lenses 🤣🤣

[@tom_photo]

@@skipg4660 Hi Skip! Absolutely, the 15-45 is a great leans. It's among the first Fuji lenses I'd recommend. It's wonderful for travel photography, too. Cheers!

[@skipg4660]

@@tom_photo cheers!!

[@miscwatch846]

did u consider price factor?

[@tom_photo]

Hi! I didn't consider the price factor when buying the Nikkor lenses because I also have Nikon cameras in addition to Fujis. These Nikkor lenses are superb in front of Nikon cameras. But the price factor is there as you pointed out. The Nikkor counterparts tend to be more affordable than the Fujinon ones. Kind regards!

[@Nyky279]

Not well linked reasons, your tests are not pointing at or from what you say. One of the main reasons to use nikkor (and vintage) lenses on fuji bodies is the fact you yet own those lenses... So, thanks k&f, today you can use them on fuji bodies with optimum results, exspecially for video. Sharpness also is a taste: how sharp and where is sharp; fuji lenses are annoingly tac sharp all over the frame, really low taste for me. Moreover, for me, when i want a flower with optimum sharpness i end using a 105 micro nikkor or a 55 micro...

[@tom_photo]

Hi Mattetifaitutorial! Thank you very much for your valuable feedback. Kind regards!