Use Nikon lenses directly on EX3 body. Other lenses to come.

Reviews

nikon-to-ex3I need to make a correction to my initial blog. Steve Shovlar has indeed brought out the Adaptimax but the product was actually invented by a guy called Mike Tapa. Mike contacted me back in May last year asking if I could put him touch with Sony to get the lens specs of the EX3 to make a Nikon mount. I completely forgot all about it until today when he contacted me. He spent a long time researching and  developing this product and release it in September for a not cheap £300+

Mike’s business is this business, he make lens mounts and all sorts of other things, basically it is his business. His website is here

So it was Mike who came up with the first EX3 mount for Nikon lenses…A week or so so ago, he dropped the price in half to £135+VAT.

Now there is a reason we have 35mm adaptors, putting a Nikon lens onto an EX3 body will not give you 35mm DOF, what it will do it magnify your image by 5.4 times. The reason being is the image projected by lens is way bigger than the half inch sensor of the EX3, so it basically just records a small middle portion. Hence the image is magnified. This is very useful  for wildlife or anything where you 14x standard lens just can’t do it for you. You really get a superb sharp long lens shot by sticking on say the 80-200mm f2.8 zoom that I own. 

 

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Now I haven’t actually had a chance to try it out yet on my EX3 as I have been so busy this weekend testing out the Panasonic HPX 301e. But this is a quality product. You will also get shallower DOF if shot wide open by it’s long lens nature. The Nikon lens I mentioned, the 80 to 200mm on a 35mm adaptor is of course 200mm at the long end, using no DOF adaptor and the adaptor then you suddenly have 1080mm lens at f2.8! Nuts!

So there are two people selling identical products, MTF and  Steve’s website.

MTF have adaptors for Canon lenses too an also make adaptors for 1/3″ bayonet cameras with a 7x  magnification factor.

I will be using it myself next weekend hopefully and will post my results!

I apologise for not giving credit to Mike for making the huge effort in inventing this thing. Steve has taken the mount and introduced competition which is not a bad thing…

Have a look at Steve’s video for a good explanation….

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10 comments

  1. Well I already have mine on order! I too own that same 80 to 200mm and I’m excited about the possibilities. It’s such a great way to make use of my many Nikon lens… getting some extremely long shots will be fun (while saving up to buy a Letus). The Adaptimax looks very cool in red! I can’t wait for mine to arrive to the states.

  2. My Adaptimax arrived this morning, and I have to say I am extremely impressed with it. It is red in color, very well engineered and looks extremely “pro”.
    Lenses fit very snuggly. A bargain in my opinion. Well done to the guy that made this and I hope you sell a load. I would never have purchased the other adaptor. Charging what they did reeks of profiteering and the fact that they have halved the prices at the first sign of competition speaks volumes.

  4. Hi,
    I have EX3 and Mike’s adaptor, playing with my 70-300.
    I also have 24,50 and 85. I noticed A LOT of flare, and a lack of sharpness (compared to the stock lens).
    Maybe 24×36 lenses find they limit with this density of pixels.
    I can understand the difference of sharpness, but I can’t figure the flare. (by flare, I m talking about the middle to bright part of the image.

    Did you notice these issues ?

  7. I have three Nikon lenses, 50mm f1.4, 85mm f1.4 and a 80-200mm zoom – if I mount them (using a standard adapter) to a Lumix GH1, will they just magnify the image in the same way as you describe a Nikon lens being mounted straight to an EX3 and not giving 35mm DoF?

    If this is so, can a Letus be worked to fit on a GH1?

    1. yes they will double the focal length. Now, put a Letus on GH1? I guess it is technically possible but it would make no sense. If you want 35mm DOF in that form factor buy the 5d…keep the Letus for video cameras.

      1. Let’s see what Nikon brings out in the next few months – a D750 with the autofocusing and manual control of a GH1 would be brilliant!

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