Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF Adapter Makes Nikon Much Better

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This article isn’t going to get into the question of why someone owning a Nikon Z camera would want to use a Sony E-mount lens. Nor is it going to discuss which of the two brands has better autofocus modes or lens performance. We know there are photographers out there who would have made the switch from Sony to Nikon Z in the last few years. I personally know one such professional myself. But such a switch often comes at a considerable cost when you factor in the prices of new lenses. Then there’s always the attachment we have to some lenses that have helped us get memorable pictures. The Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF Adapter aims to help you fix the conundrum of not having to sell out all your old Sony lenses when you make the move to Nikon Z mirrorless cameras.

Table of Contents

The Big Picture: Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF Sony E to Nikon Z Adapter Review Conclusions

Close-up of a Nikon Z f camera body with a lens attached, highlighting the lens mount area. — A close up photo of the Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF Adapter

So, what’s the solution if you’ve jumped to Z but can’t bear to ditch your beloved Sony E-mount lenses? Enter the Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF Adapter. This little piece of engineering aims to solve that exact dilemma – letting you keep your trusted Sony optics alive and kicking on your shiny new Nikon Z body. It’s slim, cost-effective, and does the job without you even knowing it was there in the first place (if it came in black instead of silver, you probably wouldn’t even see it mounted on your camera). Is there a market for something like this, you ask? Without a doubt. Moving systems come at the cost of a lot of emotions, self-doubt, and savings. If you can hold on to your precious Sony lenses for longer and retain all the goodness they have, can the Fotodiox Pro Fusion adapter help? Performance-wise, it did a decent enough job, but we did notice a few anomalies during our testing, which you definitely want to consider before clicking that Add To Cart button.

The Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF Sony E to Nikon Z adapter is a fairly good product overall. It retains your Sony lens’s AF capabilities and sharpness. However, it loses two stars for various other issues, which I will describe in detail below.

Pros

A good adapter to have if you own many Sony lenses but want to switch to Nikon
Compatible with various 3rd party Sony E mount lens brands
You can still have autofocus
Lens EXIF data is (almost always) saved to your image files

Cons

Works only on Nikon Z full-frame cameras. Will not mount to the Nikon Z30, Z50, Z50 II, or Zfc as per what the website notes state
Compatibility issues with some 3rd party brands
Was repeatedly very slow to detect a Sony G-master lens during our testing
I feel the Megadap ETZ21 adapter we tested 3 years ago was faster to autofocus

Gear Used

I used the Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF SNE-NKZ-FSN Adapter with the following gear:

Ease of Use and Ergonomics

Close-up of a Nikon camera body with a Sony lens attached using an adapter. — The Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF Sony FE lens to Nikon Z mount Adapter

If this were black in colour instead of silver with orange accents, it would totally blend into any Nikon Z camera you mount it on. This really should have a black version too. I first mounted the Fotodiox adapter to my Zf and then attached the lens to it, all done while the camera was off. Mounting the lens can be confusing if you’re a Nikon user borrowing a friend’s Sony lens, as you’d have to rotate the lens in the opposite direction that you’re accustomed to.

Autofocusing

When using the Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF Adapter, you get the best of both worlds — the sharpness and autofocus speeds of your Sony lenses coupled with Nikon’s various AF scene and subject recognition modes. All 4 lenses we tested were AF lenses, and the autofocus worked as expected on them all.

Lens Test Results

For the most part, the image results I expected from these lenses were on par with using them on a Sony mirrorless camera. What varied greatly in some cases was the experience of using the lenses. You might think that the quirks and anomalies would be restricted to third-party lenses, but sadly, this wasn’t the case. Funnily enough, the EXIF data in all images shows the lens manufacturer as BOR. A quick Google search led me to an adapter on Aliexpress branded as BORYOZA, which looks an awful lot like this Fotodiox one…

Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art Lens

A black mirrorless camera with a large zoom lens, viewed from above, resting on a light tiled surface. — Sigma’s 35mm f1.4 Art series lens for Sony mounted on the Nikon Zf using the Fotodiox adapter

This lens was the first of the four I tested, and surprisingly, I encountered absolutely no issues. AF was quick and snappy, and sharpness was exceptionally good. Spoiler alert—this was the only lens that gave me zero headaches when used with the Fotodiox adapter. No issues whatsoever when testing this lens with the adapter. I kept the lens’s aperture ring to A and made adjustments using my camera’s front dial. EXIF data was saved properly as expected.

A modern shopping mall with people, an escalator, and digital ads in Arabic and English.

View of a modern building’s circular skylight ceiling with part of an exposed elevator structure below.

A small convenience store with snacks, drinks, and colorful items displayed on shelves and in refrigerators.

Two parallel escalators going up in a brightly lit indoor space with yellow walls and glass panels.

Underground parking garage with yellow signs for level B1 and direction arrows on walls and floor.

Silhouette of a child standing indoors by large windows overlooking water and boats on a foggy day.

Geometric glass ceiling with triangular panels and iridescent reflections, with colored panels on the side.

A modern shopping mall interior with escalators, shops, and people walking on both floors.

Large windows overlook a garden with palm trees, seen from inside a building with reflective floors.

Overhead view of a small coffee kiosk in a shopping mall with surrounding seating and customers nearby.

Storefront window displaying three mannequins dressed in summer clothes inside a brightly lit clothing store.

Two mannequins dressed in summer clothes stand in front of a blue, pool-themed store display.

A janitor walks along the upper floor of a brightly lit shopping mall with colorful store displays.

A red double-decker bus ride for children is displayed in a shopping mall corridor.

People stand near a gelato cart outside Eataly, a modern Italian market and restaurant in a shopping mall.

Spacious modern shopping mall with glass ceiling, shops, and greenery in the central atrium.

Curved glass windows reveal a city skyline with tall buildings and a waterfront, viewed from inside a modern mall.

Modern airport terminal with high arched ceilings, shops, and large windows letting in natural light.

Shoppers ride an escalator in a modern mall with stores, cars on display, and digital billboards.

Viltrox 16mm f1.8 Sony mount lens

A close-up of a Nikon Zf camera with a large attached lens, resting on a dark green surface. — The Viltrox 16mm f1.8 Sony mount lens on my Nikon Zf

When we tested this lens on a Sony mirrorless camera, we found the results to be astounding. It took a full five stars in our review. A lot of that performance carried over while using it with the Fotodiox adapter. Focusing was very fast, even when moving from close to infinity.

Sign reading Dubai Festival City Mall - Where Celebration Lives on a building facade. — A 200% zoom shows a clear lack of sharpness

The one image quality problem I faced was when focusing this lens on infinity. Images were clearly soft when using this lens on the Nikon Z with a Fotodiox adapter. It wasn’t even in low light; I was outdoors. I tried multiple aperture settings, but still observed this issue many times. The above image is zoomed in to show the lack of sharpness. See the gallery below for the original shot.

Large, modern shopping mall interior with glass ceiling, shops on two levels, and a blue display in the center.

Spacious, modern shopping mall with glass ceiling, stores, shoppers, and a blue display in the center.

A spacious airport terminal with high arched ceilings and various shops, including EL&N London.

A spacious, modern shopping mall with glass ceilings, multiple stores, and shoppers walking around.

Upward view of an empty escalator in a modern indoor shopping mall with signs on the sides.

Curved glass windows in a modern building with a view of the city skyline through the glass.

Person standing on a boundary between light and dark tiles, with only their legs and shoes visible.

Outdoor sports court with orange scaffolding, greenery, and a sign reading Court 1 at Dubai Festival City Mall.

Modern shopping mall with large glass entrance, curved roof, and surrounding shops under a clear blue sky.

Empty urban plaza at sunrise with modern glass buildings and a few plants along the walkway.

Red metal garden trellis with green plants on a rooftop, city skyscrapers visible in the background.

Two people exit the main entrance of Dubai Festival City Mall, with restaurant signs visible on both sides.

A city waterfront at sunset with modern buildings and boats on the water.

Sony 24-70mm f2.8 G Master lens

Close-up of a Nikon Z5 camera with a large zoom lens attached, resting on a dark surface. — The Sony 24-70 f2.8 G Master I lens mounted to my Zf via the Fotodiox adapter

You would think that an adapter built for Sony mount lenses would give the best performance on a native Sony lens, but this wasn’t the case during my tests. It’s not that the results weren’t acceptable when everything went right; in fact, the pictures that turned out from this lens via the adapter were technically great. But there seemed to be one big flaw. To get the adapter to recognize the lens each time took on average 10 to 15 seconds. This wasn’t just when the camera was turned on. Even when the camera would move into standby/idle mode and I would half-press the shutter to wake it, the screen would be black or very dark, and the aperture would show no value. It was very frustrating to use this lens in this manner, and it meant I could not rely on it to be able to quickly take a photograph from an off or standby mode.

Close-up of a person holding a camera, with the camera lens facing directly toward the viewer.

Nine Ferrero Rocher chocolates wrapped in gold foil arranged in a plastic tray on a wooden surface.

Night view of a modern residential street with parked cars and illuminated apartment buildings.

Close-up of white tote bags with dark blue handles, featuring the text SINCE 1978 printed in blue.

Store window display with two faceless mannequins and a large white horse statue wearing a green scarf.

A person holds a beige, waffle-knit KIABI shirt with buttons and an OEKO-TEX tag on a black hanger.

A hexagonal wall sconce with a metal grid glows warmly against a textured wall and a partial sign.

Three grilled kebabs on a plate with roasted vegetables, sauce, and herbs, garnished with chopped parsley.

Three grilled kebab skewers on a plate with vegetables, sauce, and sprinkled herbs.

Napkin holder with a sign saying No outside food or drinks allowed on a restaurant table.

A bottle of Arwa water with a green cap on a brown surface and a blurred background.

A McDonalds sign in Arabic with hanging bulbs and small potted plants underneath.

Three modern SUVs displayed at a showroom in a shopping mall with people interacting nearby.

Crispy fried chicken tenders and golden French fries in a paper tray.

Modern shopping mall with arched glass ceiling, stores, indoor seating, and large windows showing an outside view.

Zeiss Batis 85mm f1.8 Sony FE mount lens

A Nikon Z camera with a Zeiss lens attached, resting on a dark green surface. — The Zeiss Batis 85mm f1.8 mounted to my Zf via the Fotodiox adapter

Quite possibly one of the best 85mm lenses I have used so far. This lens would have been amazing to shoot with on the Zf with the Fotodiox adapter, but there was one major flaw – it would detect the lens as an APS-C crop type and not a full-frame one. As a result, the images had a 1.5x crop applied to them and were only about 10 megapixels in resolution. So the 85mm was effectively a 127mm. I reported the matter to Fotodiox and followed up multiple times, but they got back to me to say that it was still under investigation. Images were sharp and autofocus speeds were fast as expected, but the loss of resolution on this otherwise stunning piece of glass is a real drawback. I didn’t shoot much with this lens as a result. EXIF data of the image does get saved to the file, including the aperture value, but the lens details strangely show up as Lens Model: 0.0 mm f/0.5 and Lens Model: 0 mm f/–

A man with a beard and short hair wearing a red plaid shirt stands in front of a beige curtain.

LEGO Speed Champions box and white Linups box on a dark shelf, with flowers and books in the background.

A brown textured briefcase with blue and white folders sticking out, resting on a gray surface.

Conclusions

A Nikon Zf mirrorless camera body without a lens, placed on a green surface. — The Fotodiox Pro Fusion Smart AF Sony FE lens to Nikon Z mount Adapter could do better

I did hope the issue with the Zeiss lens could have been resolved, despite the many months having passed since I reported it, but alas, it wasn’t. I hoped the Sony 24-70 f2.8 blackout issue would have fixed itself with a camera restart, but this wasn’t the case. And try as I may, the Viltrox infinity focus softness still prevailed. If I were to compare this with the Megadap ETZ21 adapter, I would choose the latter any day. Even if the adapter was scarily tight at times when I was removing it from the camera, it still gave me excellent sharpness and autofocus. Those tests were done on a Nikon Z6; the Nikon Zf trumps that model in many departments, one of them being autofocus accuracy and speed.

I have no doubts in saying that the Megadap ETZ21 adapter would do a far better job than this Fotodiox on the Nikon Zf. I wish I could have done a comparison test, but we had to return the Megadep after our review back in 2022. At the time of writing this review, they’re both the same price, so it’s easy to pick one now. Hopefully, Fotodiox can fix the issues I observed in a future firmware upgrade