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Photography Accessories

I Gave the Nikon Zf a Superpower

Chris Gampat
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Last updated on 10/01/2025
11/13/2025
3 Mins read
A Nikon camera with a lens sits on a dark, textured blanket in soft lighting.
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I’ve recently been sitting in my office just holding my Leica M6 with various M-mount lenses while appreciating and enjoying the way that it feels in my hands. And the only full-frame retro camera body that I have is the Nikon Zf. After a conversation with a friend, I convinced myself to buy a Leica M to Nikon Z adapter. At first, I tried manual focus — but it didn’t please me. Then I got the Techart TZM-02. It reminded me of how much I adored the look and output of many of these lenses. And when coupled with the Nikon Zf, it just feels so right.

I collect some unique pieces of Leica M mount glass, and it’s not always the expensive stuff. I own the 7Artisans 50mm f1.1 lens, which I’ve always loved so much. Plus, I own the Funleader Contax hack of their 45mm f2 and the 35mm f2. By all means, I’m using some very unique lenses that aren’t all that expensive. Most importantly, these lenses bring me a lot of joy and have character that isn’t found in many modern lenses. For example, mounting the 50mm f1.1 on my Nikon Zf brought back some of the most beautiful onion bokeh I’ve ever seen.

Nikon Z fc camera with three interchangeable lenses on a wooden table, surrounded by various items.
Techart Leica M to Nikon Z adapter
Top view of a Nikon camera with lens, two additional lenses, and a camera strap on a wooden surface.
Techart Leica M to Nikon Z adapter
A Nikon camera with a vintage lens rests on a dark, quilted fabric in warm lighting.
Techart Leica M to Nikon Z adapter

The Techart adapter is pretty simple to use. You mount it onto your Nikon Z mount camera, attach a Leica M lens, point, autofocus, and shoot. It also supports AF-C mode and scene detection. Though recently I’ve been using and shooting cameras like they were from before 2012. That means that I used AF-S, a single autofocus point, and even turn on the focusing confirmation beep. All of this helps give me a more sensory experience.

With the adapter, there’s a few things to note:

  • Set the focusing of your lens to infinity, then autofocus with it
  • When you change the aperture of the lens, you have to manually input that into the Nikon Zf so that it properly records what aperture you’re shooting at
  • Updating the firmware via their website as of September 2025 isn’t easy for those of us using Macs. Updating can be done via the included dock, which doubles as a lens back cap.
  • This will probably make you want to buy and use more M-mount lenses.

The combination of the older lens design aesthetic, the hardware in my hands, the auditory focusing confirmation beep, and even the sound of the focusing motor of the techart adapter make this really a very enjoyable experience. I think that modern photography lacks sensory appeal and using this adapter with vintage-style glass brings that back in a world where it’s lacking so much.

Overgrown plants cover a fence with No Trespassing and Dont Litter signs in front of a brick wall.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
Rusty metal structure covered in dry, tangled vines, with blurred trees and buildings in the background.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
A snake plant with a tall flower stalk, surrounded by green leaves, in natural light.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
Blue E-CIGARETTES sign above neon SMOKE SHOP and ATM Fee 99¢ signs on a city street storefront.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
Large leafy plant by a sunlit window with dark curtains, in a softly lit room.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
A city sidewalk with cars parked, trees, and buildings lining the street, near an intersection.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
A glass bottle of water on a patterned table with salt, condiments, and kitchen items in the background.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
A vintage camera rests on a cardboard box next to a glass bottle and various small items on a table.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
A white ice vending machine labeled QUEENS ICE stands outside a convenience store.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
Several glass bottles with caps are lined up on a surface, photographed in soft, natural light.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf
A container of wrapped straws sits on a dimly lit wooden table in a cozy, blurred restaurant setting.
7Artisans 50mm f1.1 in Leica M mount shot on the Nikon Zf

Truly, using this adapter has made me think so much about my current lens choices. I own three Nikon Z mount lenses. But all I want to do is keep using the Techart adapter with these Leica M mount lenses. I have sensor protection via the Kolari Vision Clip in sensor protection filter. So that means that I’m not worried about dust getting into the camera and onto the sensor.

Overall, I have to say that I’m really happy with Techart and the fact that they blessed photographers with this product.

adapter autofocus leica m nikon nikon zf TechArt tzm-02
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Chris Gampat is the Editor in Chief, Founder, and Publisher of the Phoblographer. He provides oversight to all of the daily tasks, including editorial, administrative, and advertising work. Chris's editorial work includes not only editing and scheduling articles but also writing them himself. He's the author of various product guides, educational pieces, product reviews, and interviews with photographers. He's fascinated by how photographers create, considering the fact that he's legally blind./ HIGHLIGHTS: Chris used to work in Men's lifestyle and tech. He's a veteran technology writer, editor, and reviewer with more than 15 years experience. He's also a Photographer that has had his share of bylines and viral projects like "Secret Order of the Slice." PAST BYLINES: Gear Patrol, PC Mag, Geek.com, Digital Photo Pro, Resource Magazine, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Finance, IGN, PDN, and others. EXPERIENCE: Chris Gampat began working in tech and art journalism both in 2008. He started at PCMag, Magnum Photos, and Geek.com. He founded the Phoblographer in 2009 after working at places like PDN and Photography Bay. He left his day job as the Social Media Content Developer at B&H Photo in the early 2010s. Since then, he's evolved as a publisher using AI ethically, coming up with ethical ways to bring in affiliate income, and preaching the word of diversity in the photo industry. His background and work has spread to non-profits like American Photographic Arts where he's done work to get photographers various benefits. His skills are in SEO, app development, content planning, ethics management, photography, Wordpress, and other things. EDUCATION: Chris graduated Magna Cum Laude from Adelphi University with a degree in Communications in Journalism in 2009. Since then, he's learned and adapted to various things in the fields of social media, SEO, app development, e-commerce development, HTML, etc. FAVORITE SUBJECT TO PHOTOGRAPH: Chris enjoys creating conceptual work that makes people stare at his photos. But he doesn't get to do much of this because of the high demand of photography content. / BEST PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Don't do it in post-production when you can do it in-camera.
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