Techart Pro recently unveiled an adapter, the TZE-01, that fits Sony E-Mount lenses onto the new Nikon Z6 and Z7 cameras.
It offers support for AF-S, AF-C & MF modes for both still and video shooting, as well as Face & Eye Detection of Z-mount cameras, lens vibration reduction, and timelapse.
It's still in the prototyping stage and, as such, is not expected to be a perfect performer.
That being said, the demonstration video from Techart Pro themselves shows testing with a plethora of G and G-Master lenses ranging from long telephoto zoom lenses to wide prime lenses and it seemed to hold up well. Obviously, it's not as good as native glass, but not even lens adapter juggernaut Metabones can match AF speed from first party lenses.
Credit: Techart Pro
Credit: Techart Pro
Credit: Techart Pro
How does this work, exactly?
Information is sparse on how exactly Techart Pro managed the mechanics of this device, but considering that the difference in flange distance between Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras and Nikon full-frame mirrorless cameras is around two millimeters, Techart Pro seems to have packed all of the necessary computing power and hardware into that tiny little space, which includes a CPU that translates the lens protocol from Sony to Nikon so the Nikon Z camera bodies can fully operate under seemingly native conditions. Techart Pro states on their website that, "autofocus, auto-aperture, and lens stabilization functions can all be retained."
What's the point?
This is especially exciting for current Sony a7R III owners experiencing a lack of flexibility in their post-production workflows due to chroma subsampling and bit rate. While you can up your subsampling quality from 4:2:0 to 4:2:2 with something like an Atomos Ninja V, you're still stuck in 8-bit world. Given that Nikon's Z cameras are going to be the first mirrorless SLRs to offer ProRes RAW via HDMI, this can be a huge opportunity for Sony shooters to up their color game without having to go through a massive hassle of buying an entirely new set of lenses. The Nikon Z-series cameras already offer 10-bit 4:2:2 via HDMI, so even without the ProRes RAW update, Nikon is streets ahead of Sony in the color game.
The Techart Pro TZE-01 Smart Adapter is now available (as of today) for $249.
What do you think of this new E-mount adapter? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
