Nikon Z8 3.0 vs Zf: Make or Break Manual Focus?
The Zf’s manual focus assist tools have come to the Z8, but to get the most out of these first party features you need third party accessories.
I use 3 different manual lens setups:
Dummy adapters
Chipped adapters, or
Native Z-mount Voigtlanders
While the latest Z8 firmware improved TWO of these setups, it broke the workflow for one.
In this fragile ecosystem every firmware’s a gamble and on the old Zf firmware every setup still works - for now.
Today I’ll test the Zf’s latest update - will manual focus break?
Other than the lenses on loan from Mainline Photo, Thypoch, and TTArtisan, I paid for every product used to write this article. If you’d like to support my work please consider purchasing gear through my affiliate links.
MF chipped adapter for Zf and Z8 3.0 (normal or Pro): https://geni.us/WFg8Yvz
Affordable (and best) dummy adapter: https://geni.us/P3fu
Thypoch 75mm f1.4: https://geni.us/bUOsC
Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 Z: https://geni.us/SGwDVUF
TTArtisan 75mm f1.5: https://geni.us/UHTE9k
The most expensive chipped adapters are sadly the ones that have stopped working on Z8 3.0.
It’s up to the third party manufacturers to fix it for the time being.
What’s not broken on the Z8 are manual lenses with:
Dummy Adapters
Like the TTArtisan 75mm f1.5. Their version of the legendary Biotar, deliberately soft through the frame, a flat low contrast look - it’s not meant to compete with modern optics. It handles CA OK, flares like crazy, but the tradeoff is the swirliest, bubbliest, vintage bokeh you’ve ever seen. It’s on an M42 to Z mount adapter, there’s no electronic contacts, and if your manual lens is in this category the experience is much improved on the Z8.
Previously there was focus peaking and zoom magnify to the position of your focus point up to 200%, now there’s manual focus subject detection and zoom magnify up to 400%. Boxes appear around the detected subject no matter where they are in frame, and when you punch in it automatically zooms to the eye. You do need to punch in to confirm focus with this setup, none of these boxes turn green when you nail focus. That only works on CPU lenses or chipped adapters.
Even if those green boxes for focus confirmation were available (they’re not on this dummy adapter), the lack of contrast can confuse the focus indicators, so I always zoom in - now up to 400% - to nail critical focus.
75mm is a strangely comfortable focal length - I noticed it when I kept cropping into my 50 mm images.
Maybe I’m just used to the 77mm equivalent 3x telephoto on my iPhone, but there’s more breathing room than you’d think.
Still enough space to include environmental context, leading lines, but narrow enough to focus on geometry, abstraction, and do a Saul Leiter impression.
TTArtisan 75mm f1.5 is the most affordable 75 on the list today, its character so retro it’s timeless.
There is a way to get green boxes for this lens on the Z8, but it uses….
2. Chipped Adapters
What this firmware update messed with most.
My autofocus Sirui and Viltrox lenses still work fine on this version of the Z8, I made sure to have a first party Z lens attached during the firmware update.
What’s not so lucky is my go-to TTArtisan M to Z 6 bit adapter - which has saved me a lot of money over the years. Instead of rebuying all my Voigtlander lenses in Z-mount to access the green focus boxes, IBIS, and metering (like you get with the Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 Z), I just adapted M-mount glass I already own.
This TTArtisan adapter is so thin, the focal length selector handy to have, and it fools the camera into thinking it’s an autofocus lens to turn on green boxes for focus confirmation. You have to press this button on the side for the camera to correctly meter, the in-camera aperture setting doesn’t go past f5.6, and EXIF data is hit or miss.
But it was the best chipped M-mount adapter available for the price, and it’s how it’s how I shot with the Thypoch 75mm f1.4 Simera on the Zf.
Even though Thypoch isn’t as vintage as the TTArtisan, the rendering isn’t clinical. At f1.4 it’s the fastest 75 out of the three I’m testing, and there’s a bit of that Leica glow. It comes much closer to a modern look than the swirly TTArtisan. I do like the smaller form factor of the Thypoch at ~370 grams compared to the 560 grams of TTArtisan, and its M adapter is much smaller than a M42 adapter.
Both lens barrels extend as you focus, Thypoch has a shorter focus throw than TTArtisan but both are quite long, because that’s what you need to nail manual focus at this focal length.
What helps even more are those green boxes you get with the M to Z 6 bit adapter, but on Z8 3.0 it’s now just a dummy metal ring.
3. The Fix?
The most popular Z-mount chipped adapter - Megadap - has issued a firmware update, but it’s designed for autofocus, none of the manual focus tools work.
TTArtisan could release a firmware update (not yet, maybe never?), but even if they did, it’s only doable on a PC, not Mac.
Techart’s TZM-02 is designed to bring autofocus to M lenses on Z cameras, but those green boxes also appear in manual focus mode BUT no new adapter firmware yet as of the time of publication.
None of these adapters are cheap, this is a mess - but it’s not ALL Nikon’s fault. These third party adapters are underground workarounds, so Nikon is within their rights to close off these loopholes (can’t say the same about Tamron Z lenses though…)
But these accessories are helping to sell their cameras, I don’t know why FTZiii still isn’t out, OR why green boxes aren’t enabled for every manual lens.
I did figure out how to get those green boxes back on the Z8, but will the new firmware for the Zf break manual focus too?
Manual lenses are delicate, reverse-engineered adapters fragile, but unintentional discovery is appealing.
Saul Leiter’s early color was hidden away for decades.
His telephoto look?
Beautiful, often shot at 150mm, but a shorter telephotos more versatile for me:
Thypoch 75mm f1.4 Simera @ f1.4
Thypoch 75mm f1.4 Simera @ f1.4
Thypoch 75mm f1.4 Simera @ f1.4
Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 @ f1.5
Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 @ f1.5
Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 @ f1.5
4. Which 75mm?
My 75mm of choice used to be the M-mount version of the Voigtlander 75mm f1.5, but I couldn’t nail focus consistently using the Leica M rangefinder.
The M-mount version is actually a bit lighter than the Thypoch, but the Z-mount version has bulked up to 530 grams. What did they add?
The minimum focus distance was 0.7 metres, now it’s 0.5 metres. Thypoch is already impressive at 0.6 metres, and if I focus both lenses to this distance? Thypoch is sharper at f1.4 than Voigtlander is at f1.5. When the Voigtlander goes to 0.5 metres it gets even softer. Both lenses sharpen up at f2, pretty negligible difference from that point on, and at mid distances to infinity I couldn’t tell a difference.
Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 @ f1.5, focused to 0.6 metres
Thypoch 75mm f1.4 @ f1.4, focused to 0.6 metres (its MFD)
Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 @ f1.5, focused to 0.5 mètres (its MFD)
Same goes for aberrations - both have fringing and CA - both are better controlled by f2, and flaring - Thypoch has a more gentle flare, but less contrast, Voigtlander has some color cast but more contrast.
Voigtlander 75mm f1.5 @ f1.5
Thypoch 75mm f1.4, @ f1.4
Where I do see a difference is bokeh (more on that in a second), and of course the focus assist tools:
5. The Voigtlander Z Advantage?
Voigtlander paid the Z-mount licensing fee, they are a first party manual lens, and the performance is improved on Z8 3.0.
There’s now subject detection, 400% zoom, and of course green boxes, accurate metering, EXIF data and IBIS. It might be time to go all in on Voigtlander Z, but then I lose out on M-mount lenses like this Thypoch 75mm Simera. Beautifully smooth bokeh wide open, no onion rings or hard edges, slightly catseye towards the corners at f1.4. But stopped down to f2 with its 16 aperture blades the bokeh gets even rounder - no hint of jagged edges.
Thypoch 75mm f1.4, @ f1.4
Thypoch 75mm f1.4, @ f2
Voigtlander is no slouch with 12 aperture blades but its bokeh is a little less smooth and even stopped down to f2 you see jagged edges.
Voigtlander 75mm f1.5, @ f1.5
Voigtlander 75mm f1.5, @ f2
But what makes the biggest difference is the peace of mind.
With first party Voigtlander Z lenses. I’m not at the mercy of third party firmware updates on the Z8, but after testing thankfully the Zf’s 2.02 firmware update didn’t mess with any chipped adapters.
The TTArtisan M to Z 6 bit adapter still works on the Zf, just not on the Z8, but I managed to fix:
6. The MF Adapter that still works…
Neewer E to Z pro - which should work with all my vintage lenses - has a new firmware update.
Their ETZ adapter (non-pro) does not appear to have a firmware update for the Z8 however.
Neewer released it in early July 2025, with very vague instructions. I attached the adapter via the included magnetic cable to four pins:
It’s very loose so don’t touch it during the update. It’s firmware 2.9.5 - there’s a bin file - but don’t bother downloading Neewer’s firmware update app. Just drag the firmware file to the ETZ drive that appears in finder or explorer, wait a couple of minutes, then eject the adapter. When it remounts it should display “2.9.5”, and just like that it works again on the Z8.
This adapter has been sold out for a little while now, hopefully it comes back in stock and/or Neewer releases an updated version? It’s transformed how I shoot with manual glass on the Zf and now Z8.
To my knowledge this is the only smart adapter that enables manual focus green boxes on the Z8 3.0 firmware. It is E to Z, but by stacking these K&F concept M to E and M42 to E or F to E dummy adapters I get all my focus assist tools back for the TTArtisan, Thypoch, as well as all my F-mount lenses.
But this whole process would be unnecessary if Nikon enabled focus box confirmation without needing a chipped adapter - that would make the next firmware upgrade much less harrowing. For now I need to seriously consider investing in Voigtlander Z lenses, thanks again to Scott from Mainline Photo, Thypoch, and TTArtisan for lending me these 75mm lenses.
Happy shooting everyone, talk soon.
Jack.
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