[mee]

That looks really nice. Makes me want a Z yet even more.

[bobbotron]

Yes please. Keep the topic on topic and not on instigators that dredge up drama topics in order to derail the convo and continually can't behave. This is just a friendly discussion about the Z series and specifically with manual focus lenses.

That said, back on topic. I still have a pair of M series Pentax primes and a 105mm macro that I kept just in case of such an occasion. Does anyone have any recommendations of a Z body to K lens adapter? I would like something fairly solid and not plasticky.

It looks like most of the M42 adapters are aluminum. Makes sense, you need metal threads to screw into to. As long as the machining is ok, it's possibly the simplest adapter to make!

[mee]

It looks like most of the M42 adapters are aluminum. Makes sense, you need metal threads to screw into to. As long as the machining is ok, it's possibly the simplest adapter to make!

I will be looking for a proper K adapter, but yes it does seem like there are a lot of options available.

[luftfluss]

Recently I've been shooting my Tamron Adaptall 400/4 + Pentax A 2x-L, so that's 800mm but f/8 thru the OVF... so dim and grainy for moving wildlife, even in bright light. A good-quality EVF would be great in this scenario.

[mee]

For sure. I really like your processing too. Not oversharpened and artificial looking like some of the other wildlife shots in here.

[mee]

Ok new sales initiative starting today in the USA. The Z5 is now currently ~$997 dollars. Under a grand for a modern full frame mirrorless with IBIS, dual SD slots, and the same AF and EVF as the Z6. My order is now placed.

Cheap way to dip into the Z system I think. Next I need to pickup a K adapter to use my old M series Pentax primes for fun. weeee

[bobbotron]

Ok new sales initiative starting today in the USA. The Z5 is now currently ~$997 dollars. Under a grand for a modern full frame mirrorless with IBIS, dual SD slots, and the same AF and EVF as the Z6. My order is now placed.

Cheap way to dip into the Z system I think. Next I need to pickup a K adapter to use my old M series Pentax primes for fun. weeee

Wow! That is great. I don't think I can afford it any more, some reno bills are coming fast and furious. I bought a used Sigma DP2 recently, while a totally different ball of fun, it's scratching the mirrorless itch pretty well.

[mee]

Wow! That is great. I don't think I can afford it any more, some reno bills are coming fast and furious. I bought a used Sigma DP2 recently, while a totally different ball of fun, it's scratching the mirrorless itch pretty well.

I suspect this same offer will come around again at the end of the year. Plus used examples have gone down as well (800 or so). So no hurry.


I was waiting on a Z6II and lost out on ordering used examples (put it in the cart, checkout, its sold before I can complete the order). And there is currently a 1-2 week wait for new copies as they are in such high demand.


But this Z5 should do it for now.


What are your thoughts on the Foveon sensor in your DP2? It looks interesting.

[bobbotron]

I suspect this same offer will come around again at the end of the year. Plus used examples have gone down as well (800 or so). So no hurry.


I was waiting on a Z6II and lost out on ordering used examples (put it in the cart, checkout, its sold before I can complete the order). And there is currently a 1-2 week wait for new copies as they are in such high demand.


But this Z5 should do it for now.


What are your thoughts on the Foveon sensor in your DP2? It looks interesting.

That's exciting, interested to hear what you think of the Z5 after you've shot with it for a bit!

I'm really happy I bought the DP2. It's truly a odd duck, and not a general purpose sensor. When the conditions are right, it has wonderful IQ. Not as much range and I keep it at ISO 100, but man lovely colours when it all works out. We're going into a big covid lockdown here, having such a novel camera to keep me busy has been fun. It has a ton of cons and is slow to work with, but I've been enjoying it.

[bobbotron]

Still learning how to get a good handle on the camera, and it's been harsh light or solid rain here, but I'm happy with this shot.

[mee]

Still learning how to get a good handle on the camera, and it's been harsh light or solid rain here, but I'm happy with this shot.

Looking good! Handsome dog too.


Today is gorgeous out but rain tonight then cold and into a rain pattern for the rest of the week. So I'll apparently have time to get acquainted with the camera indoors for some days.

[mee]

Z5 and adapter came today.

Initial Honeymoon Phase thoughts:


Size and Handling

This thing is small. It is the same size in terms of height and width as my K-5 II yet this is full frame. It's so small I'm glad I bought the Meike bracket as it gives a place for my pinky to rest. Now it's a comfortable size for me. And my tripod quick-release plate screwed into the bottom of the bracket so my camera doesn't tilt when sitting on a flat surface.

The camera feels really nice. It reminds me of the K-5 II in that regard as well. It is solid and yet not heavy at all. I like it more in this department than my D750.


Viewfinder Experience

I was interested in the viewfinder since I only had so-so experiences with EVFs in the past. Mostly a generation older bodies (A7II and older OMD) that were passable but not pleasant. This is obviously a generation better. It's still obvious it's an EVF and not an OVF but it doesn't feel like you have a tiny TV screen next to your eye at least. So better there than previous gen EVFs.

One super feature is the zoom mode. You get the ability to multi times zoom into your focus point through the viewfinder! It makes just about any lens a digital spotting scope. But more so useful for dialing in focus with manual focus lenses. No more guessing you just know immediately.

Nikon mentioned early on that they tried to make the EVF as natural as possible but didn't spend a lot of resources on refresh rate. I'd say that's accurate. I have sensitive eyes to refresh (since I stare at screens for most of the day), and I only notice it when moving the camera back and forth rapidly. That does cause a fair bit of blur through the viewfinder. I read the 2nd gen Z's improved upon this though. And of course the upcoming Z9 will surely improve upon it even more soon. So it isn't just a permanent mark on them.

And, actually, in my type of AF-S single point focus shooting with portraits and such it shouldn't be a problem at all.

One caveat -- I noticed a bit of obvious chop in the refresh in my really dimly lit room with the manual focus lens briefly. It wasn't all the time just a couple seconds and no more. Not sure why or what it was but it is worth noting. Also the EVF attempts to keep everything visible even in a room with no lighting. So the IQ through the EVF goes to pot then. I suspect I can disable it from trying to amplify the signal and just behave more like a DSLR, but I haven't specifically dug into the settings for that.


Autofocus System


Which brings me to the autofocus system. It's fun having wall to wall and top to bottom AF points and a joystick. No focus and recompose anymore.

I haven't spent any time whatsoever yet on the AF-C as the sun went down before this and it was a cool day out anyways. Plenty of time to test that out later.

I will say the AF is excellent in locking focus on the single point in my tests today. And in doing so has seemingly made all my lenses seem sharper as they are all essentially maximally 'micro adjusted' now. My Tamron 70-210 f/4 is mondo sharp and it seems the camera allows the lens to use it's own stabilization which is neat. Can use either in body or in lens.

This is also a bit of a negative in that this camera has now shown to me which lenses are really sharp and which are only okay sharp haha. So I see some exchanging of lenses in my future. At least one or two.


Other thoughts and Manual Focus lens test

Hmmm. Other thoughts -- I did have to spent quite a bit of time in setting up the camera to be as DSLR-ish as possible. Most in setting up the EVF and some of the quick menus I was used to. White balance and Color profiles matter too as they are replicated through the viewfinder. I was able to setup a custom WB and color prof that made the EVF match more closely to what I see with my eyes. Out of the box the colors were a bit too vivid and yellowish. After configuring it looks great.

Finally I tested manual focus lenses. Or, in this case lens (singular) -- a Nikon 35mm f/2.5 Series E lens. Used to belong to my dad when he shot with a Nikon film setup, now passed down to me.


I noticed that IBIS was disabled and greyed out in the menu. Quickly I realized it never asked me for lens info so that had to be why. Sure enough I had to go into the settings and give it a focal length and maximum aperture. After that I could hear the IBIS kick in and off we go. It is quite pleasant to shoot manual with the EVF. Much more so than with OVFs in my experiences. Between Focus Peaking in the viewfinder and the zoom multipliers, it is incredibly easy to get focus anywhere you want and without any guess work.


I'm now looking forward to getting a nice K adapter to use my M primes on it. Even with an adapter, these smaller MF primes make for a nice tidy kit! Definitely not winning the sharpness tests but I find it a pleasure endeavor. To get away from all the fighting and angst in the world.

Now I kind of want to take tomorrow off of work and just walk around with the new Z haha.


One other thing -- responsiveness. This camera is not sluggish to menu choices or even turning on and off like the K-1 I owned did (I think it was under powered CPU wise). The Z5 seems more like my D750 or K-5 II in that regard (peppy). There is a very brief delay in turning on but from on to holding by ones eye its ready to go. And menu diving is really quick. It just feels alive in that regard.

I'll probably give longer term impressions (after the honeymoon is over, if it ends) at a later date if anyone is interested. Personally, I'd pick this over a Z6 gen 1 if you were just after adapting manual focuses lenses on a mirrorless full frame body. The advantages to the Z6 gen 1 were in the improved low light autofocusing (a stop better) and also in improved movie mode support as well as burst rate (Z5 peters out at 4.5 fps [Same as K-1] but has a bigger buffer -- on UHS-II cards you can shoot up to 30s before it slows down). Z5 has dual SD slots, Z6 gen 1 has a single XQD/CFast type B slot. so keep that in mind.

Addendum:


The Z5 doesn't support 3rd party batteries. I had read this before, but just tested to confirm. The OEM battery from my D750 works in the Z5. Of course the Z5's own battery works with it, but a 3rd party Watson does not. I actually get an error screen saying I need to use a battery 'designated for use' with the camera (meaning OEM$batteries). So something to keep in mind.

Also, the shutter is gorgeous. Or, rather, the lack of shutter noise. It is just a faint 'click' and nothing like the CLA-CLUNK on DSLRs. And that is with mechanical shutter enabled. In silent mode (Electronic shutter) there is no sound at all. Super handy for settings where noise must be kept at a minimum!

I actually had audible gasps when I shot a wedding with the K-1 once after the shutter went off. Not going to happen here or on any mirrorless. FYI.

[luftfluss]

Thanks for posting your initial impressions! Very interesting read for me.

[mee]

Thanks for posting your initial impressions! Very interesting read for me.

Oh my pleasure. I am still enjoying this little camera. It's such a joy to use and I'm finding new things still.


I did put in an order for a dirt cheap K adapter that should arrive tomorrow. I have the M 28mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.7 that have been neglected for quite some time that will love the attention. Having IBIS again is a treasure for these little gems.


I also sprung for a knock off battery grip for my heavier lenses (newer telephotos).


With the smaller manual focus primes though it doesn't seem to need that and balances well with the little meike adapter I have on it currently. It's nice to have a modular system, with respect to size and weight, like this. I can go small and light or big and heavier depending on the application.

Other thoughts -- I was able to sync an old Android phone to the Z5 via the SnapBridge software and successfully geotag some images. Seems easy enough and the results are accurate to around 25ft. I did notice the remote side of the software would disconnect as soon as I tried to take a photo remotely. So not all functional at the moment, but I was only interested in it for geotagging anyways. Just an FYI.


I also made use of the Focus stacking feature which is useful for macro work. I tried it on a little toy car and the results were very pleasing. It doesn't merge the images into one, but takes all of them based on your foreground position, incrementing the focus very slightly towards infinity with each shot. Then I loaded them into Affinity Photo and it churned until it spat out an image. I can see myself using that a lot more.

Just trying out things I can do mostly in doors since the weather has been cool and wet here. Tomorrow should be a fair weather day though.

[mee]

K adapter arrived today. Cost less than 20 USD. Seems to work fine thus far.


An image of my declicked M 50mm f/1.7 mounted on the Z5 and a cropped shot from it of a curl bar for an example of the detail in the center at f/1.7

Going to be fun!