Goodbye Nikon F-mount, well almost…
Nikon Nikkor Z lens Collection
After spending around two years testing the Nikon Z6 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (MILC) due to weight lifting issues after a serious medical episode I have finally decided that I am ready to fully embrace the mirrorless era in photography and switch to Nikon’s native Z-mount line up.
Until this point I was invested in Nikon’s DSLR and F-mount system, having a wide range of lenses including the AFS 14-24mm f/2.8 G, AFS 24-70mm f/2.8 G, AFS 70-200mm f/2.8 G VR, AFS 300mm f/4 D, AFS 300mm f/2.8 VRII and a Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 Sport OS DG HSM.
While these lenses could be used perfectly well on the Z6 camera using FTZ adapter I found that the adapter pushed the lens away from the camera body and, coupled with the light weight of the camera body itself, this made the combination very front heavy and it became tiring to hold the camera for any length of time. This experience made me consider fully switching over to the mirrorless system and swapping my current F-mount lenses for their Z-mount counterparts.
In most cases the corresponding native Z mount lenses have been reviewed as being sharper, smaller and lighter than their equivalent F-mount lenses. The only issue is the prices are significantly higher than their F-mount counterparts.
So, once the decision was made, it was a case of trying to offset some of the costs by trading in my F-mount lenses and DSLRs. A trip to the internet showed MPB and WEX Photo Video offered the best trade in prices for the equipment. Obtaining a quote was easy, just fill in a form selecting the equipment from a drop down list, indicating the condition of the equipment and details of any accessories included, such as lens caps, batteries, straps, original boxes, etc. and filling in a few details. Within seconds a preliminary quote was shown on the screen and an email confirmation received.
There were a number of items included on the form that couldn’t be quoted for using the instant quote option, but a revised quotation was emailed by a member of the WEX part exchange team within an hour. Payment could be selected as cash or as WEX credit (which could be applied to future orders or as refunds against any orders placed within the past 30 days). The quotations are valid for 14 days but are subject to inspection of the equipment to confirm the declared condition.
So, quotation accepted, it was a matter of packing up the cameras and lenses and waiting for Parcel Force to collect the items (all arranged by WEX). The parcels were delivered to WEX and an email arrived 3 days later to confirm the condition of the equipment and the final quotation. Everything seemed to be fine so, quotation accepted, it was time to start shopping…
What about “well almost”?
I kept the AF-S 300 f/2.8 ED IF VRII lens as this is one of the best Nikon lenses ever made. Even though the lens is heavy at nearly 3kg it works extremely well with the Z6 camera and provides images that are even sharper than I achieved using my previous DSLR cameras, possibly due to the on-sensor focussing being more precise than the DSLR Phase Detect system. The lens works well with each of the three current F-mount teleconverters. Its weight does mean that I need to use a tripod or monopod to handle the lens for any length of time.
I also held on to the AF-S 105 f/2.8 VR Macro lens as I have been taking a lot of macro shots in the garden during the various pandemic lockdowns. The new Z-mount version of this lens is even better by all reviews I have seen so far, however there does not appear to be any stock of this lens in the UK and it is unlikely to appear before 2022. This will be a second trade in once stock levels are restored.