Macro Shots

Welcome to my first experiment using a mirrorless camera with an inexpensive Canon-FD-Lens-Mount-to-Nikon-Z-Camera-Mount adapter.

I always wanted to try my old lenses, formerly paired with a Canon AE-1, on a new camera. However, with lenses made by different companies, I’d (wrongly) assumed that each would require a unique adapter.

In fact, only the lens mount fitting matters. So, with this series of photographs, I’m using a Vivitar Series 1 90mm f/2.5 Macro lens made by Tokina.

I’ve also applied a scaled-back version of my usual post-processing routine to these photographs, shot as RAW files, using Affinity Photo.

Notes

Because this is a dumb adapter, both autofocus and changes to aperture are no longer available in-camera and must be made manually.

In order for my camera to retain IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization), information such as lens number, focal length and maximum aperture, had to be assigned in the Set Up Menu as Non-CPU lens data. I also assigned a Function Button to use as a shortcut.

Without autofocus, I’ve found it helpful to use Focus Peaking, which superimposes a selected color to highlight areas in focus. Depending on the primary color present in any given scene, one may assign a contrasting color for improved visibility.