From 1959 to the present day, over 120 million F-Mount lenses have been manufactured across more than 400 distinct optical formulas. Thanks to the mechanical precision of the FTZ II Mount Adapter—which bridges the 46.5mm F-mount flange focal distance down to the 16mm Z-mount plane without optical glass elements—modern Z8, Z9, Z6 III, and Zf owners can shoot both ultra-modern S-Line glass and seven decades of legendary F-Mount lenses found on Amazon and eBay.
1. The Hall of Fame: Manual Focus AI & AI-S Masterpieces
In 1977, engineers introduced Automatic Maximum Aperture Indexing (AI), followed by AI-S in 1981 with standardized linear aperture stop-down cams and orange minimum-aperture numerals. Machined from solid brass and anodized aluminum with silky helicoid damping grease, several AI-S primes remain unsurpassed in character and tactile focus feel:
- AI-S 105mm f/2.5: Evolved by optical master Ikuo Mori from Wakimoto's earlier Sonnar layout into a 5-element, 4-group Xenotar/Gauss formula, this compact medium telephoto immortalized Steve McCurry's 1984 Afghan Girl portrait. Wide open at f/2.5, it balances crisp center eyelash resolution with painterly background falloff and a built-in sliding metal hood.
- Noct 58mm f/1.2 AI-S: Engineered specifically for night street reportage and astrophotography wide open at f/1.2, the original Noct employed a hand-ground precision aspherical front element to eradicate sagittal coma flare—rendering streetlamps and stars as pinpoints rather than winged streaks in the periphery.
- AI-S 28mm f/2.8 (0.2m CRC): Featuring a Close-Range Correction (floating element) assembly that focuses down to
0.2 meters(7.9 inches), this 8-element retrofocus wide-angle exhibits virtually zero barrel distortion and remains bitingly sharp across a 45.7MP full-frame sensor. - Fisheye 6mm f/2.8 AI-S (220° Field of View): Weighing
5,200 gramswith a massive 236mm front dome element, this special-order optical marvel actually sees 20 degrees behind the camera operator and stands among the rarest museum collectibles in photographic history.
Non-CPU Lens Data menu, the body activates 3-axis 5-stop In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS), EXIF focal metadata, and green focus-confirmation box tracking directly over your subject's eye!2. Reference F-Mount Optical Benchmark Matrix
Below is our laboratory comparison of the most iconic F-Mount manual and autofocus lenses, including their compatibility behavior on the FTZ II Mount Adapter:
| F-Mount Lens Model | Era & Mount Type | Optical Design | Mass (Grams) | FTZ II Mirrorless Behavior | Signature Optical Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-S 105mm f/2.5 | 1981 Manual AI-S | 5 Elements / 4 Groups | 435 g | Manual Focus + 5-Stop IBIS + Eye Focus Box | Iconic portrait rendering with zero harsh bokeh edges |
| Noct 58mm f/1.2 AI-S | 1977–1997 AI/AI-S | 7 Elements (Hand-Ground Asph) | 465 g | Manual Focus + 5-Stop IBIS + Focus Peaking | Coma-free wide-open night photography collector grail |
| AF DC 135mm f/2D | 1990 Screw-Drive AF-D | 7 Elements + Defocus Ring | 815 g | Manual Focus on FTZ II (Full AF on D850/D780) | Tunable spherical aberration for front/rear bokeh control |
| AF-S 105mm f/1.4E ED | 2016 AF-S Electromagnetic | 14 Elements / 9 Groups (3 ED) | 985 g | 100% Native Eye-AF + 5-Stop IBIS + Auto-Exposure | Three-dimensional full-length portrait separation at f/1.4 |
| AF-S 200mm f/2G ED VR II | 2010 AF-S Super-Tele | 13 Elements (3 ED + 1 Super ED) | 2,930 g | 100% Native Eye-AF + VR + Teleconverter Ready | Nicknamed “Chubby”—unreal subject isolation and compression |
| AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR | 2018 Phase Fresnel | 19 Elements (Phase Fresnel + 3 ED) | 1,460 g | 100% Native 3D Bird-AF + Synchro VR | Ultra-compact hand-holdable 500mm wildlife prime |
3. Golden-Era AF-S Gold-Ring Lenses That Shine on Both DSLRs & Z Mirrorless
Because every AF-S, AF-I, and AF-P F-mount lens houses its own internal Silent Wave Motor (SWM) or stepping motor, these optics autofocus with full 9-subject deep-learning 3D Tracking when mounted on a Z8, Z9, Z6 III, Zf, or Z50 II via the FTZ II Adapter ($246 on Amazon). Even better, on the secondary eBay and Amazon Renewed markets, several flagship Gold-Ring AF-S lenses now trade at 40% to 60% below their original MSRP:
1. AF-S 105mm f/1.4E ED & 28mm f/1.4E ED
The final generation of E-type (electromagnetic diaphragm) F-mount primes represents an optical zenith. The AF-S 105mm f/1.4E ED remains the only autofocus 105mm f/1.4 lens in full-frame photography, delivering gradual defocus transitions that complement the clinical perfection of the Z-mount 135mm f/1.8 Plena. Likewise, the AF-S 28mm f/1.4E ED is revered by environmental portrait and wedding storytellers for its gentle contrast and three-dimensional rendering.
2. AF-S 500mm f/5.6E PF ED VR & 300mm f/4E PF ED VR
By integrating a microscopic diffractive Phase Fresnel (PF) optical element that cancels chromatic aberration without heavy glass doublets, optical engineers shrank a 500mm f/5.6 wildlife prime down to the size and weight (1,460g) of a standard 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom. Paired with the FTZ II adapter on a Z8, it remains one of the sharpest hand-held bird-in-flight combinations in existence.
3. AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8G, 24-70mm f/2.8E VR & 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR
Before the Z-mount S-Line trinity, the AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8E FL ED VR introduced fluorite elements and magnesium-alloy barrel weight reductions to F-mount sports zooms. Pre-owned copies on eBay pair effortlessly with both a D850 backup body and a primary Z8 via the FTZ II adapter.