Got Nikon 1 lenses? This $13 gizmo gives you more lenses for less

You’ve got to respect Nikon Corporation’s attempts at trying to appease both new, cutting edge buyers and OG Nikon F users. Each time they release a new lens/camera mount system, they manufacture a bridge lens adapter to bring F mount lenses into the new world order.

For example, today’s Nikon Z mount owners can purchase the FTZ (discontinued) or FTZ II (aka, F-to-Z) adapter ($249.95) for enabling vintage F mount lenses to be used on the latest camera bodies. Similarly, back in the short lived days of the Nikon 1 system (2011 – 2018), an FT1 (F-to-One) adapter could be purchased for bringing historically heavy glass lenses to the diminutive darling Nikon 1 cameras, like the J1.

Thanks, but no thanks, Nikon.

It wasn’t that the F mount lenses were unwanted, rather, it was the exorbitant cost that Nikon was charging for this coveted adapter. While the adapter’s $270 price was kind of reasonable, it was the lack of a usable aperture connection between F mount lenses and the Nikon 1 cameras that made the purchase of the adapter too much for too little.

This feature/price conundrum is the same today. In today’s used photographic equipment market, an FT1 adapter in “excellent” condition will cost $100 – $175. A much more palatable lens mount option is available, however. For those Nikon 1 owners who are equipped with Pentax K mount lenses, a $13 FotodioX Nikon 1 adapter can open up an enormous window of lens opportunity.

Before you get too excited, please note that this FotodioX adapter can only be used in M (manual) mode and both the aperture and shutter speed will have to be set by the photographer. If you can tolerate this nod to old-school camera technique, you can purchase the adapter here.

As for Pentax K lenses, there is an approximate 2.7x crop factor for the Nikon 1 sensor. Therefore, a 50mm Pentax K lens will be roughly equivalent to a 135mm telephoto lens.

Be careful when selecting your Pentax K mount lenses. This crazy crop factor can get out of hand, real fast. For example, a 300mm K mount SMC-Pentax lens will become an 810mm mammoth scope. “NASA, this is ground control; we have a replacement for the Hubble Space Telescope, over.”

Thank goodness the FotodioX Nikon 1 adapter is equipped with a built-in tripod mount. These vintage glass lenses are very heavy and could easily distort the camera’s native lens mount. A threaded monopod is a great option for steadying your magnified view without anchoring your new/old telephoto system to a cumbersome tripod.

In order to gain some real, visual appreciation of the photographic potential that can be gained from this $13 adapter, compare these three images taken with low-cost lenses. See the images below, of a couple of colorful test subjects that have just been “seated:”

Granted, there are other “special order” FotodioX Nikon 1 adapters for various lens manufacturers that you can choose, but there are two strong reasons to focus on the Pentax K mount adapter instead.

First of all, K mount lenses are plentiful on the used gear market. Second, and more importantly, the vast number of K mount lenses are ridiculously inexpensive. In fact, a savvy buyer can purchase zooms, primes, wide-angles, and telephotos for less than $10, each. In spite of the eye-popping crop factor levied on all focal lengths, an entire camera bag’s worth of lenses can be purchased for about $50. Just don’t forget to tame that heightened crop factor magnification and add a solid monopod to your reborn Nikon 1 “K” system.

Enjoy.