Borbin the 🐱

Tilt lens for Nikon Z

17 August, 2023


A tilt lens change the focal plane, and this is impossible to do with transforms in Software1. Hardware required.
To get a Tilt lens for Nikon Z leaves you only to a few choices.

Use Nikon F mount Tilt(-Shift) lenses with the FTZ adapter:

  • Nikon PC NIKKOR 19mm f/4E ED Tilt-Shift Lens $3,396
  • Nikon PC-E NIKKOR 24mm f/3.5D ED Tilt-Shift Lens $2,196
  • Nikon PC-E Micro-NIKKOR 45mm f/2.8D ED Tilt-Shift Lens $2,046
  • Nikon PC-E Micro-NIKKOR 85mm f/2.8D Tilt-Shift Lens $1,976
  • Samyang 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC Tilt-Shift Lens $669

Nikon hasn't released any Tilt(-Shift) lenses for Z yet, so this leaves you currently only to:

  • TTArtisan Tilt 50mm f/1.4 Lens $199
  • TTArtisan 100mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift Macro Lens $389

The 50mm is not the best quality with its standard double gauss design, and who needs a 100mm Tilt lens?

The idea is to use a Tilt adapter F to Z mount, and use your favorite F mount lens (image circle of a Tilt-Shift lens is larger, but here it is used along with a DX sensor, so this will be an advantage; cannot check for FX).
The popular NYC store does not have such an adapter, but the Kipon company store has one: Tilt Adapter for Nikon F Mount Lens on Nikon Z Mirrorless Camera.
The site lists items to be shipped within 1 business day, but as I have learned from the customer service, the item is shipped from somewhere in China first to another warehouse, and then from there to the customer. This translates to a 2-3 week shipping.

The alternative is to use a Sony E to Z mount tilt adapter, or a Fujifilm X to Z mount tilt adapter with an additional lens adapter as the 16mm flange distance of the Z mount is a bit shorter than the Sony (18mm) or Fujifilm (17.7mm) one2.


The Kipon F to Z mount tilt adapter arrived:

Feels solid and high quality. Tilting is smooth and has good friction to hold a lens even without using the locking.



The adapter has a max tilt of 12° and can be rotated 360° with 30° click stops. The smaller plunger on the right side is to unlock the click stops during rotate.


For the test, a Voigtländer 58mm f/1.4 SL lens is used:


It really works.

Shelf without tilt:


Shelf with max tilt:


Shelf from an angle without tilt:


Shelf from an angle with max tilt:


Examples with max tilt:



The shift feature of the Tilt-Shift lenses is of little interest as the projection is only a geometric transform in post op. The panorama tools easily take care of this with vertical control points (t2). You can never align the lens that perfect.


  1. There are software packages available to fake this effect, but it is never the real thing. 

  2. Tilt adapter:

    • KIPON Tilt / Shift Lens Adapter for Nikon F-Mount Lens to FUJIFILM FX Camera $203
    • KIPON Tilt Lens Mount Adapter for Nikon F-Mount Lens to Sony E-Mount Camera $81

    Additional lens adapter:

    • FotodioX Lens Adapter for FUJIFILM X-Mount Mirrorless Manual Focus Lens to Nikon Z-Mount Mirrorless Camera $29
    • Venus Optics Megadap ETZ21 Pro Sony E-Mount Lens to Nikon Z-Mount Autofocus Adapter $249
    • Techart PRO Autofocus Adapter for Sony E-Mount Lens to Nikon Z-Mount Camera (V2) $249
    • FotodioX Pro Fusion Sony E-Mount Lens to Nikon Z-Mount Smart AF Adapter $249
    • FotodioX Lens Adapter for Sony E-Mount Mirrorless Manual Focus Lens to Nikon Z-Mount Mirrorless Camera $29