Adapter guide
Nikon F lenses on L-mount
Yes, this works. Nikon F has a 46.5mm flange distance and L-Mount Alliance (Leica, Panasonic, Sigma) has 20mm, so a 26.5mm mechanical adapter with no glass fills the gap and infinity focus is preserved. Focus and aperture stay manual.
- Nikon F flange
- 46.5 mm
- L-mount flange
- 20 mm
- Adapter thickness
- 26.5 mm
- Optical elements
- None required
Setting it up
On Panasonic S bodies set Shoot w/o Lens to On and enter the focal length for stabilisation. Leica SL bodies accept adapted lenses without a setting change and Leica sells its own R-Adapter L for Leica R glass.
Automatic diaphragm. Off the body the lens sits at the set aperture, so the aperture ring works directly on an adapter.
Nikon F lenses and their field of view on L-mount
Effective focal length changes with sensor size. The lens itself does not change; the smaller sensor simply captures a narrower part of the image circle.
| Lens | Focal length | Aperture | Full frame | Frames like (APS-C (1.5x)) | Years | Used value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikon Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 AI-S | 105mm | f/2.5 | 105mm | 158mm | 1981-2005 | $150 to $450 |
| Nikon Nikkor 35mm f/1.4 AI-S | 35mm | f/1.4 | 35mm | 53mm | 1976-2020s | $350 to $900 |
| Nikon Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-S | 50mm | f/1.2 | 50mm | 75mm | 1981-2020s | $400 to $950 |
| Nikon Nikkor-S Auto 50mm f/1.4 (pre-AI) | 50mm | f/1.4 | 50mm | 75mm | 1962-1974 | $60 to $220 |
Frequently asked
Do Nikon F lenses work on L-mount cameras?
Yes. A plain Nikon F to L-mount adapter works with no optics. Nikon F has a 46.5mm register and L-Mount Alliance (Leica, Panasonic, Sigma) has a 20mm register, so the adapter is a 26.5mm tube that puts the lens exactly where a Nikon F body would. Plain adapter ring for every manual-aperture Nikkor. Pre-AI lenses mount freely on adapters; their only compatibility problem is with later Nikon bodies whose meter-coupling tab they can bend.
Do Nikon F lenses focus to infinity on L-mount?
Yes. Because the adapter restores the native 46.5mm register, infinity focus is preserved and the full focus scale on the lens stays accurate. Adapters machined slightly short let the lens focus past infinity by a small margin, which is harmless; adapters machined long stop short of infinity, so buy from a maker with tight tolerances.
What focal length does a Nikon F lens become on L-mount?
On full frame L-mount bodies (Leica SL series, Lumix S series, Sigma fp) the focal length is unchanged: a 105mm lens frames as a 105mm. On APS-C (1.5x) L-mount bodies (Leica CL, TL, TL2) a 105mm lens frames like a 158mm lens on full frame; the aperture and depth of field at a given distance do not change.
More on this mount: Nikon F mount reference