What to expect#
Aperture control: lenses with a manual aperture ring work directly; electronically controlled lenses (no ring) need a smart adapter or one with a built-in aperture lever.
Focus: use focus peaking and magnification in the viewfinder. Exposure metering works normally because the camera meters through the lens at working aperture.
Crop factor: on a 2.7× crop Nikon 1 (CX) body a 50 mm L-Mount lens frames like 135 mm. A focal reducer (“speed booster”) can bring back some width and gain about a stop of light.
L-Mount lenses you could adapt#
- Laowa 10mm f/2.8 Zero-D FF
- Laowa 15mm f/2.0 Zero-D
- Laowa 85mm f/5.6 2X Ultra Macro APO
- Laowa 9mm f/2.8 Zero-D
- Laowa 9mm f/5.6 FF RL
- Leica APO-Summicron-SL 1:2/35 Asph.
- Leica APO-Summicron-SL 1:2/50 Asph.
- Leica Elmarit-TL 1:2.8/18 Asph.
- Leica Summicron-TL 1:2/23 Asph.
- Leica Summilux-TL 1:1.4/35 Asph.
- Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8-4/24-90 ASPH.
- Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 1:2.8/24-70 Asph.
- Panasonic S 100mm f/2.8 Macro
- Panasonic S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro
- Panasonic S 18-40mm f/4.5-6.3
- Panasonic S 20-60mm f/3.5-5.6
- Panasonic S 24-105mm f/4 Macro OIS
- Panasonic S 24-60mm f/2.8
Nikon 1 (CX) cameras#
- Nikon 1 J5 2015
- Nikon 1 V3 2014
- Nikon 1 S2 2014
- Nikon 1 J4 2014
- Nikon 1 AW1 2013
- Nikon 1 S1 2013
- Nikon 1 J3 2013
- Nikon 1 V2 2012
- Nikon 1 J2 2012
- Nikon 1 V1 2011
- Nikon 1 J1 2011
Other systems for L-Mount lenses#
Frequently asked questions#
Will L-Mount lenses autofocus on Nikon 1 (CX)?
No — adapted lenses are manual focus on this combination.
Does a L-Mount to Nikon 1 (CX) adapter affect image quality?
A glass-free adapter is just a precisely machined spacer, so image quality is unchanged when it is built to the right thickness. Cheap adapters can be slightly too thin or thick, which shifts the infinity mark.
Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources