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 Sony / Minolta A-mount lens frames like 135 mm. A focal reducer (“speed booster”) can bring back some width and gain about a stop of light.
Sony / Minolta A-mount lenses you could adapt#
- Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D
- Laowa 15mm F/4 Wide Angle Macro
- Laowa 60mm f/2.8 2X Ultra-Macro
- Samyang 10mm f/2.8 ED AS NCS CS
- Samyang 135mm f/2 ED UMC
- Samyang 14mm f/2.8 AE ED AS IF UMC
- Samyang 16mm f/2.0 ED AS UMC CS
- Samyang 20mm f/1.8 ED AS UMC
- Samyang 24mm f/1.4 ED AS IF UMC
- Samyang 85mm f/1.4 IF UMC Aspherical
- Samyang 8mm f/3.5 Fish-Eye CS
- Samyang T-S 24mm f/3.5 ED AS UMC
- Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM
- Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC
- Sigma 100-300mm f/4 APO EX DG HSM
- Sigma 100-300mm f/4 APO EX DG HSM + Kenko Teleplus PRO 300 AF 1.4× DGX ext.
- Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro
- Sigma 10mm f/2.8 EX DC Fisheye HSM
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 Sony / Minolta A-mount lenses#
Frequently asked questions#
Will Sony / Minolta A-mount lenses autofocus on Nikon 1 (CX)?
No — adapted lenses are manual focus on this combination.
Does a Sony / Minolta A-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