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TeleConvertors – Pros & Cons
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I was wondering what everybody’s thoughts are on teleconvertors as a means of upgrading a 300 or 400 mm lens?
I am interested in acquiring a lens with a great range but, other than Sigma, the lenses in the shops in Dublin are very expensive. I considered getting a teleconvertor and the Canon one looks good although it would mean buying a Canon lens (my 70 – 300 is a Sigma) and don’t know about the other brands; however when I was asking about teleconvertors in a shop in town the guy said they weren’t great as they need bright conditions to function properly.It’s been a while since I used a teleconverter but IMO they should be used sparingly. You do get the benefit of a longer lens with only a little extra weight but with the downside of a loss of maximum aperture. For example with a 2x teleconverter an f4 lens would become f5.6 so you would need either a longer shutter speed, more light or higher ISO setting to compensate.
Paul.
This would be my summary
Pros :
Light weight – less to carry
Cheaper than 2 separate lensesCons :
Reduction in image quality (even with the best)
Loss of 1-2 stops
Autofocus won’t work unless the original lens is f2.8 or greater (for Canon)Macca wrote:
For example with a 2x teleconverter an f4 lens would become f5.6 so you would need either a longer shutter speed, more light or higher ISO setting to compensate.
In fact a 2x converter will lose you two stops of light, so your f/4.0 lens now looks like an f/8.0 lens!
I have a canon 1.4X mkII and it is shocking on an of my zoom lenes like the 70-200 f4
but on my 400l it works ok, but i lose a stop and therefore have to manual focus
I have read they tend to work much better with prime lenes as there is obviously considerably less glass in the primes
Keep in mind too, that often teleconverters are matched for use with certain lenses and will therefore fare less well when used with other lenses.
I own the Canon 1.4x teleconverter (or tele-extender as they call it). I mainly use it on my 100-400L, and the quality is so-so. You also lose autofocus as that lens is f/5.6 at maximum zoom, so it becomes an f/8 lens with the converter (loss of one stop). Non 1-series Canon’s can’t autofocus if the lens has a narrower maximum aperture than f/5.6.
I’ve also used it on the 70-200 f/4L and found the quality to be fine – quite a nice way to extend that lens to almost 300mm.
The 2x converters are usually not worth it unless you absolutely have no other choice. You lose two stops instead of one – so my 100-400L would become an f/11 lens at maximum extension, and the image quality degradation is much higher.
In general I carry my 1.4x in the bag all the time – it doesn’t weigh that much and it’s nice to have the option to use it. I wouldn’t buy it with a view to using it all the time, though. Save your money and get the appropriate lens instead.
Cheers,
PeterI was considering getting the nikon 2x tele converter for use with my nikon 70-200 f/2.8 vr lens on the D3, I know my lens will become an f/5.6 lens, but the iso is so good on the d3 i can compensate easily.
Can anyone see any problems in this set up?
ben4130 wrote:
I was considering getting the nikon 2x tele converter for use with my nikon 70-200 f/2.8 vr lens on the D3, I know my lens will become an f/5.6 lens, but the iso is so good on the d3 i can compensate easily.
Can anyone see any problems in this set up?
I have the Nikon 70-200 2.8 vr and a nikon 1.7 converter. Quality is just ok. I could just have a bad sample of the converter but i was disappointed by the quality, but maybe i was expecting to much… I think with converters your best sticking to using them with primes
M
ben4130 wrote:
I was considering getting the nikon 2x tele converter for use with my nikon 70-200 f/2.8 vr lens on the D3, I know my lens will become an f/5.6 lens, but the iso is so good on the d3 i can compensate easily.
Can anyone see any problems in this set up?
I would not be to sure about the 2x, as i was going to get that,but in several articles i read,it said”the 1.7x was the only one that worked properly with the 70-200vr”.
I will try to find ot for you.
Sean
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