Teleconverters - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

01/02/2007 06:43:47 AM · #1

Hello and happy new year!!!

Could someone tell me exactly what does a teleconverter do?, I mean what are the advantages and disadvantages?
Is it worth using one on a Nikon 80-200 f2.8 AF or a Nikon 70-300 f4.5-5.6?

Thanks.

_eug

Nikon D50

01/02/2007 09:50:11 AM · #2

Advantages: You can extend your range almost double depending on the extender you choose. I know of 1.4x & 2x. An 80-200 becomes 112-280 with the 1.4x and a 160-400 with the 2x. The 70-300 becomes 98-420 with the 1.4x and 140-600 with the 2x.

Disadvantages: You lose your wide end covereage, therefore it'd be a waste to use one on a wide angle lense. You lose up to 2 full stops of light (I believe, not sure of specifics on this one).

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 E-mount

01/02/2007 09:52:33 AM · #3

A teleconverter extends the range of your lens by whatever magnification factor the converter is rated for. I use a 1.4x converter on some occasions on my Canon 70-200 lens.

A 1.4x (or 1.5x) teleconverter cuts back your light by one stop, which effectively turns an f/2.8 lens into an f/4 lens. The 2x converter costs two stops of light, making an f/2.8 lens an f/5.6 lens.

I don't notice any significant image deterioration with the 1.4x, but the 2x converter does create a few minor image quality issues.

talmy

Nikon D300s

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 16-85 f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

01/02/2007 09:57:51 AM · #4

While the teleconverter is fine for the 80-200, it is not recommended for the 70-300 because of image quality issues and the loss of autofocus. The teleconverter magnifies lens flaws to the same extent it magnifies the image, so you need to put a high quality lens in front of it.

kirbic

Canon EOS R5

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS

01/02/2007 09:59:13 AM · #5

To add to what _eug posted, a 1.4x converter basically enlarges the image projected by the lens by 1.4x in both height and width. That means the area is doubled. That's important, because now the same light is spread over two times the area, so 1 stop is lost. With a 2x converter, area goes up 4x, and two stops are lost.
With your 80-200 f/2.8, you'd have an f/4 minimum aperture wit a 1.4x converter, and f/5.6 with a 2x.
Another thing to htink about is that because the projected image is enlarged, any unsharpness is magnified. In the case of the 2x, if there was 1 pilex worth of fuzziness at f/2.8 (almost not noticable) there would be 2 pixels at f/5.6 with the 2x (pretty noticable). So, you might have to stop down to regain critical sharpness.
Putting a converter on a slower lens might mean that AF is lost. Depends on the AF capability of the specific camera.

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

01/02/2007 10:11:14 AM · #6

What Kirbic said, plus, any camera vibration,like the mirror and aperture working, or any camera shake at all will be multiplied as well.
I use a 2X sometimes, but I have noticed that I can just crop to the same frame size using the single lens, and get almost the same sharpness in the final image. When I use one, it's with a 300 f4.5 ED or 70/300 zoom ED.
Part of what advantage you will get depends on the camera sensor too. The lower the Meg Pix of the sensor, the more benefit will be gained from using more optical magnification.
You might think about asking a pal to loan you one for a few days and try it out with your lenses to see if you like it before purchasing one. Also check your manual about what will work on your camera as far as compatability of lens combinations.
Bjorn Rorslett's site: naturfotograf.com , has good lens evaluations of shooting in field conditions with different Nikon lenses and combos, and I find them very thorough, useful and accurate. According to Bjorn, there are some lens/extender combos that don't do well at all, and others where it actually improves the lens performance.

Message edited by author 2007-01-02 10:25:29.

pawdrix

Nikon D700

Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D IF

01/02/2007 10:15:33 AM · #7

Look into getting this one.

It's not the best of the best but to see what they can do at a reasonable price, it may be a good starting point. The really good ones cost a chunk of cash. I use it occasionaly with my 70-200mm 2.8 and have been happy with the results thus far.

This isn't the best sample image I've taken (deleted a buch a week or two back to make room in my portfolio) but it's what I have to offer as an example.

Nikon AF Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D IF

01/02/2007 11:22:45 AM · #8

I think I have a pretty good idea of what the teleconverter does. I guess that if I use it with a Nikon D70s with an 80-200 f2.8 AF it would have to be on studied/chosen situations.

Thanks a lot to y'all! :):):)

pawdrix

Nikon D700

01/02/2007 11:40:40 AM · #9

I'm curious what you mean by "studied/chosen situations"?

I used the teleconverter a few times when I was walking around Central Park with the 70-200mm VR. I used a Monopod and the VR can in handy. Paired with that particular lens it was a lot of weight to carry but I picked off some nice things.

Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D

01/02/2007 11:49:14 AM · #10

Originally posted by pawdrix:

I'm curious what you mean by "studied/chosen situations"?

Well I don't like to loose too much background detail, and since I guess that noise also multiplies at the same rate as the zoom, I'll have to plan my shots a bit.

By the way, do you recomend any particular monopod? The 80-200 is quite heavy to carry around all day...

Message edited by author 2007-01-02 11:49:58.

hyperfocal

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 105mm f/2.5 AIS

01/02/2007 01:23:17 PM · #11

I'd stay away from third party teleconverters. Nikon's line of teleconverters is quite good. The older manual focus line such as the TC-14a/b, TC-200 (201), TC-300 can be found on eBay for less than the cost of a new third party one. The TC-14a is a 1.4x optimized for lenses less than 200mm and the TC-14b is for longer than 300mm. The TC-200 (ai) and TC-201 (ais) as well as the TC-300 are 2x teleconverters. The TC-200(1) is a very useful converter that works with most lenses, and as long as you stop down it provides good results (I wound not shoot any teleconverter without stopping down unless it meant not getting the shot otherwise). The TC-200(1) is also useful in close-ups to gain extra magnification without too much image degradation. I'm not a fan of the TC-300, and I've never owned one. It s length alone can make for a very unstable set-up, not to mention the leverage on the mounts. Of course on a D70 with any of these you will lose metering and auto focus.

I haven't tried out any of the new E (TC-14E, TC-17E & TC-20E) converters, but itâ��s my understanding that they have quite incredible quality. It is well known that with slight modification (removing a pin in the mount) that these converters can be used on many more lenses than Nikon lists as compatible. Metering will be compatible with any AF or chipped lens and AF will work with AF-S & AF-I lenses.

_eug

Nikon D50

01/02/2007 03:06:03 PM · #12

Originally posted by charales:

Well I don't like to loose too much background detail, and since I guess that noise also multiplies at the same rate as the zoom,

Noise is a function of the sensor not the glass. Your sharpness may suffer, but the noise won't grow by virtue of your using a converter.

MelonMusketeer

Nikon D7000

Nikon MF 50mm f/1.4

01/02/2007 10:22:50 PM · #13

Another thing a monopod is great for is to get this kind of shots in a crowd by using the monopod and self timer or remote. You will also get a few squinty "why didn't I think of that" looks while shooting this way.
I bought a Giatto's MM5580, about $100 US, in New Mexico last Oct, and it was money well spent. I was able to get many shots that would have otherwise been missed, like shooting over the top of a moving steam train. It also makes a great hiking stick for climbing around on boulders, and is easy to move around with in crowded places. I can't say enough about how useful a monopod is if you shoot on the move.
Most come with removable legs that fit near the head, and I found that I can put in just one leg, and put it against my shoulder when shooting long lenses and get very good stability.

jbsmithana

Nikon D300

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 12-24mm f/4.0G IF-ED

01/02/2007 11:00:22 PM · #14

I use a Nikon 1.7 with my Nikon 70-200mm 2.8 VR quite often. It gives me a 120-340mm f4.8 VR, my cheap mans 200-400 VR. Quality seems almost equal to the 70-200 with a little noticable slowing in focus when the light is lower.

I also have a less expensive Tamron 200-500mm f5-6.3 lens but the above combo gives me much cleaner shots. I have also used a Tamron 1.4 TC with the Tamron 200-500 but I do lose autofocus (unless the light is really good)and noticable quality.

Hope that helps.