Albinar Auto 2X tele-converter non-AI for Nikon

[pixmedic]

Picked up a Albinar Auto 2X tele-converter non-AI for Nikon at the antique mall today. excellent shape with leather case.
wasn't sure if it would work with my lenses, but it was $5 so i figured it was work the risk.
Turns out it fits perfectly on my nikkor 300mm f/4 lens, and fits snug on the camera body.
Haven't had the chance to actually try it out yet. does anyone have experience with these? I know i will lose 2 stops with it, but are there any other issues?

 

[Overread]

You'll want to stop down about one stop from wide open on the lens as well - 2*TCs will sap the image quality and put the lens optics under more strain, so stopping down a little helps to generally improve the sharpness of the end photo. You might also find AF a bit haphazard (if the TC communicates and allows it to work) with the loss of light.

 

[pixmedic]

no AF with this tele-converter. no electronics in it. so its all MF practice for me when I use it. and that really isn't a bad thing, I will just have to make sure its during the day with plenty of light. Its only the f/4 lens anyway, not the f/2.8 so its not like it was a low light lens to begin with, but for $250 in mint condition i figured that was ok.

 

[Derrel]

It's a $5 Albinar!!! What more can be said?

 

[pixmedic]

It's a $5 Albinar!!! What more can be said?

was it a decent deal? I wasn't really sure. it was an impulse buy. im bad for those.

 

[Derrel]

I dunno if it was a decent deal... I mean sheesh...$5.00...that'll buy a discount sandwich at Subway Sandwiches...and we KNOW how good those are...and I mean, zOMG man--$5.00--that's almost a gallon and a half of gasoline these days!!!! You simply MUST put the brakes on this uncontrolled spending dude!

 

[pixmedic]

I dunno if it was a decent deal... I mean sheesh...$5.00...that'll buy a discount sandwich at Subway Sandwiches...and we KNOW how good those are...and I mean, zOMG man--$5.00--that's almost a gallon and a half of gasoline these days!!!! You simply MUST put the brakes on this uncontrolled spending dude!

well, the 300mm f/4 didn't help any...I just hope THAT thing doesn't wind up sitting in my closet until I just decide to give it away.

 

[Patrice]

I don't quite understand why you're asking. You have both the lens and the converter in your hands, so in relation to all of us you are the person in the best position to make the evaluation. Give it a try and then come back and tell us if it's a worthwhile purchase or not.

Patiently waiting for the verdict.

 

[pixmedic]

I don't quite understand why you're asking. You have both the lens and the converter in your hands, so in relation to all of us you are the person in the best position to make the evaluation. Give it a try and then come back and tell us if it's a worthwhile purchase or not.

Patiently waiting for the verdict.

well, as Derrel pointed out, it was a $5 teleconverter. the question wasn't about it being a worthwhile purchase, but whether or not there was anything i should be aware of using a 2x converter. such as what Overread mentioned. my problem is i am BAD at impulse spending. which is what the nikon 300mm f/4 was..(great lens though) I have run a few shots through the 300mm and posted them already if you want to see. now I just have to stick the teleconverter on and see what happens. but I will post some photos at 600mm when I get them.

 

[cgipson1]

You will usually lose about two stops of light, and as Overread mentioned, you will want to maximize sharpness by using a smaller aperture. You may find unacceptable IQ issues also. I paid a lot more for a Nikon 2x TC... and even it degrades IQ a little, even on my 70-200 2.8 VRII... noticeably. What the Albinar will do with a 70-300, only shooting will tell.

 

[pixmedic]

You will usually lose about two stops of light, and as Overread mentioned, you will want to maximize sharpness by using a smaller aperture. You may find unacceptable IQ issues also. I paid a lot more for a Nikon 2x TC... and even it degrades IQ a little, even on my 70-200 2.8 VRII... noticeably. What the Albinar will do with a 70-300, only shooting will tell.

I was only planning on using it on my 300mm f/4, not my zooms.

 

[cgipson1]

You will usually lose about two stops of light, and as Overread mentioned, you will want to maximize sharpness by using a smaller aperture. You may find unacceptable IQ issues also. I paid a lot more for a Nikon 2x TC... and even it degrades IQ a little, even on my 70-200 2.8 VRII... noticeably. What the Albinar will do with a 70-300, only shooting will tell.

I was only planning on using it on my 300mm f/4, not my zooms.

Oh.. OOPS! Well.. that will help.... post shots soon! lol!

 

[pixmedic]

Oh.. OOPS! Well.. that will help.... post shots soon! lol!

I posted a few without the teleconverter already..flowers, my kid, the moon...
I will post some with the teleconverter when i can get it out somewhere.

 

[Patrice]

An interesting test might be to photograph an object without the converter and then the same object with while trying to maintain the same object dimension in the frame. You could try this at various apertures. Consider using a tripod and your mirror up function (or delayed shutter). The results should be interesting and should help identify the limitations of the setup.