Are you serious!! TC-14EIII NOT backwards compatable to older AF-S or AF-I lenses

[benhasajeep]

So, I rounded out my TC collection today by adding a TC-14EIII. Put it on my 300mm f/4.0 AF-S. Get FEE message. Dismount and remount. Same message (on D800 body). So, I go try a D600 body. Same results. I put on a TC-20EIII, everything works fine. Go back to the TC-14EIII get FEE. Grab a 70-200 f/2.8 AF-s VRII. The TC-14EIII works just fine. Put the 300mm f/4.0 AF-S on, FEE!!! Open the box and pull out the 400mm f/2.8 AF-S. Put it on, FEE!!! Get on Nikon's site, only lists current lenses as being compatible. And the 300mm f/4.0 AF-S is not on the list. Neither is the 400 f/2.8 AF-S. So, I do a web search and sure enough there is a list of my 400mm and 300mm as not compatable. And yet the TC-20EIII IS! My TC-17EII is. Apparently if I want to have a 1.4x TC I have to buy the older TC-14EII! So they make the 20 compatable with older lenses. But not the 14??

 

[Frank F.]

Return it. The piece ist 600€ .... Gosh ... No!!!

 

[Destin]

Yeah screw that. Return it and get a used version of the older one.

 

[Frank F.]

Here is a good compatability list, posted by a fellow member at Nikongear: AF-S Teleconverter Compatibility

 

[Derrel]

Yeah. In order to make full use of newer protocols, changes have to be made occasionally. I suspect that the E-III generation converters will fully support the AF-P focusing protocol, and the older TC's will never be able to do that. It's a matter of making sure that your gear is compatible with the latest and greatest features. Just as the "old" TC's were all manual focusing only, then newer, AF-capable converters appeared, and many lenses were NOT compatible with the new, AF-s compliant TC- "e" series, meaning "e" for electronic interface...we had a huge generational shift back then...and it seems like maybe there's yet another major, generational shift under way right now with the E-III or e- generation three teleconverters.

Definitely, if you have a 15- to 20 year-old 400mm AF-S lens, it will probably be best to get a TC unit that was originally designed to be compatible with that lens, rather than expect a new, aspherical, Generation 3 converter designed to absolutely maximize the new supertelephoto primes and the new 70-200 lenses to be the ideal solution for an older lens.

As I understand it, the E-III aspeherical elelement converters really DO offer better performance than thge older-era converters, when used with the newest-generation 200,300,400,500mm primnes and the new-generation pro-level zooms. I saw a web article where one wildlife shooter tested his converters, and the newer models were better on his 200,300,and 500 lenses, as well as 70-200. Buuut...if it flat out will not work with an old lens or two that yuo own, then it's of absolutely no use to you! Definitely--send it back!

 

[benhasajeep]

Yeah. In order to make full use of newer protocols, changes have to be made occasionally. I suspect that the E-III generation converters will fully support the AF-P focusing protocol, and the older TC's will never be able to do that. It's a matter of making sure that your gear is compatible with the latest and greatest features. Just as the "old" TC's were all manual focusing only, then newer, AF-capable converters appeared, and many lenses were NOT compatible with the new, AF-s compliant TC- "e" series, meaning "e" for electronic interface...we had a huge generational shift back then...and it seems like maybe there's yet another major, generational shift under way right now with the E-III or e- generation three teleconverters.

Definitely, if you have a 15- to 20 year-old 400mm AF-S lens, it will probably be best to get a TC unit that was originally designed to be compatible with that lens, rather than expect a new, aspherical, Generation 3 converter designed to absolutely maximize the new supertelephoto primes and the new 70-200 lenses to be the ideal solution for an older lens.

As I understand it, the E-III aspeherical elelement converters really DO offer better performance than thge older-era converters, when used with the newest-generation 200,300,400,500mm primnes and the new-generation pro-level zooms. I saw a web article where one wildlife shooter tested his converters, and the newer models were better on his 200,300,and 500 lenses, as well as 70-200. Buuut...if it flat out will not work with an old lens or two that yuo own, then it's of absolutely no use to you! Definitely--send it back!

What's odd is my TC-20Eiii does work with the older lenses. My TC-17Eii is the 2nd gen still so it still works as well. Not sure why the 20Eiii works and the 14Eiii does not. It may have to do with working with new P lenses?? And yes I ordered the 14Eiii due to changes in optical design and it being better. I sent Adaorama email about returning it. But this is their holiday week that they are closed. I had to go to Nikon's international site to find a list that showed incompatable lenses. NikonUSA site has a link that's broken. The list Frank posted that looks like it's from Nikon Canada is the best I have seen.

 

[benhasajeep]

Here is a good compatability list, posted by a fellow member at Nikongear: AF-S Teleconverter Compatibility

I found some info on Nikon's international site. But this one a better list. NikonUSA has a link, but it comes up as a bad link.

 

[jaomul]

It's a pain, and expensive.

About 2 yrs ago after varying degrees of disappointment with various teleconverters I decided I'll never buy one again (and sold what I had)

 

[Gary A.]

Real photogs don't mess with TC's ...


Seriously ... that sucks.

 

[Peeb]

True or not (I can't say) but I understood that the optics in ver 2 and 3 were pretty much identical so I saved some cash and picked up a used II on ebay for 200.00 USD for my 200-500 G series lens. Works fine. May live to regret it when I (someday) get AF-P lenses, but for today I'm working fine!

 

[fmw]

It's a pain, and expensive.

About 2 yrs ago after varying degrees of disappointment with various teleconverters I decided I'll never buy one again (and sold what I had)

There you go. You will do just as well and sometimes better by cropping your images instead of using a TC.