Need some lens (extender) advice

[Mtalicarox]

Need some advice. I am going on a road trip (kind of last minute) and would like to buy this lens extender (going to yellowstone - want to be able to zoom in nice and close).. so I'm looking at buying this [ame=http://www.amazon.com/Canon-EF-Extender-Telephoto-Accessory/dp/B00009XVBY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1279913177&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: Canon EF 2X II Extender Telephoto Accessory: Electronics[/ame]

to help me get closer pics of bugs/birds/whatever wild life goes by. I have read the description of the product, and my noob-ness is forcing me to double check with people on here who are more knowledgable than I am about whether my camera/lens is compatable with the product/all features of the extender.. the part that worries me is where it says "Maintains autofocus with any EOD body with f/2.8 or faster aperture" now since it said EOD body I currently have [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0012YA85A/ref=oss_product]Amazon.com: Canon Digital Rebel XSI 12MP Digital SLR Camera: Camera & Photo[/ame] (the 10.1 MP version though)..

now I see my camera as EOS.. so I'm assuming the EOD isn't compatible with this..

if this is the case - can anyone suggesta lens extender that is compatible with the rebel XSI? I would be using this lens mostly with it. [ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0007Y794O/ref=oss_product]Amazon.com: Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens for Canon EOS SLR Cameras: Camera & Photo[/ame]



Thank you very much for taking the time to assist.

 

[oldmacman]

Must be a typo on the website (or something). The extender will go on the body. What you need to be more concerned about is whether you have a lens that can use the extender. There is a minimum focal length (150mm or bigger, I believe) and mostly primes except for the 70-200 and the 100-400. You're gonna lose 2 stops. If that puts your camera at f8 or above, you have to manually focus.

Don't forget that your FOV has a 1.6x crop factor. That means on your XSI, a 300mm lens gives a FOV of a 480mm lens. Using the 2x extender will provide a FOV of 960mm. You'll need a lot of light and contrast to get pics you'll be happy with. I would consider the 1.4x. The resulting images are not as soft and you would still have a 672mm FOV.

 

[oldmacman]

Don't forget to check Canon's compatibility chart to see if your lens will work with the extender. Kenko also sells a 1.4x and 1.5x extenders. A lot cheaper and works with all ef lenses. I have the Canon 1.4x on a full frame camera and love it. I tried the Kenko and while the quality is acceptable it does not pass the correct EXIF data to your camera, so it is hard to remember how you got a particular shot at the end of the day.

 

[Big Mike]

That is a typo. It is EOS, and yes it would be compatible with your camera.

They key point in that sentance, is that it will only maintain auto focus with lenses that have a maximum aperture of F2.8 or larger (lower number). Your 70-300mm lens has a max aperture of F4 to F5.6 (smaller than F2.8).

So if you use that lens with (any) 2X TC, you will loose autofocus.

Actually, as I understand it, the Canon Teleconverters (1.4X & 2X) are only compatible with a select range of Canon Telephoto 'L' lenses. (70-200mm F2.8 L, 300mm F2.8 L and so on).

You could get an off-brand TC, which should be 'compatible' with your camera & your lens, but you will still loose auto focus.

It should also be mentioned that a TC will lower your image quality. Many people say that they prefer the Canon 1.4X because it doesn't steal as much light or as much image quality as the 2X TC.

A viable option would for you to no use a TC, and just take great care to maximize the sharpness of your photos (use a tripod or monopod etc.). Then you will have more leeway to crop your photos.

 

[Mtalicarox]

Don't forget to check Canon's compatibility chart to see if your lens will work with the extender. Kenko also sells a 1.4x and 1.5x extenders. A lot cheaper and works with all ef lenses. I have the Canon 1.4x on a full frame camera and love it. I tried the Kenko and while the quality is acceptable it does not pass the correct EXIF data to your camera, so it is hard to remember how you got a particular shot at the end of the day.

Thanks for your advice (both comments replied) were extremely helpful. I will definitely look for that chart (I haven't previously heard of it to be honest) could you provide a link perhaps? I am going to google it - and most likely i'll find it that way.. but just in case.

Thanks a ton for your replies, I know I popsted like 3 outside links and asked stupid questions, so to get a good response like this is awesome.

Thanks again!

 

[Mtalicarox]

That is a typo. It is EOS, and yes it would be compatible with your camera.

They key point in that sentance, is that it will only maintain auto focus with lenses that have a maximum aperture of F2.8 or larger (lower number). Your 70-300mm lens has a max aperture of F4 to F5.6 (smaller than F2.8).

So if you use that lens with (any) 2X TC, you will loose autofocus.

Actually, as I understand it, the Canon Teleconverters (1.4X & 2X) are only compatible with a select range of Canon Telephoto 'L' lenses. (70-200mm F2.8 L, 300mm F2.8 L and so on).

You could get an off-brand TC, which should be 'compatible' with your camera & your lens, but you will still loose auto focus.

It should also be mentioned that a TC will lower your image quality. Many people say that they prefer the Canon 1.4X because it doesn't steal as much light or as much image quality as the 2X TC.

A viable option would for you to no use a TC, and just take great care to maximize the sharpness of your photos (use a tripod or monopod etc.). Then you will have more leeway to crop your photos.

Thanks a lot. yeah it seems these extenders don't help that much from what I read from your two responses... perhaps I'll just save the money, use what I have for now, and buy a real big lens (600 or something) when I can afford it then.

Thanks a lot for all your replies. They are all very helpful.

 

[Big Mike]

If you are into bird/wildlife photography, a very good lens is the 100-400mm F4-5.6 L. It's a big beast of a lens, but it's very sharp and has good reach.

If you want a 400mm, 500mm or 600mm lens, they are available and Canon makes some great ones, but they cost as much as a small car. :er:

 

[Taylor510ce]

I have that lens and use a kenko pro300 1.4x dgx...it work extremely well and will AF with decent light.

 

[Derrel]

The 1.4x lens extenders are the best choice for the minimum loss of light (1 f/stop of light loss with a 1.4x converter; 2 stops lost to a 2x converter), and for the best overall optical performance,with the least amount of drawbacks...

If one insists on using a 2x converter, then think about using it on what it was designed for--a PRIME lens, like the Canon 135mm f/2-L or 200mm f/2.8...on those lenses, the loss of light is not so darned critical, and the optics are so good to begin with that the loss of quality the 2x converter brings is not an absolute deal-breaker. A 1.4x converter is almost always going to produce better quality than a 2x converter would.

The way I look at it, the converter is sort of a hold-over from the days of slide film shooting, when there was no way to get a bigger image on film. Nowadays, we have computers and high-resolution d-slr's...you can crop-in at the computer now and do a better job than an average converter on an average lens. Today, we are our own darkroom workers, and crops are free!

 

[Taylor510ce]

The 1.4x lens extenders are the best choice for the minimum loss of light (1 f/stop of light loss with a 1.4x converter; 2 stops lost to a 2x converter), and for the best overall optical performance,with the least amount of drawbacks...

If one insists on using a 2x converter, then think about using it on what it was designed for--a PRIME lens, like the Canon 135mm f/2-L or 200mm f/2.8...on those lenses, the loss of light is not so darned critical, and the optics are so good to begin with that the loss of quality the 2x converter brings is not an absolute deal-breaker. A 1.4x converter is almost always going to produce better quality than a 2x converter would.

The way I look at it, the converter is sort of a hold-over from the days of slide film shooting, when there was no way to get a bigger image on film. Nowadays, we have computers and high-resolution d-slr's...you can crop-in at the computer now and do a better job than an average converter on an average lens. Today, we are our own darkroom workers, and crops are free!

But with the lens he wants to use it on, his picture is going to have better detail using a 1.4x than if he crops the shot, but I get what you are saying. I just don't want them to think cropping is just the same as being closer/zooming. Thats not always the case. I mean just look at the difference between a 50D crop and a 5D crop. Totally on the money for the 2x to 1.4x. I used to have the 2X but it was garbage, of course I didn't have top shelf glass to pair it with either.

 

[Mtalicarox]

If you are into bird/wildlife photography, a very good lens is the 100-400mm F4-5.6 L. It's a big beast of a lens, but it's very sharp and has good reach.

If you want a 400mm, 500mm or 600mm lens, they are available and Canon makes some great ones, but they cost as much as a small car. :er:

wow yeah.. 1600 bucks for that lens on amazon.. will definitely have to save up for that more.. or i could dip into the house savings... sigh. i'll have to wait.. yeah i looked at the 600 MM lens out there.. holy crap.. i could buy a second motorcycle for some of those prices.