nikon 300 mm prime lens with teleconverter

bs0604

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This may have been covered in a prior thread but I cant find it. If I get a 300 mm lens and a nikon teleconverter, what are the downsides comapred to longer, more expensive lens without the need of the teleconverter. Does the teleconverter still allow for autofocusing and all the other features of the 300 mm lens?
 
A TC-e would but you'd need the 300mm f2.8 since the teleconverter also multiplies the lens' aperture value as well and your camera will have a hard time focusing the closer you get to f8 and after f8- forget it.

For instance an f4 lens with a 2X converter becomes f8.
 
the teleconverter also multiplies the lens' aperture value as well and your camera will have a hard time focusing the closer you get to f8 and after f8- forget it.

For instance an f4 lens with a 2X converter becomes f8.
Which is why the slow zooms won't even mount up to a Nikon TC.

Yes, less light can affect the autofocus, and putting more glass between the lens and sensor can degrade the image.
 
Using any teleconverter is going to cause some amount of loss in image quality. How much depends on the quality of the lens as well as the quality of the teleconverter. In addition, as was mentioned, a teleconverter will also cause a corresponding decrease in maximum aperture. Most cameras will not autofocus well at apertures greater than f/5.6. It all depends on the body though. Some will, some won't.

If you have a good body the increase in magnification is sometimes offset by using the native focal length of the lens and cropping more. I occasionally use a 1.4x teleconverter with my 150-500mm f/5-6.3 lens (maximum aperture at 500mm is f/9.0 and yes it does autofocus). I certainly get more magnification, but at the cost of slightly lower image quality. Alternatively I can just use the 500 and crop more. Sometimes one way works better, sometimes the other way works better.

Which is why the slow zooms won't even mount up to a Nikon TC.
Actually it's because the rear element of the lens can hit the front element of the teleconverter. I use a Kenko Pro 300 teleconverter frequently with my 70-300 that will not work with a Nikon TC.
 
I've just purchased the nikon 300mm f2.8 vrII after previously trying the sigma 300mm f2.8. I've only got the nikon 1.7 tc, it gives phenomenal results, and I'm hoping phenomenal muscles too! It weighs a ton!

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I've just purchased the nikon 300mm f2.8 vrII after previously trying the sigma 300mm f2.8. I've only got the nikon 1.7 tc, it gives phenomenal results, and I'm hoping phenomenal muscles too! It weighs a ton!

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

Yup my Tokina 300 F2.8 weighs 6 pounds also. I've only had it a few weeks, but the arms are gretting bigger, lol... Maybe I can get another picture like this in a few months and compare the difference...
 
How about putting a TC-20EIII on my Nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 lens? It would doube the focal length? of the lens and although I would lose 2 f stops I would still be at 5.6.
 
I have the 70-200 F2.8 VRII and when I tried it with the TC-20EIII, it was pretty ugly with softness. I now use it with the TC-17EII, and it's very acceptable.
 
Nikon TC-20E III Review

good discussion regarding this issue.
interesting to read cowleystjames' experience in light of the discusison in this link.
 
I've not been satisfied with the results from my 70-200 + 1.7x (I don't have the 2x so I can't comment on that) I love the lens bare, but before I got my super tele's I was using it with the 1.7x and most of the time I didn't like it. IQ was decreased noticably, maybe I'm just picky, but I really haven't liked the results from a TC on any zoom lens, they're made for the faster primes anyways, put one on something like a 200f2 or 300f2.8 or 400f2.8 and they do really well, the 1.7 and 2x will suffer on slower than 2.8, but I've used the 1.7x on my 600f4 and got some good shots, but the light has to be good, and the mount has to be exceedingly stable, if I use a TC with the 600f4, its usually the 1.4x which it works very well with. however my 300 2.8 takes both my 1.4 and 1.7x beautifully, and it is supposed to work exceptionally well with the 2x too. all the 300 2.8 versions over the years are phenominal quality. the 300 f4 is also supposed to be good with the 1.4x however I hear that the AF performance leaves much to be desired. (note: all my experience and comments is about nikon brand lenses and TC's, I haven't tried the third party superteles or TC's)
 
Do you think that there are varying standard's of vc's or is it people's standard's? Reasoning is, so many different reports of how people are finding the results of these things in daily use.
My 1.7 is fantastic with both Nikon 300mm f2.8 vrII and 70-200 f2.8 vrII but not the TC 2.0 III. I wonder if the one I tried was duff?

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4
 
Do you think that there are varying standard's of vc's or is it people's standard's? Reasoning is, so many different reports of how people are finding the results of these things in daily use.
My 1.7 is fantastic with both Nikon 300mm f2.8 vrII and 70-200 f2.8 vrII but not the TC 2.0 III. I wonder if the one I tried was duff?

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4
I'm not sure what "VC's" are (did you mean "TC's"?) however there are most assuredly differing grades of teleconverters. I have two Kenko TC's, one is a 2x "Standard" and the other is a 1.4x "Pro". The 2x "Standard" is utterly unusable on anything I own. The resultant IQ is so bad that the images are just plain unusable for anything. On the other hand, the 1.4x "Pro" works very well with every lens I own, including my 150-500 Sigma. Degradation of the IQ is barely noticeable up to around 400mm on that lens and from 400 to 500 is not at all bad as long as I have enough light to get a decent shutter speed.

In addition I do agree that people's standards come into play a great deal. Some people are willing to accept more loss in IQ than others are to get the additional reach.
 
Ha yes, did mean TC (blasted autocorrect!) but specifically Nikon.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4
 
Phhh wimps


Lol jk
 

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