school me on 2x Teleconverters please

shooting a nikon D80 for a few weeks now and was thinking about theses 2 times teleconverters......
it would go on my nikon 80-200F2.8 get get just a little more reach for wildlife photog.

if you use one or know about these feel free to chime in.
i am most woried about pic quality .
thanks :hail:

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I have the same lens and I bought a Kenco 2x teleconverter and their extention tube set. Using the teleconverter you drop 1 f-stop but I have seen no real loss in quality.

Mine is the Kenco Teleplus pro.

 

Here is an example of it at work.

 

Any glass you add will have an effect on the image recorded. The better the quality of the glass the less the effect . But the more money...
A 2X converter will also loose you 2 Stops in speed ( The f2.8 lens becomes an f5.6. I assume that the zoom loses some speed at the 200mm end and this is also repeated with the 2 stop loss. although you do have a good 400mm lens IF the light is good enough). I am also assuming that the D80 will give a 1.6 multiplication of the effect of the lens. So an 80 to 200 becomes a 128 to 320mm . Luckily the lens will retain its original speed on the camera and the quality of the lens is USUALLY better. This is because you only use the middle section of glass with the much narrower digital format. The lens is usually an 80 to 200 f2.8 to Something. as USUALLY with a zoom the tele end is slower than the wider end. But in essence you will get (With a 2 X tele) a 256mm to 640mm f5.6 (35mm film equivalent) with the best part of the optics being used...





This was a 300 mm on a 400D there for it is equivalent in 35mm Terms to a 480mm Add a 2X Teleconverter to this and it becomes in effect (In 35mm equivilents) 960mm ! ! !

 

The Nikkor we have is the same speed across the the whole range. (Yeah it's a beast) I was told by the camera shop that I deal with that the Kenco was only a one step reduction in f-stop. I will say this though turn off the auto focus it is unbearablly slow.

 

I am open to correction on this point , However , I believe that a 1.4 X teleconverter is a 1 stop reduction in speed . And a 2 X teleconverter is a 2 stop reduction.
specifically Nikkor lenses are something that I know little about, and my comments are based on my own experience, which is mainly of very old Minolta and Mamiya lenses. Although it has to be said that most zooms still trail off at the tele end . I would think that good quality ones (especially the shorter tele lengths), need not necessarily do so. And Nikkor have a reputation for good quality.
""I will say this though turn off the auto focus it is unbearablly slow.""
This will probably be due to the reduction in light.

 

2x = 2 stop loss... guy at the camera shop either knows a secret or doesn't know his stuff... I'd vote for the latter

I know the nikkor 2x works well with AF but it's not cheap.

 

I'd vote for maybe I translated it wrong or had a bout of old timers
disease. :bounce: The guys I deal with are top notch.:thumbup:

 

For whoever says an 80-200mm f/2.8 is slower at the tele end doesn't know how to read ht elens name. Lenses that are slower at the end tell you buy giving 2 aperture values such as the 18-55mm f/3.5-f/5.6. If there is only one max aperture value, then it is constant. that is moderately fast glass and good for a 200mm tele, so I'd say a 1.4x teleconverter would'nt be unbearable, and you would get some good shots out of it. Beware of camera shake with such a long focal length equivalent.

 

so if I am shooting in the middle of the day it would not madder that I lost a couple of f stops....?right? because there would be enough light...unless I was wanting to freeze action.
so it might be a good way to get some more reach w/ this lens.
don't want to be too close to a grizzly bear just out of hibernation...LOL

 

I won't use it without at least a monopod.

Two things the focus is slower even in broad daylight, I believe it is an electronics issue. and here is a link for you one the lenes in question.

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=5&productNr=1986

 

Don't forget you do not only get a 2 stop loss but you also double your focal length. So if the lighting was only good enough for a 1/300 at 200mm (limit according to the hand held rule) you get 1/75 at 400mm with a 2 stop loss with a 2x multiplier which is a 4 times worse since you now need to hold it twice as steady to reduce shake.