Extenders ? Hello Friends, I'm needing to invest in a canon 2x extender and am wondering if anyone who has experience with canon extenders can shed light on which one? Canon makes 2x...

ken wayne Loc: Ozarks

Hello Friends,
I'm needing to invest in a canon 2x extender and am wondering if anyone who has experience with canon extenders can shed light on which one? Canon makes 2x ...... 2x 11........2x 111
Does anyone know .....is there detectable differences in image quality between them?
I'll use them on a canon 100-400 zoom shooting Bald Eagles and need more zoom length.
I welcome all input....... Thanks...Ken

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

ken wayne wrote:

Hello Friends,
I'm needing to invest in a canon 2x extender and am wondering if anyone who has experience with canon extenders can shed light on which one? Canon makes 2x ...... 2x 11........2x 111
Does anyone know .....is there detectable differences in image quality between them?
I'll use them on a canon 100-400 zoom shooting Bald Eagles and need more zoom length.
I welcome all input....... Thanks...Ken

Canon's 2x extender is not recommended for use on that lens.
You will lose AF and IQ will suffer even if you try using MF.

You will also lose AF if you try Canon's 1.4 on that lens but IQ will be better.

I use a 1.4 III with a Canon 300 f4 on a 7D every day with what I feel are excellent results. Feel free to check out my wildlife photo blog for hundreds of examples of how that combo works.

The extenders in general are best used on prime lenses f4 or faster.

ken wayne Loc: Ozarks

I appreciate your input and advice regarding your experience with canon extenders but I tried canon 1.4 extender and it didn't give me the push I needed to capture the eagles. With only 300 mm lens are you getting the reach you need? Are you doing a lot of cropping to make up the difference?
Thanks.... Ken

Haydon

IMO the 100-400 doesn't fair well when used with that extender. Your quality drops too much with a 2X and would require live view focusing.

Extenders work much better when someone uses a prime lens F4 or wider instead.

mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

With a 2x extender your maximum aperture will be f9. Your camera will not autofocus at f9 so you will have a clumsy time trying to photograph eagles with manual focus. Of course we used to do it before AF lenses came on the market. But you'll have to learn a whole new way of shooting.

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

ken wayne wrote:

I appreciate your input and advice regarding your experience with canon extenders but I tried canon 1.4 extender and it didn't give me the push I needed to capture the eagles. With only 300 mm lens are you getting the reach you need? Are you doing a lot of cropping to make up the difference?
Thanks.... Ken

Well that's the thing about shooting wildlife, it often depends on how close you get to the subjects or how close they come to you.
There is no cheap easy way to get great shots of far off wildlife, especially not action shots.

I'm lucky in that of lot of the birds and other wildlife I photograph is often fairly close to me. In fact many times I'm cutting off wing tips and feet on birds that come in so close I'm choked with too much glass even using only a 300.
Other times I could certainly use more reach. Such was the situation this afternoon with this bald eagle.
Check out my post for today:
http://phillanoue.com/2014/03/02/nice-day-for-sitting-and-flying/

These are crops and I would have liked the bird to be closeer to me or have a longer lens, but so it goes in nature.
There were other times where an eagle in a situation like this flew right in at me and I wished I had the 70-200 on.
Ya never know.

bull drink water Loc: pontiac mi.

check with canon as to lens compatability. check with utube "lenses for wildlife and outdoor shooting" the use of extenders was in the forefront.

steve boon Loc: Marietta, OK

Hello Ken,

I have the 100-400mm lens on a Canon T2i. I have the 2X Canon Extender and a Kenco 1.4 Extender. Like everyone says, the 2X has no AF and f/9 is the best you can get. I use it with a tripod for the still work. However, the Kenko 1.4 you will not lose AF and yes you will lose 1 stop. The 1.4 I leave on the lens. Here's a couple of photos 100 ft. or so away.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

With the Canon 100-400, the preferred TC to use is the Kenko or Tamron 1.4 because Canon's TC's are optimised for prime lenses. There are differences in Canon's I, II, and II series TC's as measured in a lab - but my personal opinion is between the I and the III you could probably see some difference but between the I and the II and between the II and the III you will be hard pressed to SEE. Doing what you want, you would be better off with the new Tamron 150-600 OR, the Canon 400 5.6 with Canon 1.4X. Your sucess will be somewhat determined by what body you are using also .....

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

ken wayne wrote:

Hello Friends,
I'm needing to invest in a canon 2x extender and am wondering if anyone who has experience with canon extenders can shed light on which one? Canon makes 2x ...... 2x 11........2x 111
Does anyone know .....is there detectable differences in image quality between them?
I'll use them on a canon 100-400 zoom shooting Bald Eagles and need more zoom length.
I welcome all input....... Thanks...Ken

Ken, I have never used a 2x, but also want to try one. Read the reviews at," the digital picture", then decide. Not many have actually used one. Personally, with a 1.4, I see virtually no IQ loss unless I pixel peep, and then I have to look pretty hard.
With the 1.4x you have to tape the pins to AF. I don't know if that works on the 2x, as I've never heard of anyone of trying it.
Give it a go, and let us know. I would use a ll, but if the lll is not too pricey, get it. It's optimized for the newer mkll lenses but does have a special coating to keep it clean.
Is a not so perfect shot, better than nobshot at all? Are you using a crop camera? If not, you can get an old 7d for just slightly more. Good luck. ;-)
SS

RRS Loc: Not sure

ken wayne wrote:

Hello Friends,
I'm needing to invest in a canon 2x extender and am wondering if anyone who has experience with canon extenders can shed light on which one? Canon makes 2x ...... 2x 11........2x 111
Does anyone know .....is there detectable differences in image quality between them?
I'll use them on a canon 100-400 zoom shooting Bald Eagles and need more zoom length.
I welcome all input....... Thanks...Ken

Hi Ken, well the 2x series III are designed for the newer 300mm/f2.8 up through the 800mm. A 2x II on your lens at 400mm would give you an f/11 and the 1.4 would give you an aperture of f/8.0. I don't know what body you are using but a 7D would give you a crop factor of x 1.6. The older extenders could be stacked but not with the new ones. ALSO check on the Canon page as to what lenses can be used with their extenders. Good luck. We're all looking for a longer lens!

Swamp Gator Loc: Coastal South Carolina

imagemeister wrote:

OR, the Canon 400 5.6 with Canon 1.4X.

Yeah I'd stay away from that combo.
You lose AF which is often critical for BIF and other action, plus you are starting at f8 right off the bat. Not good.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Swamp Gator wrote:

Yeah I'd stay away from that combo.
You lose AF which is often critical for BIF and other action, plus you are starting at f8 right off the bat. Not good.

He is trying to get to 800mm ! ( 2X on a 100-400 ) which will be manual focus on ANY camera - which we really do not know what body he has. At least with the 400 5.6 +1.4X you get reasonably good IQ , manual focus OR auto focus with 6D, 5D III ect. I consider it the best option for an under $2000 CANON system to get you past 500mm. - Are you doing BIF with it ? -possible, but NOT probable !

raysass Loc: Brooklin, On, Canada.

SharpShooter wrote:

Ken, I have never used a 2x, but also want to try ... (show quote)

SS, could you explain "taping the pins". Thanks,Ray.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

raysass wrote:

SS, could you explain "taping the pins". Thanks,Ray.

Ray, if you google "taping the pins on the canon 100-400", a site will come up that shows exactly how to do it. You tape the pins on the converter. If you do not share the converter, with say a 70-200, you can leave them taped permanently. I've used a small piece of scotch tape and it never falls of, no matter how many times I take the converter on and off. It's very easy to do in minutes, but you loose some of the reporting data, which is just for your own history of the shots. Let me know if you need more. It works very well.
What I want To know, is if it works with a 2x!, because I want to get one.
Good luck. ;-)
SS