Pros and cons Nikon Tele-extender
Sep 20, 2017 11:59:15 #
Hi all! I have heard competing opinions (imagine that!) on the use of tele-extenders as far as clarity, focus, noise, etc. are concerned I have a Nikon D7100 and use a Nikkor 80-400 4.5 for longer shots. Is there a decent extender (maybe 2x?) that will allow me to get those up-close-and-personal shots with some of the wildlife here in Montana while still maintaining a crisp, clean image? I would appreciate any input on this topic, and any recommendations on the appropriate extender, Nikon or other manufacturer (if appropriate) as I feel a GAS attack coming on! :-)
Sep 20, 2017 12:16:37 #
tommystrat wrote:
Hi all! I have heard competing opinions (imagine ... (show quote)
With the AF-S version of that lens, yes to a 1.4X TC, no to a 2X TC. With the older AF version forget a TC altogether.
Sep 20, 2017 12:17:08 #
Tommy, tele-extenders optically magnify the image coming through the lens. In doing so, they also diminish the amount of light coming through the lens. Both of these are related to the magnification power of the extender. They will not, inherently, increase noise, if you wish to call it that. All that being said, they will magnify any flaw the lens has by the factor of magnification. They will effectively reduce the speed of the lens by the magnification factor.
Thus, and to keep things simple, you have a 50mm f/1.4 lens. A 2x extender will effectively give you a 100mm f/2.8 lens. Any small optical flaw in that lens will also be double, as well.
--Bob
Thus, and to keep things simple, you have a 50mm f/1.4 lens. A 2x extender will effectively give you a 100mm f/2.8 lens. Any small optical flaw in that lens will also be double, as well.
--Bob
tommystrat wrote:
Hi all! I have heard competing opinions (imagine ... (show quote)
Sep 20, 2017 12:28:43 #
MT Shooter wrote:
With the AF-S version of that lens, yes to a 1.4X TC, no to a 2X TC. With the older AF version forget a TC altogether.
I have the AF version, so I guess that makes it a no-go, right?
Sep 20, 2017 12:29:48 #
Sep 20, 2017 12:45:14 #
tommystrat wrote:
I have the AF version, so I guess that makes it a no-go, right?
Yes, that lens is a mechanical screw drive AF system, Nikon never made a TC for that drive. There are aftermarket TC's that will drive it, but that lens will always be manual focus no matter what body you use it on with one of those old AF TC's.
Sep 20, 2017 13:09:15 #
it depend , if you are willing to manual focus [ imagine that ], there are some great older [ film era] lenses .i do only wildlife , i use 2 lenses . one 400 mm tokina , and a nikon nikkor 800mm f8 , a beast! .the 400 for flying stuff , and the 800 for tripod only .today , if i had to get something , the G2 tamron 150 / 600 would be it .
Sep 20, 2017 13:09:43 #
I have Nikon's 2X extender with their 80-400 zoom (newer version) lens. Using a tripod or mono pod, I have no problems with either my D4S or my D 200. Remember that a 2X extender doubles even the slightest camera shake.
Sep 20, 2017 13:27:29 #
tommystrat wrote:
Hi all! I have heard competing opinions (imagine ... (show quote)
No. The 80-400 is not great with a TC, especially if your camera does not support autofocus at F8. I believe your camera only supports the center focus point at F8. The 1.7x and 2.0x are definitely out of the question unless your subject is not moving and you are able to manually focus in a dark viewfinder.
The 1.4 does take a substantial toll on image quality, requiring extra measures like downsampling and careful application of post processing sharpening and noise reduction to produce a nice image.
You can read an in-depth review here:
https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-80-400mm-vr
If you have the older version of the 80-400, you can, like they say in Brooklyn, "fuggedaboudit" when it comes to AF performance, sharpness and contrast, even without a TC.
Sep 20, 2017 13:38:50 #
The point I'm making is that with a 2X extender, it will work on the newer version 80-400 Nikkor lens. What's wrong with people that they can't shut off auto focus, and focus manually? It's all about the shot, not if the lens will auto focus. Fuggedaboudit ! (Yes, I am from Brooklyn).
Sep 20, 2017 14:17:46 #
I use my Nikon 1.4 teleconverter with my Nikkor 200-500 zoom lens quite often with excellent results. I also use my Sigma 150-600 zoom lens with its matching 1.4 extender fairly often with excellent results.
I have used my Canon 2X extender with my Canon 400 f/5.6 on a tripod with a Polarie star tracker to make really nice images of distant star systems, galaxies and nebula.
Point is, when used correctly a tele extender can be a very useful tool. When not used correctly or as intended, a teleconverter will simply make crappy results even crappier but they will appear larger or closer. This is why the lens manufacturer like Canon or Nikon design their extenders so they will only work on certain lenses. Aftermarket manufacturers aren't as specific as Canon or Nikon and design most of their converters to fit on just about any lens it will mount to. End results are unpredictable.
I have used my Canon 2X extender with my Canon 400 f/5.6 on a tripod with a Polarie star tracker to make really nice images of distant star systems, galaxies and nebula.
Point is, when used correctly a tele extender can be a very useful tool. When not used correctly or as intended, a teleconverter will simply make crappy results even crappier but they will appear larger or closer. This is why the lens manufacturer like Canon or Nikon design their extenders so they will only work on certain lenses. Aftermarket manufacturers aren't as specific as Canon or Nikon and design most of their converters to fit on just about any lens it will mount to. End results are unpredictable.
Sep 20, 2017 16:37:31 #
torchman310 wrote:
The point I'm making is that with a 2X extender, it will work on the newer version 80-400 Nikkor lens. What's wrong with people that they can't shut off auto focus, and focus manually? It's all about the shot, not if the lens will auto focus. Fuggedaboudit ! (Yes, I am from Brooklyn).
I took that lens (VR version) to Yosemite the year it came out. I was not thrilled with the sharpness without a TC, on a D800. For wildlife the focusing screens are not adequate without a split prism or microprism, like we used to have with film cameras. So I will say that if you are trying to focus an 800mm lens with an opening of F11 and trying to shoot anything that moves and having a hard time, it's to be expected. And the results will not be great. On that trip I ended up using my 100-300 F4 which was considerably sharper, and without a TC.
However, if you have images you've taken with that combo, I'd love to see them. Hey,it won't be the first time I've been wrong. And besides, I could have had a bad copy of the lens . . .
The review in Photography Life, which came out after I borrowed the lens from Nikon, explained why I got those results. And I'm from Da Bronx - so you realize there is no emoji for the Bronx Cheer, but you know how that goes!
Sep 21, 2017 01:51:05 #
If you are using F 8 or more on a split screen, good luck. Those screens were not meant for much other than F 3.5 or F 4.5 but there are screens that were built for darker images.
Sep 21, 2017 05:39:17 #
billnikon
Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont
tommystrat wrote:
Hi all! I have heard competing opinions (imagine ... (show quote)
Pros, they are not good for IQ, cons, they are not good for IQ.
Sep 21, 2017 06:17:32 #
tommystrat wrote:
Hi all! I have heard competing opinions (imagine ... (show quote)
I use a Kenko 1.4TC occasionally. As the others said, it reduces light coming into the camera, but I've been pleased with the results.
https://smile.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kenko+1.4+nikon&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Akenko+1.4+nikon
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