Mileagemaker Loc: Jackson NJ

I have a Nikon Z-50 with a nikon 18-300.. looking for 600.. thoughts on an extender or a 600 telephoto. Thank you..

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

Extenders lose stops so need to consider that plus with dimmer light coming in auto focus may not work

Chicago312 Loc: Western suburb, Chicago

You might want to see if your particular 18-300 accepts a teleconverter/extender - not every lens does.

Right now, you have 450mm; for a 600mm equivalent lens, on a z-50, you could look into the 300mm f4 PF + 1.4x TC - that would give you a 630mm equivalent f5.6. Autofocus should work; total cost roughly about $2500 new.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

Optimize your lens' native IQ and CROP and use pixel enlargement software for larger printmaking if necessary. Forget the extender .....
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Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

Mileagemaker I not aware of any vendor who offers a 2X Teleconverter for the AF-S 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR.
I shot that lens for a while on my D7000 however after comparing the results to primes or 2X & 3X zoom optics I sold it. It's simply not capable of optical excellence across it's entire zoom range. Besides with a 1.4 Converter you're already at f/8... Not certain how the Z50 will handle that... Hopefully other Z50 users will sharing their wisdom here.

I have used the Kenkos 1.4 TELEPLUS PRO 300 DGX on several of my fast primes but again losing a stop of light is a trade off I am not thrilled to continue pursuing at this juncture. btw, Kenko states that it's 1.4 TELEPLUS PRO 300 DGX should only be used on optics greater than 100mm (not 18mm).

My question to you Mileagemaker for what mission do you feel you "need" a 600mm optic? On a crop body that is approaching 1000mm... Virtually useless hand held... Only with a gimble mount will you likely deploy it for moving subjects let alone BIF.

Best advice? Learn to work your 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR effectively.
You're already are at a 450mm angle of view. (See Below)

Bottom Line? Follow Robert Capa's advice... Get Closer
"If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough”

Best wishes for a Joyful Holiday Season Mileagemaker

AF-S 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6 ED VR Nikkor on a Nikon D7000 at 300mm (Angle of view 450mm)

(Download)

Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

You don't have a telephoto so a telephoto extender is not an option. You have a consumer grade zoom lens - and not designed for use with a tele extender. If you want 600mm and you have an adequate tripod and head to support it, and you want to retain auto focus and some semblance of image quality, and you want to be able to use the lens in a variety of lighting conditions, you're best bet is to get a 150-600mm zoom lens, which will be F6.3 at 600. Your current lens, if it were possible to physically attach a 2X tele extender to it, would be F13. With mirrorless you'll still be able to see an image, but that is not a lot of light, and you will likely have to use really high ISO (>6400), and manual focus, making it difficult to shoot anything but static subjects. And since the 18-300 is weakest at 300mm, you may not be satisfied with the result anyway. On the otherhand, a 150-600 will work just fine, and give you decent results, with full AF.

Extenders are generally intended for fast and sharp telephoto prime lenses and a very short list of fast full-frame zooms - like a 70-200 F2.8, 70-200 F4, 200-400 F4 - and this is for a 1.4X. The only three lenses that produce decent results with a 2X extender are the 200mmF2, 300mmF2.8 and the 400mmF2.8.

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

I have a Tamron 150-600 G2 and pretty happy. I was even told by Tamron customer support to avoid 600 if possible. Backing off even a little 500-550, would big a big help

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

If this is your AF-S lens Nikon does does not recommend any of there tele converters for it.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1045736-REG/nikon_2216_af_s_dx_18_300mm_f_3_5_5_6g.html?sts=pi&pim=Y

You can see what AF-S lenses are recommended here.
https://cdn-5.nikon-cdn.com/Assets/Common-Assets/Images/Teleconverter-Compatibility/EN_Comp_chart.html

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

I use a crop frame camera - I also use an extendable 400mm (Canon) prime lens ( 1.4X = 560mm) - this works very excellent for wildlife birds ! There are NO 400mm AF affordable extendable options for Nikon ! (or Sony)

The Tamron 100-400 may be your best affordable option - you may even get a Kenko 1.4X extender to work with it - also get the tripod collar to go with it.
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Mileagemaker Loc: Jackson NJ

Thanks so much for the info.

Mileagemaker Loc: Jackson NJ

Thanks for the info.

Mileagemaker Loc: Jackson NJ

Thanks so much for the info

Mileagemaker Loc: Jackson NJ

Thanks

Mileagemaker Loc: Jackson NJ

Thanks