OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

There is so much improvement In the G2, completely redesigned, you would not know the G1 is even related.

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

"Crisper edge delineation" means sharper focus.
I won't repeat, "you get what you pay for."
Thanks for the good example of why to pay more.

armandoluiz Loc: Oppland, Norway

But when I get what I pay for then has to be a big difference between G1 and a TC right?

armandoluiz Loc: Oppland, Norway

What about the Sigma that costs almost the same as the G1?

alfeng Loc: Out where the West commences ...

ABSOLUTELY ...

And, in a perfect world, we would all have Leitz/Leica and/or Nikkor/Nikon lenses to use ... and/or some Zuiko/Olympus & some Canon lenses, too ...

... But, not everyone has the deep pockets which many UHHers have.

So, I took these two pictures this morning -- still without a tripod due to the lack of a tripod socket on the lens (again, a HUGE limitation) -- with the camera body precariously balanced on a fence post (which is certainly a little more stable than a branch which can be readily manipulated ) ... camera movement and/or vibration are the bane of crisper images AND a good tripod would help immensely with both holding the camera steady AND maintaining the focus when the depth of field is so limited.

I presumed that the lowly 300mm PROMASTER (!) f/5.6 lens should be able to do a little better with the 7-element 'VIVITAR 2X Macro Focusing Teleconverter' than the intial test image; so, here are two additional examples shot at f/8 (effectively f/16) ... distance was roughly 1.9 meters (remember, the particular 2x has a "macro focusing" helicoid mechanism) ... multiplied x2 and effectively a 1200mm lens on a Full Frame camera ... so a sturdy tripod would be very beneficial!

The only Post Production was to 'Auto Adjust" the color using IRFANVIEW because the original images were at least one F-stop too dim.

EXIF indicates ISO 1600 ...
Lens aperture set to f/8 (effectively f/16) ...

* Arbor Vitae shutter speed == 1/30th of a second ...
* Loacker Quadratini cookie package shutter speed == 1/60th of a second ...

The Arbor Vitae 'needles' are obviously 3-Dimensional ... who knows if I was even pointing the camera at the cluster which I originally tried to focus on?!?

The captured portion of the 'cookie package' is approximately 8.9cm x 7.0cm (3.5" x 2.75") ... the package was propped up on one of the Arbor Vitae's branches, so it isn't perfectly planar to the camera's film plane ... I tried to maintain focus on the package's lettering ("BITE SIZE WAFER COOKIES").

While I continue to believe that a 2x teleconverter is a great addition to one's horde of camera equipment, if you are planning on doing a lot of 'long distance' shooting than a PRIME telephoto lens will probably be something to add to your shopping list ...

... Because, you don't want to be limited by the amount of available light

... And, shooting at f/16-or-f/22 clearly places a lot of demands on the shutter speed & ISO

FYI. Although using a pre-set lens is not as convenient as a lens which has an automatic-diaphragm mechanism, they are not difficult to use ... traditionally, you take a light meter reading, set the pre-set ring, focus the camera (on a tripod), rotate the aperture setting ring to the pre-set position, and then take the picture. So, I may be beating-a-dead-horse, but because you want to limit your expenses I strongly recommend that in addition to a 7-element 2x teleconverter (probably, < $30 {barely used}) that you put a 400mm-or-500mm pre-set telephoto lens (probably, < $100 {new}) on your shopping list rather than buying an auto-this-and-that Zoom lens.

1/30th of a second ... auto color corrected

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1/60th of a second ... auto color corrected

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r.grossner Loc: Rockford IL & Sarasota FL

The G2 is much improved over the G1. The G1 was soft at 500-600mm. For me the extra $$ was worth it. I tested the Tamron G1, G2 and Sigma C on my own D750 body. This shot of an Osprey landing in the nest at the end of the street on Easter Sunday was hand held @ 1/2000 f/6.3 600mm ISO720 with the G2.

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Blenheim Orange Loc: Michigan

Many have given good advice, but I am not sure they have answered your question. You say this is a hobby, you say that you don't want to spend $1000, and you say you want to get shots of wildlife at a distance.

I think that a compact superzoom camera is the solution. I use the Canon SX50. Attached is a sample image. The problem of sufficient reach is solved; the problem of a small budget is solved. Whether or not the image quality is adequate is another question. Could I get a better quality image of that oriole with my full frame DSLR and a long lens? Yes.

Here is Marion Stokes on the SX50:

http://stokesbirdingblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/canon-sx-50-hs-for-bird-photography-i.html

Here is a good article that also talks about the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200 and the Nikon Coolpix P520.

http://www.wildlife-pictures-online.com/top-superzooms-for-wildlife.html

Mike

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armandoluiz Loc: Oppland, Norway

Very good Mike, I'll check it out soon, thank you so much.