2X & 1.4X

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Sarie

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Sarie
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I received my lens the Sigma 50-500, when ordering it was recommended to buy the 2X & 1.4X converters with it. I did so, tried the lens with and without while looking through the camera in terms of distance could not make the difference in result.

Can anyone shed some light on the actual benefit of these two converters. BTW they were not cheap at all. When I decided to buy them it was that I can double the power of my 50-500.:bonk:
 
There should be a noticable difference even with the 1.4x. I assume you tried looking through the lens an similar focal lengths? I.e. lens at say 200mm and then again at 200mm with the TCs attached?

On a side note @500mm with a 2xTC attached on a crop body will be circa 1500mm which is going to gobble light and almost certainly require a tripod for all but the brightest conditions. Just checking you're aware of that. :)
 
What camera do you have and what converters? Your Sigma lens with a Sigma 2x converter will be double but a very slow and very dark f12.6 that will only manual focus. It should be very easiy to see the diference from with it ti without.
 
Sarie said:
I received my lens the Sigma 50-500, when ordering it was recommended to buy the 2X & 1.4X converters with it. Can anyone shed some light on the actual benefit of these two converters. BTW they were not cheap at all. When I decided to buy them it was that I can double the power of my 50-500.:bonk:
Click to expand...

If this recommendation was made by an assistant in a camera shop, they should be shot......

You have a 50-500mm f4-6.3 lens, which is seriously slow to focus. By adding a TC to this lens, no autofocus and an even slower lens requiring very good light to get good images. The TC's will significantly reduce the performance of your lens.

Adding a 1.4x TC (you lose 1 f-stop of light) would create a 70-700mm f5.6-8 lens

Adding a 2x TC (you would lose 2 f-stops of light) would create a 100-1000mm f8-16

F-stops are 1, 1,4, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22
The fractional stops .....f/4.5, f/5, f/5.6, f/6.3, f/7.1, f/8, etc.
They are called fractional stops because they are 1/3 and 1/2 of a f-stops) if I've understood it right

Personally I would return the TC's and get your money back
 
Thank you all for the information and feedback provided, I wish I had some of this insight before the purchase, probably I would not have ordered at least one of them at USD 280 each.

My SLR is a Sony Alpha 380 (I am knew to this), the TCs were recommended electronically by the system when I was confirming the order, read some of the reviews and they seemed positive from a read.

The TCs are also Sigma and as mentioned earlier a 1.4x and a 2x. The purpose was to double the power of my lenses, which I discovered they only work with the 50-500.

My kit is as follows:

Sony Alpha 380
18-55 Sony Lens
55-200 Sony Lens
70-300 Sigma Lens
18-250 Sigma Lens
50-500 Sigma Lens
the two TCs 1.4x & 2x
Sony 49 Flash
DSLR1 Sony Remote Control (only thing to replicate a shutter release controller for the 380).
a Monopod and a Tripod.
 
I use a 1.4 with my 150-500 Sigma and it works fine, agreed you need good light and it is manual focus, but for birds when the subject is just that bit too far away being able to increase the focal length is useful. This is a shot with a 1.4 attached. I wish I had a 2x as well at times :)

http://SPAM/c3whur/7Dtest/Img_0165c.jpg
 
Yep, you are correct in saying that out of all your lenses, the 50-500mm is the only 1 compatible with the sigma TC's. If you intend keeping them, then have a look at the link below, it list all sigma's compatible lenses.

http://www.sigma-photo.co.jp/english/support/faq/condaitr.htm

Not saying the 50-500mm isn't a good lens, on a tripod, with good light it can produce some good results, check out the thread, some better examples that the one posted above, sorry artyman, but a TC will severely effect performance.

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=147159&highlight=50-500mm
 
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