70-200L 2.8 sports/bokeh question.

Robbo

Robbo

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Right....basically I am happy with my 70-300mm, in terms of the quality I can get from it, but whats really bugging me is the bokeh I cant get, and really want.

So, if I was to get the 70-200 2.8, and set it to F4, as that looks like the sharpest setting....would that give me good bokeh, or would it need to be set wide open?

I am just wondering if I will miss the extra reach, as I find my self cropping in a bit now.

Is the 1.4x an option or will that cancel out the bokeh effect?

many thanks
 
with the 1.4x on, makes it to an F4, does that mean to get the same quality you need to step down to 5.6......as I would from 2.8 to 4 without the converter? make sense? lol
 
As long as you use the L series converter the lens will still operate at its sweet spot. I've noticed that using anything other than the Nikon converters on mine makes the edges softer. Same with the Canon lenses I've tried on a 5Dmkii. Stick with the 1.4 as it's the best converter in both Nikon and Canon that I have come across.
 
So with the 1.4 I should still be able to shoot at F4 which would give the same sweet spot without the 1.4?

thanks for the help mate btw
 
Robbo said:
So with the 1.4 I should still be able to shoot at F4 which would give the same sweet spot without the 1.4?

thanks for the help mate btw
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Not a prob

And yes in my case there is very little difference using the lens at F4 alone or with the 1.4 hence why I have no worries with compromise when using the 1.4 :thumbs:

However my 2.0 converter now sits in its box having only been out twice... It's that bad :( DARN NIKON
 
Afaik, all 2x converters suck, to some degree. Can't polish a turd!
 
To be honest, the 70-200mm 2.8 doesn't like extenders, 1.4x or the 2x.

Image quality suffers.
 
I have a kenko DGX 1.4x extender that I use on my 80-200 2.8L. While there is a very slight drop in IQ it's not much, in fact unless you get into some serious pixel peeping you really can't tell.

The 80-200 is just the older version of the 70-200 and I find that the bokeh when set at f4 with the extender is pretty much spot on for sports.
 
Mud said:
The Nikon 70-200/2.8 with TC14EII is generally considered to be no loss of quality. Whether that's only true on a 12MP sensor might be another issue.
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I've tried the combo on a D3 and it's still good can't even notice the vignetting that is claimed the dig every shot in the VR1 :shake:

Andy_S_T said:
I have a kenko DGX 1.4x extender that I use on my 80-200 2.8L. While there is a very slight drop in IQ it's not much, in fact unless you get into some serious pixel peeping you really can't tell.

The 80-200 is just the older version of the 70-200 and I find that the bokeh when set at f4 with the extender is pretty much spot on for sports.
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I agree that you'd have to really peek to see a difference or crop to a level that would mean you should have a 200-400 in the first place!
 
I have this lens and I have tried it with the extenders, image quality is not great.

I don't know why.

Clicky Here
 
Firstly, the 70-200 2.8 should give you beautifully sharp photos at f/2.8 - that's what it's designed to do.

Robbo said:
So with the 1.4 I should still be able to shoot at F4 which would give the same sweet spot without the 1.4?
Click to expand...

Not quite - with the 1.4x on the lens will be wide open at what would be f/2.8, and the converter then takes another stop off the light transmission making what hits your sensor f/4. You'd need to set the aperture to f/5.6 with the 1.4x on in order to have the lens aperture blades in the same place as they would be for f/4.0 without the extender.

Also, the quality of bokeh depends on how close you are to the subject. Zoomed to 200mm and 10 feet from the subject with the background a long way off will give you much more blurred background compared to being at 70mm with the subject further away. Check www.dofmaster.com for info on this.

What you really need is a 300 2.8 :D
 
Buying a 70-200 f/2.8 and then using it at f/4 is like buying a Ferrari and only driving it at 30mph.

It should give you sharp pictures at 2.8 which is what it's designed to do.
 
jamesb84 said:
Buying a 70-200 f/2.8 and then using it at f/4 is like buying a Ferrari and only driving it at 30mph.

It should give you sharp pictures at 2.8 which is what it's designed to do.
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Indeed.

The question about bokeh is also a moot point.

You will get the thrown out of focus effect when you have a narrow depth of field and a background way outside of it.

At what point you get this is entirely dependent on distances.

Go have a look at a depth of field calculator and play with the numbers and see what you get.
 
Bokeh from my 5D2 and Canon EF 70-200/2.8 IS at 200mm, f/2.8 vs 280mm, f/4 using a Kenko 1.4X, taken from an identical tripod position.

20100505_100644_3308_LR.jpg
20100505_100803_3309_LR.jpg


BTW, the lens is soft wide open at 200mm, even when focused perfectly. I guess that's one reason behind the release of the MK II version.
 
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