Canon 2x converter - any good?

wippers

wippers

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Gareth
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Having sold my Canon 400mm F5.6 to help fund a new bike, I find I'm missing the focal length it offered with pin sharp images. I still have a Canon 300mm F4 and am thinking about getting a Canon 2x converter to increase it's length. I've done a search on here but not found the answer, so my questions are:

Does the auto focus still work with the 2x converter?
If so, does it effect the focus speed?
How good are the converters at maintaining image quality?
Are the Sigma equivalents any good?

Thanks for looking

Gareth
 
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wippers said:
Having sold my Canon 400mm F5.6 to help fund a new bike, I find I'm missing the focal length it offered with pin sharp images. I still have a Canon 300mm F4 and am thinking about getting a Canon 2x converter to increase it's length. I've done a search on here but not found the answer, so my questions are:

Does the auto focus still work with the 2x converter?
If so, does it effect the focus speed?
How good are the converters at maintaining image quality?
Are the Sigma equivalents any good?

Thanks for looking

Gareth
Click to expand...
AF will only work on a 1 series Camera as you lose 2 stops with a 2x tc (f4 + 2 stops = f8). You would also take a fair IQ hit. In general 2x tc only work well on f2.8 lenses.
Why not just get a 1.4x tc which will give you AF and 420mm/5.6 - AF speed will be slower and IQ will not be as good as the bare 400/5.6 but is usable.
 
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Roy C said:
AF will only work on a 1 series Camera as you lose 2 stops with a 2x tc (f4 + 2 stops = f8). You would also take a fair IQ hit. In general 2x tc only work well on f2.8 lenses.
Why not just get a 1.4x tc which will give you AF and 420mm/5.6 - AF speed will be slower and IQ will not be as good as the bare 400/5.6 but is usable.
Click to expand...

Cheers Roy. It's the image quality which I don't want to lose so perhaps the x2 is not the right way to go. I can see me replacing the 400mm F5.6 at this rate! :bonk:
It was a super sharp lens.
 
wippers said:
Cheers Roy. It's the image quality which I don't want to lose so perhaps the x2 is not the right way to go. I can see me replacing the 400mm F5.6 at this rate! :bonk:
It was a super sharp lens.
Click to expand...
I had the 400/5.6 for several years before upgrading to the 300/2.8 (which does take a 2x tc very well). I have now sold the 300 and may well go back to the little 400/5.6 if I get a hankering for bird photography again.
 
Roy C said:
I had the 400/5.6 for several years before upgrading to the 300/2.8 (which does take a 2x tc very well). I have now sold the 300 and may well go back to the little 400/5.6 if I get a hankering for bird photography again.
Click to expand...

Yeah the 300 F2.8 or even the 400 F2.8 are what I aim to get when finances allow. I do quite a lot of low level aircraft stuff so the extra reach with a 2x on the 400 would give me a whole new world of angles to go at.
 
The 300f4 works quite happily with a Kenko 1.4 TC ( mine did anyway) and you get 420mm f5.6 ( with IS if its on the 300)
 
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