Do you use a Nikon 70-200 and 1.7x Teleconverter ?

ianbarber

ianbarber

Messages
882
Name
Ian
Edit My Images
Yes
Sorry that this is another TC question but before laying out £303, i just wanted to make sure I am doing the right thing.

I own 2 bodies, D300 and D700 and for small wildlife subjects, I just do not seem to have the reached even after they have been cropped.

I understand all the stuff about loosing 1.5 stops of light but my may question is, Can you actually notice a difference when using the TC as apose to without it.

Ian
 
Notice a difference to what?

Focal length - 1.7x makes a big difference. Think about how 200mm on your D700 increases when you put it on you D300 and that's 1.5x so the effect will be a little more than that.

Image quality - I have the 1.7x TC and Nikon AF-S 300mm F4 which is a pretty well regarded lens although probably not as highly rated as the 70-200mm. Image quality inevitably degrades a bit. This is unavoidable. The images are still more than usable however.

A TC is a very affordable and versatile way of extending your focal length limitations. I'm quite happy with my 1.7x TC (It's the Nikon AF-S TC-17EII if you're wondering).
 
That's correct.

Below are 100% crops of two images I took when I first got my lens and TC. Both were shot as JPEG and have had no PP other than to resize the canvas. Left is without TC and right is with TC.



Not an ideal subject to test on and probably emphasises the impact of a TC but regardless you can see that the left gets much closer than a tighter crop would allow whilst maintaining more detail. Remember these are 100% crops.

Edit: OK so after making the statement above I decided to crop the image without TC down to show the same amount of flower than increased the size to 800 x 600 pixels. Here's what came up:


Make your own mind up. After that I don't know what to think :thinking: There's a slight difference in focus I think which makes it hard to tell. The left petal in the resized version looks sharper but the stamen on the one with the TC looks better. Either way the margin isn't as big as I'd hoped.
 
TC's on the 70-200... hmmm desperation only in my book.

The main problem is that the 70-200 VR is such a peach of a lens, taking stuff away from it with the 1.7x always seems such a crime.

My number one tip would be consider exactly why you need the TC... my number two tip would be to buy a 300 F4 instead!

I carried my 70-200 around at MotoGP on Saturday and with my 1.7x TC in my pocket... never felt the need to stick it on and loose the quality...

The 1.7x I do use - but with the 300 f4.
 
I use the 1.7 TC on the 70-200 and think it's OK. But I NEVER shoot wide open with the TC attached. As I recall F6.3 is regarded as the largest aperture you should use to get decent IQ when using the 1.7 TC and 70-200 combo :)

I read an interesting test on the subject - I'll see if I can find it :)
 
No, definitely come down at least one stop from the 1.5 that it adds anyway. F6.3 sounds about right.
 
ryanyboy said:
Here's the article I was thinking of. Don't say I don't do anything for you TPers!!

http://zaps21.com/photo/TC17tests/TC17tests.htm

BTW - I've forgotten something - how do I make the above link just say "here" like some of you bright sparks do??
Click to expand...

After you've clicked on the hyperlink button on the toolbar and inserted the URL a section of the code will be highlighted. That highlighted section can be renamed to anything and the URL link is embedded into that text.
 
ianbarber said:
Thanks for all the comments and input

I have weighed up the pros and cons and have decided to give it ago. I have orded the TC and it will be here tomorrow. Will let you know how I get on.

I may end up saving up for the 300 f4
Click to expand...

Good choice.

The great thing about the TC is the versatility. I don't just use it on my 300mm F4 but also on my 105mm macro. It's a great way to get closer than 1:1 and doesn't come at the sacrifice of minimum focusing distance and infinity focus unlike extension tubes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top