Nikon D810 with 300/2.8 and 20 TC III fitted

merv

merv

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Mervyn
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Looking for comments on the image quality with this combination.
Spent 2 days at the weekend shooting the local airshow and due to the distance the aircraft stood off the shore (prob as a result of the recent Hunter accident) I found it necessary to use the 300/2.8 and 20TC III for single aircraft. Used shutter speed of at least 1/1250 and I feel all results are a bit soft. My D810 is very new. Have owned the D3s and D4 and feel the results with this lens combo were generally sharper with my previous cameras. Is this my imagination or has anybody had similar experiences?
merv
 
microfocus adjustment required?

Or alternatively downsize your D810 photos to 16mp and see if there's still a difference
 
I would doubt it was a failing in the D810 and the 300 f2.8 is about the best of the telephotos for taking TC's, including the 2x ... I suspect Mark may have come near to the answer :)
 
Hi Mark I also feel as well as Gramps that the D4s is the one for action stuff. How are you getting on with it? I know the 810 is great for landscapes and so on but I just feel it maybe isn't the one for planes, sports etc despite what Ken Rockwell says!!
 
I've not used this combo but found the 20TCE III disappointing on the 70-200mm VRII mounted to my D750 in terms of softness. I'm glad I only hired it and afterwards went out and bought the Tamron 150-600mm and get much better results.
 
merv said:
Hi Mark I also feel as well as Gramps that the D4s is the one for action stuff. How are you getting on with it? I know the 810 is great for landscapes and so on but I just feel it maybe isn't the one for planes, sports etc despite what Ken Rockwell says!!
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To be honest that due to the state of the birds after nesting( moulting) then i havent photographed them. Nothing fast moving except Puffins and i was trying out ALL the focus settings tge camera has to see what worjs for me. Its getting used for high iso stuff like pine martin etc and landscapes though. Next month it's back to bird life with some migrants etc. I find that all in that it doesnt need to be as spot on exposure wise as it seems to help control it. The dynamic range is just crazy. Again a camera which will take time to get the best from but thats the beauty of learning all over again. Would love a D810 to go with it but it will need to wait as i have a few interesting trips planned( Golden Eagles, Bears and Nothern Lights etc).

Try locking down the D810 and the lens and tc combo onto a decent tripod and see how your results look and if good then its going to be down to you practicing and getting used to all those mega pixels.
 
merv said:
Have owned the D3s and D4 and feel the results with this lens combo were generally sharper with my previous cameras.
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How do you define or measure sharpness when comparing cameras?

If you're comparing a 36 MP camera with 12/16 MP cameras at the pixel level (ie by looking at the images at 100% magnification) then it's hardly surprising if the 36 MP images don't look as sharp. Make a set of 12 x 8 prints and compare them, and you might well reach a different conclusion.
 
I've used the 300vr2 & the 2 x with the D800e and was never happy with it.. BUT I went instead another route and got a 400mm
 
I use the 300mm F2.8/tc20-iii combo quite often on my D7200 for wildlife. Pixel density is greater on the crop body than on the D810 so centre performance is more critical, I can get decent results but VR is less effective than with 1.4x and 1.7x teleconverters which means shutter speed needs to be quite high. I also find that for best results it needs to be stopped down a little with F8 being the combo's sweet spot. Working in wooden bird hides can be a problem if other hide users are present as the least bit of vibration will affect final image sharpness and won't always be cancelled by the VR system. All this means that the combo needs a little work to get good results, and unless I really need the reach the 1.7x tc seems to be a better all round performer.
 
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