Teleconverters - any good??

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Bigdoggy

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Dear all,

I am going on Safari but have a limited budget. I have a D60 and a 70 - 200VR but would like a wee bit more range.

I have looked at second hand gear and found that at Nikon TC-16A Teleconverter or a Sigma 28-300mm f3.5-6.3 are my best budget options.

Does anyone have any experience of either these or know of a good second hand shop (on-line preferably or in Edinburgh)??

Thanks,
Johnny:thinking:
 
Welcome to TP :)

Teleconverters can work well, but it depends entirely which lens you use them with.

They deliver quite good sharpness with long lenses of high quality, provided the f/number doesn't go higher than f/5.6 after which most AF systems pack up.

You lose one stop of light with a 1.4x and two stops with 2x, so if you have a 200mm f/2.8 lens it becomes 280mm f/4 or 400mm f/5.6. Generally speaking 1.4x is thought to be acceptable but 2x usually not. AF speed also slows down.

Can be a handy workaround, but no substitute for the real thing.
 
ffordes is in Edinburgh they carry a large stock of used kit. LINK

Your 70-200 will work well with the 1.4 or 1.7 Nikon TC, and it will still auto focus, not sure on the older TC 16A.
 
Rather than buying something, how about hiring a lens. Looking at lensforhire.co.uk they do the 80-400 ED VR for £61 per week. I've not used them myself, but an seriously considering for my summer hols. Better than spending £200+ on a teleconverter that may not get much other use.
 
Personally I would say that with safari, you're always battling to get enough light. If you stick a TC on, you'll have to increase the ISO, and it's not really worth it.

Depending on how much you spent on the safari, you'll be quite close and 200mm will probably do you anyway. I got plenty of good shots with my 500mm, but just as many with my 200mm.

Make sure you take some warm clothing!
 
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