teleconverters with the nikon 300mm f4

F

fyonn

Messages
153
Name
David Haworth
Edit My Images
No
Hiya folks,

I'm thinking of getting the nikon (or maybe some other make?) 300mm F4. it's unlikely to be the AFS lens as I can't really afford it, so I'm looking at the older lens. but I'd want to use it with teleconverters. probably the 1.4 at least.

what's the situation with AF? I know that Nikon want me to keep the lens at f5.6 to be able to AF, but I also know that nikon's own TC's are AFS only. are there other TC's out there that pass along the focusing screwdriver thing? ie so I can have an AF 420mm F5.6?

thanks for any help

cheers
david
 
Its my understanding that the Kenko work well - I don't know for sure though - perhaps worth you taking a looksy.
 
Don't know about the other Nikon's but the D300/700/D3/D3X will all autofocus up to f8. Its not a Canon you know ;-)

So don't worry, you can (and I do!) put on the 1.4x TC (with almost no IQ loss - the Kenko one works just fine and by all accounts nobody can tell the difference between it and the Nikon one costing 2.5x more!), the 1.7x TC (I use that a lot, a little less IQ, but still more than acceptable but does hunt a bit on really gloomy days) or even the 2x, which IQ drops through the floor.

Just remember to stop it down at least one stop for the 1.4x, 1.5 stops for the 1.7x and two stops for the 2x.
 
desantnik said:
Don't know about the other Nikon's but the D300/700/D3/D3X will all autofocus up to f8. Its not a Canon you know ;-)
Click to expand...

well, I have a D300 so that's good :) and I'm hoping the D300's higher torque motor will drive the AF reasonably quickly.

desantnik said:
Just remember to stop it down at least one stop for the 1.4x, 1.5 stops for the 1.7x and two stops for the 2x.
Click to expand...

is that on top of the stops I lose just by using a TC?

ie if I use a 1.4x TC then that takes the lens to being a 420mm f5.6. I assume the camera will work that out on it's own and only let me set a minimum aperture of f5.6, or is that not the case?

of course, now I need to find a decent price 300mm F4 lens to buy...

cheers
dave
 
Yes, on top of what you end up with as a hardware maximum aperture. In your example f5.6 is what you get, but thats the maximum aperture (smaller f number = larger aperture)

Best bet for motorsport is to whack it into manual mode, dial in the aperture stopped down as mentioned above, set your shutter speed to whatever you need for your shot (because obviously in motorsport the shutter speed is the critical bit) and turn on auto ISO.... a neat Nikon trick that makes those Canon users go green with envy :D
 
desantnik said:
Yes, on top of what you end up with as a hardware maximum aperture. In your example f5.6 is what you get, but thats the maximum aperture (smaller f number = larger aperture)

Best bet for motorsport is to whack it into manual mode, dial in the aperture stopped down as mentioned above, set your shutter speed to whatever you need for your shot (because obviously in motorsport the shutter speed is the critical bit) and turn on auto ISO.... a neat Nikon trick that makes those Canon users go green with envy :D
Click to expand...

Is this raising of the aperture to increase sharpness?

at 300mm, I could shoot at F4 plain with no problems?

with a 1.4 TC I'd be at 420mm F5.6, but I ought to go up a stop to F8 to get sharper images?

does this mean that with a 1.7TC the lens would be a 510mm F6.3? and I ought to be up at F11?

and with a 2x TC the lens would be a 600mm F8 and I ought to be around F16?

wow, I'll really need a tripod for those shots... or a very bright day!

dave
 
Yes, you will find that at wide open with a TC on you will get pretty soft images, but stopping it down as above will increase IQ.

Needing a tripod? No, why would you? Aperture doesnt affect hand-holdability, but focal length does!! I use a mono-pod for the long (motorsport) shots. Remember the rule of thumb of focal length vs shutter speed to give you an idea of what an "average" tog is capable of (ie 300mm you won't be able to hand hold below 1/300). A mono pod is the answer for motorsport certainly.
 
cheers
dave
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top