Thread: what teleconvertor Nikon

Nikon has three Teleconverters:

1.4x This will give a small magnification increase and looses 1 stop
1.7x This has for some time been considered the best optically. It also only looses 1.5 stops whilst giving a better magnification than the 1.4x
2.0x This has just been upgraded to what is going to be their best TC. It will cost you 2 stops on the lens though (new or old model)

The one of mine you played with is the TC-17E II. The other two models are TC-14E II and TC-20E II (now replaced by the TC-20E III)

Personally I wouldn't bother with the 1.4x and also my reasoning for the 1.7 over the 2.0 was: for the same price (yes the 1.7 is considered better so they charge more) as the 2.0 you get back half a stop in light and that's a big plus on a D80 or D200.

If I was buying new I'd probably consider the new TC-20E III otherwise I'd stick with the TC-17E II.

If you are looking for a second hand gear I will go for the 1.4.
things to considering:
If you are looking for top images where you can post in a critique forum then do not use a bigger converter of a 1.4 on a zoom lens.
With a premier you can use the 1.7.
For top avian images the 1.4 with the Nikkor 300mm f/4 will be my selection.
Cheers

The decision would depend on what you intend to shoot, what lens/lenses you intend to mate the TC with, and what level of IQ loss you can live with.
I'd reach for a TC only when nothing in my glass arsenal can reach out far enough. So reach is important.
I got a TC20E II despite most reviewers advising not to and advocating the TC17 instead because:
1) it was the only one available second hand that week, and price was good.
2) the MotoGP was in town that weekend.

Mated with my 70-200 f2.8 VR, it proved up to the job, as far as my standards are concerned. And the 2.0X magnification was needed.

Judge for yourself.

100% crop


full picture, resized


Camera: Nikon D700
Exposure: 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture: f/14.0
Focal Length: 400 mm (200 X 2)
Focal Length: 403.2 mm
ISO Speed: 1100

[QUOTE=PSi;1149459]The decision would depend on what you intend to shoot, what lens/lenses you intend to mate the TC with, and what level of IQ loss you can live with.
I'd reach for a TC only when nothing in my glass arsenal can reach out far enough. So reach is important.
I got a TC20E II despite most reviewers advising not to and advocating the TC17 instead because:
1) it was the only one available second hand that week, and price was good.
2) the MotoGP was in town that weekend.

Mated with my 70-200 f2.8 VR, it proved up to the job, as far as my standards are concerned. And the 2.0X magnification was needed.



Didn't think you could mate a TC to a zoom lens. Does everything still work? I have a 70-300mm VR nikon lens and have been told it is a no-no.
Any suggestions please.

Tony

TCs are generally not friendly with zooms, especially the ones with wide range of focal lengths and small apertures (like 28-200 f4.5-5.6, for example) but the high-end zooms with max aperture of F2.8 (like the 70-200 f2.8 I used) may be usable, and Nikon specifically states which ones can work with its teleconverters.
Other brands of TCs claim to work with many lenses but results may be less than satisfactory.
Main issue is that a f2.8 becomes f5.6 with a 2.0X TC, and an f4 becomes f8, which means too little light for the autofocus to work properly.
Even in the old days of film and manual focus, a too-slow aperture means difficulty in focusing because of the split prism blacking out.

Oh, the Nikon TCs don't work with the 70-300Vr, can't even be fitted if i'm not mistaken.

You'll find the main reason a TC won't work with many zoom lenses is the rear element moves back past the mount and will contact the TC's front lens element.

However, as PSi has already pointed out, you also loose too much light for the autofocus system. Most AF sensors require f/5.6 or larger aperture to have sufficient light.