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03/11/2006 03:09:35 PM · #1 |
I am about to go on a trip of a lifetime to Africa. I would love to get as close to the action as possible. I longest lense at the mo is the 70-300mm. I was think of buying an extendor/tele converter. Is it worth it?
I appreciate any advice or words of wisdom.
Cheers Bene |
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03/11/2006 03:13:59 PM · #2 |
I have a 1.4x Tamron teleconverter. It's great and I got it for a whopping great price from BuzzRock. The thing I noticed is that at maximum focal range, the image seems a bit soft... just a tad. Quick shots are often not as sharp IMHO. However, if you have a couple of minutes to set-up the shot, the images are priceless.
Fritz (Kirbic) mentioned at one time when I asked the same question that his preference was for the 1.4x instead of the 2x. Maybe you can PM him and find out more info on this one. I think he said that the images don't come out as crisp as well. I might me mistaken.
You around Fritz? |
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03/11/2006 03:27:46 PM · #3 |
| Thanks rikki, very useful. Just out of interest what did the Tamron one cost? |
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03/11/2006 03:37:36 PM · #4 |
| I bought mine $75 shipped and insured so I got a good deal. Barely used and in pristine condition. I think you can pick one up at B&H for about $125? I think. |
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03/11/2006 03:42:30 PM · #5 |
| similar topic a few days ago, the 1.4x is better in sharpness, and you only lose one stop of light. Your lens at 300mm is an F5.6 lens so adding a teleconverter will cost you autofocus unless you tape the pins and then it'll still be slow if it works. The 2.0x will not AF on that lens. |
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03/11/2006 05:09:20 PM · #6 |
You might be better off just cropping in post processing. As mentioned, you will lose auto-focus or if you trick it will focus slowly. I have taken some savage crops from the 20D and the pics are still prettty good.
If it's the trip of a life time, then you might want to buy the 100-400L and sell it when you get back. I doubt you would lose a lot, particularly if you got a decent deal on a pre-owned one. Think of it as renting it - obviously you have to part with it when you get back, so maybe not a brilliant option :-) |
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03/11/2006 07:12:40 PM · #7 |
Actually, depending on the teleconverter and the lighting, you do not lose autofocus. Because the teleconverter restricts the amount of light entering, the lense definitely hunts more or does not focus correctly in low light. But, in bright lighting, my Tamron 2x with my 70-300IS seems to work fine.
I do normally switch to manual focus in any case, just because I do with my lenses anyhow.
I find that the teleconvertor makes the lense LONGGGG. Get a monopod to aid with you stability. |
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03/11/2006 07:27:36 PM · #8 |
Putting any teleconverter on your 100-300 will cause a loss of autofocus, since you'll be beyond f/5.6; it may be possible to "trick" the camera into trying to AF, but it will not be reliable.
Your best bet would perhaps be to buy the 100-400 and re-sell it upon your return, as previously suggested. You'd probably lose less than the cost of a teleconverter, and be much better off optically The trad-off is that you're out the cash in the interim.
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03/11/2006 08:05:36 PM · #9 |
I was thinking of getting one myself, not after reading this.
Thanks for the info, very helpful.
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03/11/2006 09:02:31 PM · #10 |
| I now use the canon 1.4x with the canon 200mm/2.8f and am very impressed with this combination! |
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