teleconverters

as some of you may have read in earlier posts, i am currently saving money for a 100 f/2.8L macro lens (almost there), but i also want to pick up a 1.4x converter for my 70-200f/4. i have of course been eyeing the canon 1.4x......but what about 3rd party converters, i.e. sigma, tamron, kenko?? does anyone have experience with these converters, or perhaps know how they perform, besides the usual company propaganda??? info and advice is appreciated


jim

I have the Tamron 1.4X Pro TC. White. It's OK. Works really well on my EF100 f2.8 Macro. It does pretty good on my 40D with my EF 70-200 f2.8L. I'm not so crazy about it onmy full frame 5D. I don't use it very much. You know it's going to turn your f4 into an f5.6. Bad enough it turns f2.8 into f4. You'll need shutter speeds around 2X to compensate for the additional focal length for hand held. Where a TC really shines is with primes. Bryan ISOs the canon TC's with various lenses including the 70-200 f4. Here it is compared to a EF 200 f2.8L.

The Kenko Pro is said to be very good and it fits most lenses, except ef-s. The Canon teleconverters fit a select few canon lenses.

Advantages of the Canon EF Extender 1.4x II:

1. Weather sealed.
2. Very slightly better image quality on compatible EF lenses.
3. Matching white color for the fashion-conscious.

Disadvantages:

1. Due to design, does not mount on all EF lenses.
2. Will not permit AF on lenses with maximum aperture of f/5.6 (except on 1D-series bodies).

Advantages of the Kenko Teleplus DG Pro 300 1.4x yadda yadda:

1. Will mount behind any EF lens.
2. Relatively low-cost.

Disadvantages:

1. Not weather-sealed.
2. According to manufacturer, does not AF with certain lenses, irrespective of their max aperture.
   

thanks for the info guys........i'm actually thinking of getting the kenko pro 300 1.4x now. i did some research and found out that they use hoya glass, and i like that i can put it behind more lenses than the canon, not restricted to just L glass.


james

I use teleconverters on my 400 f5.6, just because I don't have the means/space for longer lenses, but in general, i'm not a fan. The 400 f5.6 is okay with a 2x converter, but nowhere near as good as a telescope, or a 800mm f5.6.


I guess I'd use a teleconverter for my macro (and I have), though if I've got a crop camera mounted, it's rarely necessary, and given druthers, i'd rather have a 1x-5x macro for getting really close, again, means...

I have the Kenko pro300 DG, I believe it is called, and love it. I have it on my 70-200f4L IS almost all of the time when I am shooting outside. If you take a peak at the woodland creatures and birds thread or in the post your best bird shots, I have a couple shots in there with this combination. I do feel that I do not have enough reach so those shots are pretty heavily cropped with PP sharpening done for web resize. I have used my friends canon 1.4x and don't really see a difference in everyday pictures. Not sure about controlled testing because I usually only want to see what it does in real life. I have used the Kenko with almost all of my lenses except my Tamron 17-50. Not sure it fits that one anyway. I have also heard of people stacking two Kenko's or one Canon and a Kenko and getting very good results. I was thinking of trying this before diving into another longer lens.

been offline for a bit.........HDD crash, i hate when that happens..........i picked up a very slightly used canon 1.4x today, unfortunatly, its been cold and raining here, so no good subjects to try it out on. i'm looking forward to giving it a good try out