gdsf2 wrote:
What is an auto focusing teleconverter?
It is a 5 element screw drive teleconverter (TC-16a) that is modified to work on modern Nikons using manual lens (or AF lens in manual). It's the ultimate camera hack. Basically, for stuff beyond 40 yards leave your manual lens at infinity and it just takes care of focus. Under 40 yards you have to help out a bit. I've used it extensively for surveying short eared owls and harrier and seems to be good out to 1200 yards. It's difficult to calibrate for each manual lens because the camera reads it as a 70-210 zoom @145mm. It seems to have better IQ than a TC-14B. I've fooled around and used it on a 180mm f/2.8 in manual and on a 58mm voightlander and results are very good. If the AF tune thing is a just a couple minutes, then I can set up and calibrate on a distant object before shooting.
I think the auto AF tune is very sensitive, that's why you get that it failed. I tried it 15 times and only got it to work 3 times. I think when I go to touch the buttons it must go out of focus or something and it fails. The 3 times i did get it to work on my 200-500 at 500 I got -9 , -1, and -5. So I just kept it at -5.
js426 wrote:
mine arrived Friday, Automatic AF fine tune is awesome, my 300mm PF with 1.4x III needs +5
High ISO is 1/2 to 1 stop better than D7200, noise has a grainy look rather than color blotches
Nice images!
Did you check if the D500 + 300PF combo VR works in the 1/60-1/250s or so range? I'm very interested in this combo (with the TC1.4 as well) but due to the fast mechanism I can imagine there is more risk of 'shutter shock' / parasitic VR interactions with the 300PF.
SoonerCharlie wrote:
Would using the D500's timer to release the shutter help?
No but that would be nice; the auto AF fine tune never uses the shutter button. You have to hold down Movie Record + AF mode selector button and then OK to initiate.
morrismike wrote:
How long does it actually take for the fine tune? I shoot a lot of different MF primes with an autofocusing teleconverter (camera reads the lens at 70-210 @145mm min aperature of whatever lens reads as f/4) and if this only takes a couple minutes would be pretty awesome. I wouldn't be above making a wallet card with predesignated correction numbers.
The auto AF fine tune process itself takes about 2 seconds. Just need to set your camera up on a tripod and whatnot. Keep in mind though it still only records a single value, only good for a single combination focal length and subject distance, so it is a band-aid at best and even on the new cameras the manual advises against using it. If you get lucky though and a single value works across the range, having it automated is fantastic.
Where it's useful is say you're going out birding, and you know you'll be shooting at 30-50m all day - you can just run a quick AFFT around there, and turn it off later. On a new lens though you're still better off just exchanging for one with no AFFT required.
Met up with Thang this morning to try out his 200-500mm on my D500. I really like the combo. The only thing I didn't like about is, it is very slow when trying to focus from close to infinity and vice versa. If the focus doesn't have to travel far from the subject, it is pretty fast. Once you get focus, it seems to locked on very well. I will be purchasing one to use when I travel and when I don't feel like hauling the tripod and the 600mm.
ShutteredMe wrote:
Met up with Thang this morning to try out his 200-500mm on my D500. I really like the combo. The only thing I didn't like about is, it is very slow when trying to focus from close to infinity and vice versa. If the focus doesn't have to travel far from the subject, it is pretty fast. Once you get focus, it seems to locked on very well. I will be purchasing one to use when I travel and when I don't feel like hauling the tripod and the 600mm.
ShutteredMe wrote:
Met up with Thang this morning to try out his 200-500mm on my D500. I really like the combo. The only thing I didn't like about is, it is very slow when trying to focus from close to infinity and vice versa. If the focus doesn't have to travel far from the subject, it is pretty fast. Once you get focus, it seems to locked on very well. I will be purchasing one to use when I travel and when I don't feel like hauling the tripod and the 600mm.
-Quang
Awesome shots! That's exactly what I do, grab the 200-500 when I don't feel like lugging the 500 f4 or if I am going out on my kayak. Though I am developing a steadicam arm mount on my kayak for the bigger lenses, the 200-500 is just so easy to take everywhere and the D500 just made that an even better lens.
Did you check if the D500 + 300PF combo VR works in the 1/60-1/250s or so range? I'm very interested in this combo (with the TC1.4 as well) but due to the fast mechanism I can imagine there is more risk of 'shutter shock' / parasitic VR interactions with the 300PF.
Thanks. Can't commend on D500+300 PF, but for 300PF with 1.4X III on D500, shutter speed down to 1/80 to 1/100 is fine. ( My copy of 300 PF appears to be free of the VR problem, I have tested it previously with 1.4X III on D810, D7200, I can get sharp images down to 1/30 in extreme situations. )
Great info. Thanks so much. This will surely make a lot of people happy including myself!
architect7 wrote:
It is fast, very fast. Much faster than with my D810, especially acquisition speed. It has made my 200-500 VERY similar in speed to my 200-400mm f4G VR1 which to me is a huge deal; acquisition speed with the 200-500 can be painfully slow on other bodies as it sometimes racks to infinity and back. I spent 3 hours kayaking with the D500/200-500 today and the results have blown me away. I'll post some examples in about an hour or so after I have some dinner. This combo just has me so excited! Next, I'll try this combo with the TC-14E III.
Edit, as promised, a couple shots from my outing today. Mild crops, I didn't think I'd have much crop latitude since I've been so spoiled by the D810. I have been pleasantly surprised! The Eagle had to be pushed another couple of stops in LR to bring out wing detail so it has a bit of grain but still really good compared to the same activity with my D810. The duck pic was a total fluke and happened just as I was pulling up to the dock to get out of my kayak. I quickly raised the camera and shot the pic, the D500 acquired focus extremely fast, starting from near infinity from me looking at the local Great Blue Heron rookery from far away. The D500 founds it's head and locked on, I am absolutely amazed by that because the 200-500 always seemed too sluggish on my D810 for birds flying directly at me. Not an issue anymore
It looks like AF fine tune matches pretty close on my D500 though I haven't calibrated with the 200-500 yet. Totally forgot to do this until I was already on the water but I plan to go through the auto fine tune process in my backyard tomorrow with all of my lenses. So maybe I can squeeze even more sharpness out of this lens/body combo....Show more →
ShutteredMe wrote:
Met up with Thang this morning to try out his 200-500mm on my D500. I really like the combo. The only thing I didn't like about is, it is very slow when trying to focus from close to infinity and vice versa. If the focus doesn't have to travel far from the subject, it is pretty fast. Once you get focus, it seems to locked on very well. I will be purchasing one to use when I travel and when I don't feel like hauling the tripod and the 600mm.
js426 wrote:
Thanks. Can't commend on D500+300 PF, but for 300PF with 1.4X III on D500, shutter speed down to 1/80 to 1/100 is fine. ( My copy of 300 PF appears to be free of the VR problem, I have tested it previously with 1.4X III on D810, D7200, I can get sharp images down to 1/30 in extreme situations. )
OK, sounds good :-) I just need it to work well in the 1/100-1/200 range, below that subject movement would usually be the main problem.
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Warpdrv wrote:
I'll have the D500 (tues) & 300mm PF and TC 1.4E II soon.
nice pictures!!
