arbitrage wrote: OwlsEyes wrote: arbitrage wrote:
Now I've gone and borrowed a Nikon 2xTC II (not the III) and tried it out today on the 300PF....
These are much better than I would have expected!
I am guessing that your relative proximity to the subjects allowed you to maximize the capabilities of the combination. I would be curious to hear about your perception of the combination if your subjects were 30 to 50 meters away. I think that the TC's really have a negative impact when you are trying to close the gap between you and a distant objects.
bruce
Yes, you are correct that these were fairly close to the subjects. The biggest mistake people make (myself included) is using 2xTCs to reach out to distant subjects. I prefer to reach out to get to a frame filling shot. These shots are still cropped but they were within reasonable distances to subject like 20-30 ft or so. I'm not sold yet on this 2xTC. I think a 1.4 or 1.7 shot might be just as good even with extra cropping. I plan to do a bit more experimenting with it. The guy I'm borrowing from is willing to sell it fairly cheap if I find any use for it. I was impressed though that the image wasn't just falling apart like other people say it does with the 2xTC.
I have struggled to like (let alone love) converters.. Having moved from Nikon to Canon in 2004 bc Nikon could not get beyond the 6MP D100/D1x, I got into Canon w/ a 300mm f/2.8 w/ 1.4x & 2x converters. The lens alone was brilliant, but the converter always seemed to obliterate the bokeh and crush the contrast. In 2014 I moved back to Nikon and purchased the 200-400VR because I found that I needed 400mm more than 300mm. My lens has equal image quality to my former 300mm f/2,8 + 1.4x at 400mm, but much better bokeh. Since going this route, I did buy the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 and used it for a year w/ my zoom... I added a TC14eII because "everyone" said it was better than my lens at 420mm... The reality of this statement is subjective... thus, I have learned the following about converters of all stripes:
1. In good light a converter can produce a brilliant contrasty image that matches the lens without a converter.
2. When shooting a subject that is relatively close (20M), where the lens + converter causes the subject fill a large proportion of the frame, a converter can be a useful tool.
3. When the light is poor and lacks contrast, keep the converter in your bag.
4. Do not use a converter to take photos of poorly lit distant subjects... you just end up with mush.
For the record... w my current ownership of a 300mm pf, 200-400VR, and 200-500VR, I have sold my converters and prefer to crop my D500 to a 14-15MP file. I have preferred the output of a crop to that of a 20MP file with the converter... but that is my preference.
bruce
Feb 18, 2018 at 09:02 AM
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