Non Nikkor TC on 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX

[Rif]

Hi all
Not entirely sure if I'm supposed to post this in the beginner area......
I'm looking at buying a D7000 with the above lens.
I know I'd need a step down to even fit my 58mm Sony teleconverter but I'm wondering if it'll even work on
the Nikon combo.
Any thoughts.
The D7000 purchase would break the bank at the mo so I'm hoping the TC would offer a bit of scope
till I could afford some more glass.
I guess I'm asking if the D7000, lens and my Sony teleconverter will be able to focus (manual or auto focus)?
The converters I have are 58mm threaded that attatch to the filter end of a lens and not between the lens and body.
They are Sony HG lenses (high grade) and include:
VCL-HG1758 (X2) and VCL-HGD1758 (X1.7) and VCL-HDG0758 (X0.7)

[I @ M]

I suspect that the teleconverters that you have will not work as intended with the Nikkor lens due to probable entry and exit pupil size differences between the Nikkor lens and the converters that appear to be primarily intended for Sony video cameras.

However, for the price of a step adapter ring from the lens 52mm to the TC 58 mm it might be worth buying one to see what sort of interesting results occur.

One issue that I would be very wary of though is that of the added weight of the converter hanging on a filter thread of the lens. It is only plastic and designed for the weight of a smallish filter so I would urge extreme care with regard to supporting some of the mass as the converter is more than twice the weight of the lens.

[WhoDo]

As AP stalwart kiwi pointed out to me a while back, teleconverters are NOT compatible with the Nikkor DX series of lenses. Sorry.

[Rif]

I suspect that the teleconverters that you have will not work as intended with the Nikkor lens due to probable entry and exit pupil size differences between the Nikkor lens and the converters that appear to be primarily intended for Sony video cameras.

The X2 is indeed originally a converter intended for a Sony video camera.
The 1.7 and .7 were specifically for a Sony DSC-F717.

However, for the price of a step adapter ring from the lens 52mm to the TC 58 mm it might be worth buying one to see what sort of interesting results occur.

Lucky enough I already happen to have picked one up from somewhere so its one less purchase to get.

One issue that I would be very wary of though is that of the added weight of the converter hanging on a filter thread of the lens. It is only plastic and designed for the weight of a smallish filter so I would urge extreme care with regard to supporting some of the mass as the converter is more than twice the weight of the lens

I hear you
The age of the converters means they are pre plastic and are weighty indeed.
I think they are alluminion.
Thanks heaps for the response

- - - Updated - - -

As AP stalwart kiwi pointed out to me a while back, teleconverters are NOT compatible with the Nikkor DX series of lenses. Sorry.

Hi WhoDo,
thanks for your response.
Did Kiwi embellish on the reasons why?
Love your Dr Seuss quote by the way.

[WhoDo]

Hi WhoDo,
thanks for your response.
Did Kiwi embellish on the reasons why?
Love your Dr Seuss quote by the way.

I thought it was because the rear element fouls the TC, but it was a while ago and I wouldn't swear to it. I did my own research, of course, and couldn't find any DX series lenses listed as compatible with the Sigma TC's I was looking at, so gave the idea a big miss. Certainly Andrew (I@M) is more knowledgable on the subject that I am.

[Rif]

I thought it was because the rear element fouls the TC, but it was a while ago and I wouldn't swear to it. I did my own research, of course, and couldn't find any DX series lenses listed as compatible with the Sigma TC's I was looking at, so gave the idea a big miss. Certainly Andrew (I@M) is more knowledgeable on the subject that I am.

Hi WhoDo,
gotta say that sounds like a Nikon TC compatibility issue.
My understanding of Nikon TC's is that they go between the body and the lens?
My Sony TC goes on the (north) end of the lens and attaches via the filter thread.
I suggest this because of your suggestion of rear element contact issue.

[WhoDo]

gotta say that sounds like a Nikon TC compatibility issue.
My understanding of Nikon TC's is that they go between the body and the lens?
My Sony TC goes on the (north) end of the lens and attaches via the filter thread.
I suggest this because of your suggestion of rear element contact issue.

Yep. Andrew told me afterwards that your type of TC attaches to the front, not the rear.

Mine were Sigma 1.4X and 2.0X TC's that I wanted to use and they go between the rear element and the body. Sorry for adding mud to the water here.

[peterb666]

For the price of a step-up ring on eBay, why not. You are loking at around $4 inc postage from Hong Kong or China and it could be a bit of fun.

You effectively wind up with a 70mm f/3.6 which is hardly ground breaking (and with the crop factor taken into account, 105mm ff equivalent) but would make do as an OK portrait lens.

I would expect a lot of vignetting - even a circular image. It was a problem with my Sony 58mm theaded WA converter designed for a 1/1.7" sensor on a 2x crop camera but tele should be more forgiving - at least as you go up in focal length.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[arthurking83]

For the price of a step-up ring on eBay, why not. .....

That was my initial reaction too!

My step up ring cost me $2 incl postage.
Cheap, aluminium but performed as advertised.

I'd be inclined to give one a try, and as your Sony TC is larger than the 52mm filter attachment of the Nikon lens, there's a good chance that you may avoid using the worst part of the TC filter and use the better part of the central area.

[Rif]

For the price of a step-up ring on eBay, why not. You are loking at around $4 inc postage from Hong Kong or China and it could be a bit of fun.

You effectively wind up with a 70mm f/3.6 which is hardly ground breaking (and with the crop factor taken into account, 105mm ff equivalent) but would make do as an OK portrait lens.

I would expect a lot of vignetting - even a circular image. It was a problem with my Sony 58mm theaded WA converter designed for a 1/1.7" sensor on a 2x crop camera but tele should be more forgiving - at least as you go up in focal length.

I have found a suitable step up ring amongst my stuff.
Thanks for your response Peterb666

That was my initial reaction too!

My step up ring cost me $2 incl postage.
Cheap, aluminium but performed as advertised.

I'd be inclined to give one a try, and as your Sony TC is larger than the 52mm filter attachment of the Nikon lens, there's a good chance that you may avoid using the worst part of the TC filter and use the better part of the central area.

Doesnt sound like it can hurt and might pave the way for others to better utilise their glass with the caveat that
they should expect less than steller results......
If Peterb666 is right about 70mm f/3.6 I'd be happy to see what it could do in good light conditions outside.

Thanks for your response Arthurking83

[Rif]

As AP stalwart kiwi pointed out to me a while back, teleconverters are NOT compatible with the Nikkor DX series of lenses. Sorry.

I'm not sure he's correct on that.
However I did find some more info on converters that fit between the lens and
camera body that some others "may" find interesting
http://www.digiscoped.com/teleconverters.html
I'm new and not sure if I'm allowed to leave a link.
Please someone let me know if I need to edit my post

I bit the bullet and grabbed a D7000 18-105 kit.
Soon as I've some spare dosh I'll grab a 35mm 1.8 to experiment with.
I realise the focal length is covered by the kit lens, but that that lens
may have to be sold to finance a different reach/speed glass

[swifty]

I think Whodo and Kiwi are referring to Nikon TC's that fit between mount and lens (not in front of lens front element).
In which case I believe they are correct. DX lens aren't compatible and may result in damage if used if the rear element of the lens comes in contact with the lens elements in the TC's. Even compatible FX lenses may loose some AF functionality when the effective max aperture drops below f8, except on the the newest AF systems in the D4/D800 that do AF down to f8.

[Rif]

I think Whodo and Kiwi are referring to Nikon TC's that fit between mount and lens (not in front of lens front element).
In which case I believe they are correct. DX lens aren't compatible and may result in damage if used if the rear element of the lens comes in contact with the lens elements in the TC's. Even compatible FX lenses may loose some AF functionality when the effective max aperture drops below f8, except on the the newest AF systems in the D4/D800 that do AF down to f8.

Hi Swifty,
personally dont know (or mind) whose correct as my converter is one, as acknowledged, that
screws into the filter thread at the north end of the lens.
DWI appears to be down now so I cant link to the page where I saw mention dx compatability.
However looking at the spec's here:
http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Produc...Tabs-TechSpecs
I may not be reading it right but to my mind (today) it says dx compatible.
Hopefully theres an easy explanation.

Heres a Nikon supporting your argument:
https://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/...ail/a_id/44464
but it doesnt explain Nikon in my first link saying its compatible.

I found a link which shows lens compatability:
http://www.nikonusa.com/en_INC/IMG/A...omp_chart.html
With the caveat:
The following lenses may be used with the Nikon AF-S Teleconverters, some with noted functional limitations. NIKKOR lenses not listed cannot be used with the AF-S Teleconverters. The rear elements of NIKKOR lenses not listed can contact and damage the Teleconverter element and must not be attached. List includes current lenses along with lenses for which production may have ceased. Lenses no longer produced are shown only for convenience as a compatibility reference!

[swifty]

No probs Rif. I'm glad to be proven wrong and your first link does raise some ambiguity in Nikon's specs.
But just from everything I've read I'd steer clear of DX lenses with TC's. There may be exceptions with particular lens combos but I wouldn't really want to be the person experimenting.
Cheers

[Rif]

No probs Rif. I'm glad to be proven wrong and your first link does raise some ambiguity in Nikon's specs.
But just from everything I've read I'd steer clear of DX lenses with TC's. There may be exceptions with particular lens combos but I wouldn't really want to be the person experimenting.
Cheers

I hear ya Swifty, and acknowledge that a converter is never going to be as good as a
real lens.
I just came across this post in another forum from a guy claiming to be using a
Nikon D7K with 70-200 2.8 and TC-14E converter.
http://forums.steves-digicams.com/ni...-70-200mm.html
Nice results from a DX.
I've posted this not to be pedantic and claiming to be right but for those who come to read these threads in search of correct info.
At the very least I think its fair to say that "maybe" some Nikon teleconverters "may" work
with some Nikon lenses with a DX body "if" the author of that post is telling the truth.
It would be nice if those who come after us searching for the correct info could be
correctly informed to save endless issues trying to source what should be easy info to find out.
Neither your self nor me at this stage know the correct answer but hopefully someone
can add the missing info link from Nikon to inform other who might be searching out
info on this topic.

[I @ M]

Rif, I think you are becoming a little overwhelmed by model designations and terms.
Nikon traditionally is rather poor at providing product information and in the case of the teleconverters they don't simply state " this TC will work with --- blah blah blah lenses" but instead make you look at al the lenses and then their "related products".
As far as I am aware, none of the DX labelled lenses list a teleconverter as a related product.
That is because as stated earlier there are physical compatibility issues that will prevent correct fitting of them between body and lens.
Your link to the USA site that states that the teleconverter is DX compatible means that it can be fitted to an FX lens and an FX body and used with the DX format in camera crop applied.
It also means that it can be fitted to an FX lens and both lens and teleconverter can be used on a DX body.
The other link to the USA site lists all the lenses listed that can be used with a TC. None of those lenses are DX format lenses.
In short, there are DX designated bodies and they are the ones with the 1.5 crop factor sensor. There are FX designated bodies and they are the ones with a "full frame " sensor.
There are DX designated lenses and they are specifically designed to work on DX bodies and whilst they will mount on an FX body they will not work as intended unless the FX body is set to the DX crop mode in the menu.
There are FX designated ( *** and many older lenses from since Nikon made the F mount *** ) lenses and they will mount to and work correctly on DX designated bodies.
The Nikon teleconverters are designed solely for use on FX designated lenses and are not designed or suitable for use on DX lenses.

*** A handful of older Nikon lenses cannot be mounted on current model bodies, either FX or DX, but they are rather rare lenses anyway.

[Rif]

Rif, I think you are becoming a little overwhelmed by model designations and terms.
Nikon traditionally is rather poor at providing product information and in the case of the teleconverters they don't simply state " this TC will work with --- blah blah blah lenses" but instead make you look at al the lenses and then their "related products".
As far as I am aware, none of the DX labelled lenses list a teleconverter as a related product.
That is because as stated earlier there are physical compatibility issues that will prevent correct fitting of them between body and lens.
Your link to the USA site that states that the teleconverter is DX compatible means that it can be fitted to an FX lens and an FX body and used with the DX format in camera crop applied.
It also means that it can be fitted to an FX lens and both lens and teleconverter can be used on a DX body.
The other link to the USA site lists all the lenses listed that can be used with a TC. None of those lenses are DX format lenses.
In short, there are DX designated bodies and they are the ones with the 1.5 crop factor sensor. There are FX designated bodies and they are the ones with a "full frame " sensor.
There are DX designated lenses and they are specifically designed to work on DX bodies and whilst they will mount on an FX body they will not work as intended unless the FX body is set to the DX crop mode in the menu.
There are FX designated ( *** and many older lenses from since Nikon made the F mount *** ) lenses and they will mount to and work correctly on DX designated bodies.
The Nikon teleconverters are designed solely for use on FX designated lenses and are not designed or suitable for use on DX lenses.

*** A handful of older Nikon lenses cannot be mounted on current model bodies, either FX or DX, but they are rather rare lenses anyway.

I've tried to take all that in, but it just makes my head hurt.
Do I need to worry about which (current) lenses (not TC) will and wont work well with my D7K?
I've only got the kit (18-105mm) but now you've got me wondering if I have to be concerned
about future purchase compatibility issues.
I get that theres two formats but assumed that I wouldnt have to worry compatability
when it came to choosing a lens to buy.
Its starting to sound like hard work owning a Nikon and I'm liking my old Sony more and more.

[I @ M]

Do I need to worry about which (current) lenses (not TC) will and wont work well with my D7K?

No, not really. The only thing that you have to consider ( other than price ) is that if you buy DX lenses now and move to an FX camera in the future the DX lenses that you own will only work in the in camera DX crop mode. They will still be fully functional but at a reduced resolution.

Its starting to sound like hard work owning a Nikon and I'm liking my old Sony more and more.

Nope, as I said, just about any lens made by Nikon since they introduced the F mount will work on your D7000 as well as D700, 800, 3s, 3x.
As far as lens compatibility goes, Nikon is amongst the better of the bunch.

[Rif]

The answer to my posed question is sort of.
I finally got around to putting my 1.7x converter on my 35mm.
These pics show the resulting view taken in my room whilst lolling on my bed.
I was aiming in the vicinity of my hat.
Theres vignetting I think its called but I was more worried about how the auto focus would
react.
I cant wait to try my 0.7x wide converter to see the results.
I'll put the results up when I get around to trying it.
Without converter=


And with=


and heres the 0.7x shot



I wasnt aiming for sharpness but just to get an idea of perspective and whether or not
the camera would focus manual/auto at all with the foreign body on the end of the lens.
I'm keen to take some pics on my tripod utilising different f stops to see what I can
get in the way of sharpness.

[peterb666]

The 0.7x shot looks quite good (at least in a small print size). The 1.7x shot is somewhat disappointing - I would expect you could get better image quality by cropping the picture and rescaling it.

If you shoot in RAW and use Adobe Camera RAW, it has an excellent, although not exactly flexible, option to resize images on export from the RAW converter.