Teleconverter for Nikon 70-300mm lens

[HansPeter]

Hi one and all,
I would like to shoot some birds, I had a go with my 55-200mm lens this is the result, what I would like is for someone ho knows to tell me, if I can double the distance with my 70-300mm by staking on a Teleconverter and if the result is better as what I got using the 55-200mm.
Has any one experimented with a Teleconverter on a 70-300mm lens? And if the answer is yes ! What are the results happy or not happy!
I would appreciate your help thank you in advance.
Cheers Hans.

[kiwi]

no, forget it, not sure even if it will work, and evenm if it did you may lose af, and the iq will be worse than dung

try a 300mm f/4 af-s + 1.7tc

[HansPeter]

Hi one and all,
I would like to shoot some birds, I had a go with my Nikon 55-200mm lens this is the result, what I would like is for someone ho knows to tell me, if I can double the distance with my 70-300mm by staking on a Teleconverter and if the result is better as what I got using the 55-200mm.
Has any one experimented with a Teleconverter on a 70-300mm lens? And if the answer is yes ! What are the results happy or not happy!
I would appreciate your help thank you in advance.
Cheers Hans.
Nikon 55-200mm lens this is the result
Bird1.jpg

[kiwi]

no, dont try any tc, will be worse than cow dung

[HansPeter]

Thank you Darren that’s all I kneaded, I wish I would had ask for a opinion on Extension Tubes some weeks ago! The are cow dung. But I’m stuck with them..
Cheers Hans

[kiwi]

really ? i like my ext tubes, what lens are you using them on ?

they work real good on say a 50 1.8

[HansPeter]

Nikon 18-55mm, Nikon 105mm macro.
Maybe its because I used them handheld tripod is properly the answer.
Tubes Kenko, Automatic camera used D40x Tube used 20mm

[kiwi]

yeah, would be gunk on the 18-55 but on the macro should be fine but hardly necessary

[Bill44]

The Nikon teleconverters will not work on that lens, the Kenko ones will but you will be very disappointed with the IQ to say nothing of the fact that you probably won't be able to autofocus. The 2x extender will raise your maximum aperture, at the 300 end, by 2 stops.

[arthurking83]

cheapest option is to get something like a 150-500mm Sigma!

[Big Pix]

I use a Kenko 1.4 on my 80-200 Nikor, sharp as....... and works well

[MarkW]

The design of the 70-300 wont permit the use of a TC even if you wanted to use it.

Only lenses which have a recessed rear element will fit a TC (at least a Nikon TC for certain). The "outer" or first element on the TC sits above the level of the bayonet ring when viewed vertically in profile.

[Bill44]

The design of the 70-300 wont permit the use of a TC even if you wanted to use it.

Only lenses which have a recessed rear element will fit a TC (at least a Nikon TC for certain). The "outer" or first element on the TC sits above the level of the bayonet ring when viewed vertically in profile.

Quite correct, the Kenko ones are of a different design and don't have the protruding element.

[MarkW]

Quite correct, the Kenko ones are of a different design and don't have the protruding element.

I would suggest that the Nikon TCs were designed that way so as to stop connection to lenses which really shouldn't have a TC fitted to them whether its the limitation to the AF ability or just plain making a crappy lens even more so. Mind you once you can use one TC such as the 1.4:1 you can then use any TC in the range even if it does drop your AF or reduce the image quality.

[RRRoger]

The N-AF 1.5X TELEPLUS MC DG KENKO works on the AF-S Nikkor 70-300 VR
The other 1.5 teleplus does not work well.

[kiwi]

Even though technically it may work the resultant iq and lack of af will means that they will be next to useless and you'd probably get a better image by cropping

[RRRoger]

Even though technically it may work the resultant iq and lack of af will means that they will be next to useless and you'd probably get a better image by cropping

I am not using the SHQ converter and do not recommend it.

The 70-300 VR is quite sharp and gives you a pretty useable image with the eight contact MC DG converter.

There is no problem with the AF if you use your AF-On button and prefocus on the spot you are going to shoot
or if you use the flash in the dark.
This is good practice even without a converter.

Your are probably right about the 80-400, as the cropped and UpSized image is usually better.

[Bill44]

I use a 70-300 to photograph cricket from the boundary, when cropped they print out in A4 very sharp.

[MarkW]

Did I miss something? What about the 80-400?

You certainly can't use a TC on that. The Nikon TC wont fit the extended rear element and I wouldn't be bothered using anything else even if it was a bit better than it is. The IQ is acceptable on its own but would be terrible with a TC. The AF is very slow on the 80-400 so with a TC it won't get any better, probably worse. The aperture on the 80-400 is too slow for birding but quite good if your hunting the big 5 in Africa. The hint here is "big". Big animals don't move that fast compared to birds so for this application its a good lens but forget the TC.

[RRRoger]

Did I miss something? What about the 80-400?

You certainly can't use a TC on that. The Nikon TC wont fit the extended rear element and I wouldn't be bothered using anything else even if it was a bit better than it is. The IQ is acceptable on its own but would be terrible with a TC. The AF is very slow on the 80-400 so with a TC it won't get any better, probably worse. The aperture on the 80-400 is too slow for birding but quite good if your hunting the big 5 in Africa. The hint here is "big". Big animals don't move that fast compared to birds so for this application its a good lens but forget the TC.

What 3rd party #####, camera body and settings do you use?
Have you practiced your panning?
Do you prefocus on the spot where you are going to shoot?
Do you use your AF-On button?

The "Nikkor" 80-400 has never been too slow for me.
Not for small flying birds nor for motorcycles in a race.
The AF and VR even work well in an unlit barn so dark that I have to use ISO 6400
And, the ##### is so good that I have one of my D3 bodies dedicated to it.

The 1.5x MC DG teleplus not only fits but also the AF and VR work fine on the 80-400.
However, I do agree the cropped image is not always but is often better than the one with the TC.