AppReciate any comments on this tc with use of 300 mm 2.8 lens
And 70-200 mm as well as 500 mm and 200-400 mm lens
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AppReciate any comments on this tc with use of 300 mm 2.8 lens
And 70-200 mm as well as 500 mm and 200-400 mm lens
Stuart,
I've been using the Nikon 300 2.8 VR II and the Nikon TC-20E III for a few weeks now.
The results are quite impressive. Let me re-phrase that -- they are jaw-droppingly fantastic !
I've owned three Nikon 600mm and one Canon 500mm lenses. I can say without qualification that the IQ I am getting from this present combo is equal to, or better than my fabulous results with the 600's.
I cannot detect one iota of IQ loss, and the AF is blazingly fast and accurate.
Color rendition is phenomenal.
I am using the same D3 body as with the other Nikon lenses.
When Nikon released the 300 VR II along with the TC-20E III they, in my personal opinion, changed the game entirely for those wanting 600mm reach with maximum IQ and portability.
Regarding the 200-400 forget it. Not that in certain conditions it can't be used but IQ falls short to my standards.
I don't have the same experience as Bill. For me using the TC20 is always a compromise, even if the v3 is a great step forward regarding v2. None results with any TC is, again for me, better than any prime. I'm talking the 70-200 v2+TC20, being not better than the 400, neither the 300+TC20 being better than the 600, and so on...
I get different feelings on the 500. Some times really good shots, some times not great, so it was sold.
Please pay attention that TC's are more prone to sample variation. I have stayed with my first samples on TC14 and TC20 (v2 and v3) but run on three different TC17 and all has gone.
What I do agree with Bill is that for a 2xTC the v3 Nikon is a great piece of glass.
Thanks
PedroS
www.pedrosfotografia.com
I've had the same experience as Pedro. Adding the TC20 to any prime drops the IQ substantially in my experience. We did some tests with the new 300mm f2.8 VRII, started off with the TC20 on there and shooting a static subject (stuffed Northern Flicker) and at first we were really impressed. No doubt it is much better than the old TC20 (leaps and bounds). But to level set ourselves we shot the subject with the bare lens (300mm f2.8 and a 600 f4), just no comparison. And on the 600mm F4 VR with the TC20 the results were far from satisfactory. Don't know what it is, but Nikon cannot seem to pull off a 2X converter like Canon can.
As I said just my experience,
Grant
Grant, which version of the TC-20 were you using? Based on your post, I have to conclude it was the old one.
I am specifically talking about coupling the TC-20E III with the 300 2.8 VR II. They were designed to work together, and in my estimation, Nikon has well-exceed its goal.
Months ago I tested the TC-20E version II with the 300 2.8, and the results, though excellent, fell short of what I've experienced with the latest versions of both the lens and the TC.
The TC-20E III was designed to work optimally with the 2.8 lens. Results may vary when tried with other lenses.
Hi Bill, it was the version III (new one). It was definitely much better than the old one and we could see decent feather detail. We were all wowing over it until we decided to see how sharp that 300mm f2.8 was without any TCs. Funny how our perception of sharp changed after that. We all looked at the image with bare 300 and quickly adjusted our impression of the TC. Its half decent but nothing compared to a prime and definitely does not match well with the 600mm. It was enough for me to decide not to get it as I was on the fence. I'll stick with my 1.7 and 1.4. I don't have a 300mm 2.8 of my own, if I did I might consider getting a TC20 III to match with it (good combo for travel). But with my current gear I don't see too much of a benefit for me.
Grant
Thanks, Grant.
No doubt the TC will have an impact on IQ. How much so, and whether it's discernible to the eye, other than at high magnification, is a matter of subjective interpretation.
The 300 2.8 lens alone is certainly sharper. In fact it's much sharper, in my experience, than the 600mm lenses, of which I've had three. Thus my assessment that, again from my experience, the 300 2.8 with TC20-E III meets or exceeds my experience with the 600's alone and with TC's.
For me, the IQ with the TC20-E III is outstanding, and I am happy to have the 600mm 'reach' with portability.
UPDATE:
And just to continue the experiment, I've modified my TC-14E II so it could be stacked it with the TC-20E III on the 300 2.8 VR II.
The camera continues to autofocus, though more slowly. IQ has dropped slightly.
But for those times when I need it, I now have a functional, effective 840mm 'reach' with the D3 with my lighter-weight rig.
I have done exactly the same thing. I'm still using stacked TC's, even on the 600VR, but only when the register is worth it. It's amazing that the D3s can focus... (on Portuguese sunny days :t3)Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Jobes
I'd love to see some sample shots if you guys don't mind. Maybe I can stack the 1.4 and 1.7, if the sun ever comes out around here. Been wondering if Nikon should make a 500mm f1.4 just for the pacific northwest :t3
For those who are saying a lens naked is better/worse than the lens with the new 2.0 tc, are you cropping or just looking at the full frame. I would like to see comparisons of the 600 with and without the tc when the naked version's main subject is cropped to show the same as what is gotten with the naked lens.
It seems that the TC-20E III performs much better on f2.8 primes. On my 400/2.8 VR works miricles, to the point that I bought a second one to use on my 200/2 VR, with similar fantastic results.
Giulio
Hi Allan, I'm viewing the image at 100% to assess sharpness. Using a stuffed bird, which is great as you can really scrutenize sharpness when dealing with feathers. We are also testing at realistic subject distances of 15+ meters to assess the quality, unless of course you are shooting for macro.
We were testing with a 300mm f2.8 VRII and a 600mm F4 VR. If I can get access to the TC-20E III in the next little while I'll try some comparison shots for you again. Although I think it went to Sweden with its owner for a few weeks.
Grant
Ok, thatīs not a bird :2eyes2:
but there's some photos to compare...:w3
http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/nikon/index.html
If you can find a TC-20E III let me know, I've been on the waiting list for a while. I got to use the TC at a photo workshop and it's amazing on my 300 2.8 and the 500 f4.
They are available at cameranu.nl :w3
Thanks Pedro but I can't read the text on the site.. I don't speak either German or whatever the text is written in.
:t3
Just click on english flag...
In front of each item there's a color, green means in stock :c3:
