Should I get the 2X TC IIII for 500 II?

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Dear All,
i have a 5DIII body and have been using the 1.4X TC III regularly with the Canon 500 II with great results. In some situations I am reach limited and often need to swap my 5D3 with my 7D. My question is should I buy the 2X TC III so I don't need to lug around 2 bodies? I know some of you use it very effectively but just need some inputs from you reg AF, IQ etc with the 2X III on the 500 II. Thanks in advance.
Regards,
Sanjeev

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Sorry for the Typo in title, it should be 2X III not IIII.....
my apologies.

[arash_hazeghi]

Hi Sanjeev,
The sharpness of Extender 2X III with MKII super-tele lenses is excellent but the AF will take a hit with the 5D3...

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Thanks Arash, in that case will it be better to continue to use the 7D when I need more 'reach' and buy the 2X III if and when I get the 1DX? BTW I have a battery grip on my 5D3, will that make it any better reg AF speed?
Thanks a ton.
sanjeev

[arash_hazeghi]

Thanks Arash, in that case will it be better to continue to use the 7D when I need more 'reach' and buy the 2X III if and when I get the 1DX? BTW I have a battery grip on my 5D3, will that make it any better reg AF speed?
Thanks a ton.
sanjeev

I would still give the 2x TC III a try, it's a small investment relatively.

and no grip will not help because the camera can only use one battery at a time.

[Doug Schurman]

I suspect if you start using the 2X with the 5D3 you will stop using the 7D. The AF consistency with the 5D3 is fantastic and I think you can post process 5D3 files easier than 7D files. The focus lock on will probably be a tad slower with the 5D3 but other aspects could make that tolerable. Of course the 1DX is so much quicker when locking on to birds in flight but you really pay a premium for that.

[David Stephens]

I own the 5D MkIII and the 7D and carry both, with my 500mm on the 5D3 and a 70-200mm on the 7D. I use both the 1.4x and 2.0x TC-III with both lenses on the 5D3 and I often use the 70-200/1.4x combination on the 7D. For birds in flight, the 5D3/2.0x will yield a high percentage of OOF shots. For perched birds its outstanding.

Last Sunday I had great light and bald eagles approaching a night roost too far away for the 500/1.4x, so I went to the 2.0x TC-III. With good prefocus, you can still get a bird in focus reasonably quickly, but the critical, super sharp focus will be off on around half the shots. That's not that different than the 7D with a bare lens, so I stick with the 5D3. Anyway, enough eagles came and went and I took enough shots that I got several that I was pleased with. In contrast, the 1D X is much faster to lock on and stays locked on in the AI Servo mode.

Get the EF 2.0x TC-III. You'll use it with your 5D3, but life will not be all roses.


Eagle Portrait by dcstep, on Flickr

Of course, everyone knows that eagles are pretty slow birds, so YMMV with smaller, faster birds.

[AdityaPadhye]

I've been using the 2.0X III TC with my 600 f4 II since the day the updated fw for the 5DMK3 was released. The AF does slow down, the viewfinders dark and there's a slight loss of contrast in the image. But its still tack sharp @ f/8 and very useful when you need the reach. I sold off my 7D that very same month :)

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Thank you Aditya & everyone who gave their suggestions. I will be buying the 2X TC III next week. Cheers.
Regards
Sanjeev

[Eric Dienesch]

I've been using the 2.0X III TC with my 600 f4 II since the day the updated fw for the 5DMK3 was released. The AF does slow down, the viewfinders dark and there's a slight loss of contrast in the image. But its still tack sharp @ f/8 and very useful when you need the reach. I sold off my 7D that very same month :)

I can say exactly the same. Go for it !

[David Stephens]

Thank you Aditya & everyone who gave their suggestions. I will be buying the 2X TC III next week. Cheers.
Regards
Sanjeev

Congrats. Let us know what you think after you try it.

[Steve Kaluski]

Sanjeev, remember you will be starting with f/8, therefore watch your SS and only the centre point. Also like the 1.4, it only magnifies, so keep it clean.

[Arthur Morris]

Yes to the 2X III. Sell the 7D :). artie

[Sanjeev Aurangabadkar]

Thanks for the tip Steve and Artie. Steve, I will keep those points in mind. I intend to use the 2X III on both the 70-200 2.8 II & 500 II. With the ISO performance of 5D III, will I need to keep the base ISO to 800-1600 for birds particularly with the 500 II+2 X III?

[Steve Kaluski]

Just keep that SS high, look at the settings when you attach the 2x and adjust the ISO accordingly to suit the conditions. IMHO the new 2x is a big improvement.

[David Stephens]

Thanks for the tip Steve and Artie. Steve, I will keep those points in mind. I intend to use the 2X III on both the 70-200 2.8 II & 500 II. With the ISO performance of 5D III, will I need to keep the base ISO to 800-1600 for birds particularly with the 500 II+2 X III?

I use ISO 800 as my default and adjust up and down as needed.

[arash_hazeghi]

Thanks for the tip Steve and Artie. Steve, I will keep those points in mind. I intend to use the 2X III on both the 70-200 2.8 II & 500 II. With the ISO performance of 5D III, will I need to keep the base ISO to 800-1600 for birds particularly with the 500 II+2 X III?

At 1000mm keep the shutter speed at 1/2500sec or faster (ideally 1/3200sec) and set the ISO as high as needed without hesitating to get the files sharp.