Will D700 with TC-20E III and 300mm f/4 autofocus?

[Ilija Dukovski]

I have Nikon D700 and Nikkor 300mm f/4 lens.
I'm thinking of getting the TC20E III.
In the D700 specs it states that D700 will not autofocus with f/8 lens.
My unerstanding is that some professional cameras WILL
autofocus with f/8, but only with the central sensor.
Is this true for the D700 or not.
In other words, will the combo:
D700, 300mm f/4 and TC20E III
autofocus with the central sensor only or not at all.

All help appreciated.

Thanks,

[Michael Yessik]

It will autofocus if there is a lot of light, and then very slowly. Of course, the image quality will suffer. But for slow or stationery targets in bright light, it is usable.

[Charlie Woodrich]

EJ (from Naturescapes) tested this TC and wasn't impressed. Suggest you look further before buying.

[Bill Ragan]

I have the Nikon 2x on my D300s with a 300mm f/2.8 af-s lens and I don't think that highly of it. It is hard to keep sharp at 600mm. I wouldn't buy it again.

[allanrube]

I don't have one but have the older version. I never use it anymore with f/4 lenses. Focus often hunts. Not only do you need good light you need a lot of contrast. I get better IQ with a 1.7.
Of course, Nikon claims IQ is better with version 3. But I think it would be best to use it on 2.8 or faster lenses like the 300 2.8, 400 2.8 or 200 f/2. Even then, as Bill mentions above, he did not think it was a keeper with his lens.
I would only say look at it if you can find it locally and the store allows you to try before you buy.

[Ilija Dukovski]

Thank you for the help,
it seems it is not worth the $500.
The few evaluations I could find on the
web, however, concluded the new TC20E III
is a great improvement compared to the TC20E II.
Allan, it seems a good idea to test it before buying.

Thanks,

[Harshad Barve]

One of my friend uses D300 + 300/F4 with 1.4x , 1.7x and 2x very effectively without loosing IQ , you can see his work here http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view...osh%20Saligram

I have used 2X on 300/f4 in Nikon days and worked very well for me :)

[Ilija Dukovski]

One of my friend uses D300 + 300/F4 with 1.4x , 1.7x and 2x very effectively without loosing IQ , you can see his work here http://www.indianaturewatch.net/view...osh%20Saligram

I have used 2X on 300/f4 in Nikon days and worked very well for me :)

Thanks Harshad, I think I will try it first if possible,
there seems to be mixed opinions about this,
I would guess the combo is at the limits of acceptable performance
and results vary quite a bit.

[Ilija Dukovski]

One note of interest here is that as I read about TC20E III with a f/4 lens
I get the impression that people with DX, D300 tend to give it tumbs down,
while tests done with FX seem to be mostly positive.
Still not sure about the verdict.

[Harshad Barve]

Santosh became member today , will ask him to post his comments on this

[Alfred Forns]

Hi ILIJA You will find your question will generate all sort of opinions !!

I use converters and obtain excellent results. There will be a loss of image quality but feel they are worth it and critically sharp images can be had !! For all around use I would recommend sticking with the 1.4X and use the others if there is no choice.

One of the drawbacks to the full frame camera is the reach, it was one of the reasons I switched back to Canon a few months ago !!

[Ilija Dukovski]

Hi ILIJA You will find your question will generate all sort of opinions !!

Thanks Al,

You are absolutely right about this, I read opinions stating the TC20E III is a huge improvement
over the old TC20E II, and then I find reviews stating there's no significant difference.
It seems to me that people who already used the TC20, like the new TC20E III.
On the other hand it seems that folks who used only TC14 in the past and were
hoping the new 2x one will deliver the same sharpness as 1.4x are disappointed.
This is of course only my impression I got after reading very few reviews and test that are
out there.

[Alfred Forns]

I have seen results from the new converter and feel it is an improvement.

Some time back it was said you could not make a critically sharp image with a 600, at the time I was shooting Nikon so I bought a 2X and went at it with my 600 VR Posted some including head shots.

On the Canon side I think the converters work a little better and you can stack. Not long ago posted an Osprey with stack converters that was good enough for publications. One thing to keep in mind you will have lots of soft ones !! Lots of magnification !!!

I don't think a 2X will ever give you the performance of a 1.4X Just need to test and see what is acceptable. One thing ... the AF is horrendous with a 2X !!

[Ilija Dukovski]

One thing ... the AF is horrendous with a 2X !!

Yes, that was my original question and I understand at this point that it will
AF only with the central sensors ....slowly.

[Alfred Forns]

... btw here is the image I was talking about with the stacked converters, manual focus and had to take lots to come up with a couple sharp.

http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=55627

[Ilija Dukovski]

... btw here is the image I was talking about with the stacked converters, manual focus and had to take lots to come up with a couple sharp.

http://www.birdphotographers.net/for...ad.php?t=55627

Wow, that is crazy good for stacked converters. You are a brave man:)
Great image BTW.
Very good, the more I read(including the comments between Artie and Juan in your post)
the more I think the new TC20E III might be worth the money.

[Jim Fenton]

I used it on a D700 and D3 and was very disappointed with a 500VR.

With a 300 2.8 VR it performed better.

[John Chardine]

Curious- Nikon are clearly capable of making some great lenses but they don't seem to be able to make quality TCs.

[arash_hazeghi]

Curious- Nikon are clearly capable of making some great lenses but they don't seem to be able to make quality TCs.

Hum...never tried the 2X but 1.4X is certainly optically better than Canon (more expensive too), My Canon 1.4 has CA with 500 f/4 IS, never saw any CA with Nikon.

2X TC is not usable for flight shots IMO, either Canon or Nikon.



200-400 + 1.4X @ 550mm wide open f/5.6

[Alfred Forns]

John the Nikon converters I tried were very good !!!

I think some of the problems goes back to non VR lenses and noisy cameras ... just my opinion !!

[Ilija Dukovski]

I used it on a D700 and D3 and was very disappointed with a 500VR.

With a 300 2.8 VR it performed better.

Thanks Jim,

As I said earlier, the TC20 f/4 combo seems to be at the limits of usage so the results
are varying wildly. You can read people loving the new TC20E III with f/4 600mm VR
and others disappointed completely like yourself.
I think from what I've read so far it it is an improvement compared to the TC20E II
when used with f/2.8 lenses.

Can you tell us more details, were you disappointed with the AF or sharpness and IQ?

[Ilija Dukovski]

2X TC is not usable for flight shots IMO, either Canon or Nikon.

You are probably right Arash, at least when it is combined with f4 lens.
BTW great flight image with 1.4x

[arash_hazeghi]

You are probably right Arash, at least when it is combined with f4 lens.
BTW great flight image with 1.4x

Hi Ilija,
I would not hesitate to use 1.4X with any lens for flight shots with D700, sharp and accurate AF just make sure you set the lock-on to off or short. 2X does not meet my standards, even when used with f/2.8 lenses, AF will struggle and you will miss. It makes sense, the little TC is supposed to do the job of an extra 5 lbs of glass, and the extra 5 grand you have to pay for it ;)

As Al pointed out it works well for perched birds with LV/manual focus and stop down.