Teleconverters question

[machineman9]

I've currently got a 70-300mm lens but at times I am finding that I'm not getting enough zoom out of it which means I either have to enlarge the picture and drop the quality, or move closer... And moving closer is not always possible.


Am I right in thinking that a 2.0x converter will effectively make my lens a 140-600mm lens?

Would it be worth getting one? It seems like a cheaper alternative to buying a larger lens. In fact, it could be a tenth if not a hundreth of the cost of buying a larger lens to get that level of magnification.


Any input?


Cheers.

[BAW0343]

Yes, your exactly right.

Just keep in mind that a teleconverter can also reduce your image quality. From tests that I have seen, however, its really not that bad, but its something to keep in mind. Also on some systems it supposedly can affect AF, again I haven't seen proof, but rather just speculation.

[Omag 2.0]

Teleconverter + 70-300 lens = bad idea!

Why?

1) Your maximum aperature-value rises, meaning you won't get as much light on your sensor, meaning you'll need longer shuttertimes or increased iso (and noise) to make a shot.

2) The AF of these lenses isn't stellar to start with and having less light on the sensor means even longer autofocus times... leaving you with a useless lens.

Teleconvertors are meant for quality primelenses ( fixed focal point). Better qualitly, lightstrong zooms like 70-200 f2.8 can be combined with them too ( if you choose the x1,4 variant), but still you get the best quality with genuine mm's.

[Keep It Simple]

Back in my old film camera days (Minolta 101) I had a 2X

[machineman9]

Whoops I lost sight of this thread for a moment there.

I was only really considering using it for things such as moon shots and maybe long range still photography. I don't do much motion photography let alone at a long distance so would it still be a bad idea to get one for something such as this?


I can try and look on eBay or something for a cheap one just to see how well it works and if I would need to use it or not, then if I do I could always look to buying the better and new one...  That is, if there is still any reason to need one.

[Keep It Simple]

e-bay.. ....a great idea,.  :)

Get something cheap to see what it can and can not do.

[Mictheslik]

I'd also look into whether your lens is actually compatible with the converter. I know that both of the canon ones only work with a selection of L lenses, and a lot of them lose AF when you do.

.mic