Tele Converters for d70

[meagain]

Might be a silly question... How do tele converters work and are they any good...

Am i right in thinkong that they can effectivly increase zoom range?

[simpo two]

They fit bewteen the camera body and the back of the lens, and will multiply the focal length by whatever x-factor they are, usually 1.4x or 2x. There is of course a downside: the extra glass will reduce image quality a little and your maximum aperture is reduced by up to two stops. If neither of these bother you, it's a cheap way to get more range.

NB: On the D70 you need to make sure the TC has the appropriate contacts to transmit distance data from the lens to camera, otherwise you'll be forced to use manual metering - or the camera might even say 'error' and go for lunch. IIRC Kenko make suitable TCs.

>> Edited by simpo two on Thursday 17th November 13:52

[imperialism2024]

For all of the "action shots" of the cars I took in [url]www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=218212&f=109&h=0[/url], I used a ProMaster 1.7x teleconverter with my 300mm f/4 lens. Results were significantly better than I expected, though I assume it also has to do with what teleconverter you use and how the lens is in the first place.

[beano500]

"Tele converters" used to be a dirty word.





Well actually it used to be, and still is, two words if you're stupid enough to put a space in it.




Anyway a teleconverter was something to look down upon, but are now right at the forefront. I have designs on an AF-S 300mm Nikon and one of the Nikon TCs to go with it.

In fact, with my film bodies I used to have a TC-16A. Always had good results.

So, if possible, go for the Nikon one (you may need to be careful to get the right model. Find a lens compatability chart on the Nikon website, if in doubt!). You'll get some impressive results, I bet!

[simpo two]

beano500 said:

So, if possible, go for the Nikon one (you may need to be careful to get the right model. Find a lens compatability chart on the Nikon website, if in doubt!). You'll get some impressive results, I bet!

www.europe-nikon.com/category.aspx?countryid=20&languageid=22&catId=136
For the price of those, you'd be well on your way to getting a (say) Sigma lens in the focal length you actually want - better max aperture and less farting about fitting it.

[beano500]

Ohidunno.



Take a 300mm F4

Add, say, a TC17

You get the equivalent (roughly) of a 500mm F6.3

The (effective) second lens is costing you about £300, you get to retain AF-S performance and are up the top in optical performance terms. (You can't even get a Nikon 500mm unless you can shell out £5k on the F4 version!)

[cvp]

I use the Nikon 1.7* converter and whilst it is a bit of a pain to fit sometimes the drop in quality is not that noticeable and the extra reach it gives you can be the difference between getting a usable shot and not.

Certainly pairing this with say the Nikon 70-200 f2.8 AFS gives a very good combo.

Chris

[simpo two]

Let's start from the beginning. Meagain, what lens do you have and what focal length do you want to achieve?

[imperialism2024]

simpo two said:

Let's start from the beginning. Meagain, what lens do you have and what focal length do you want to achieve?

And what are you looking to shoot?

I paid $120 IIRC on my ProMaster 1.7x teleconverter... the guy at the local camera shop (eh, I used to think they were reliable...) recommended it as a cheap way to get telescopic focal lengths. I've found that while, obviously, it's not good in low-light situations, there really isn't too much more I can ask it to do for outdoor photography. Most of the photos I had in the previous URL I posted, I took with the teleconverter, and I found it extremely easy to freeze action even at ISO200. So even with the stop down the teleconverter causes, and even with a relatively slow (f/4) lens, and the D70's tendency to underexpose, the overall amount of light was enough to get a well-exposed shot. I would imagine it would be similar for wildlife photography.

I'd say: get a cheaper teleconverter rather than the $400+ Nikon one; if it's not what you're looking for, then you're out $100-$150 for an expensive coaster. Though as much as I despise non-Nikon lenses, I'll recommend non-Nikon teleconverters.

IMHO of course