teleconverters on the 80-200 f/2.8

[rootrider]

So I was just sure that I read somewhere that the Nikon AF 80-200 F/2.8 D wouldn't work with teleconverters. Maybe it was just with Nikon's TC's.

Either way, a friend brought his cheap Tamron 2x converter to an event today and I hooked it up.. it worked great, though the IQ of the shots isn't quite as good

Sooo.. does anyone know which TC's will work and which won't? I'm looking for a relatively high quality 1.4x TC that'll work with the lens.

[cyclohexane]

The Nikon autofocus TC's won't work with it, as they don't fit non-AF-I/S lenses without modification, and they also don't provide a path for the screwdrive autofocus to pass through.

The Nikon manual focus TC's (well, some of them) will work just fine with it: i.e. Nikon TC-14A. If you have the instruction manual included with the lens, it should specify which TC's you can use.

The more expensive Tamrons and Sigmas should work fine with AF and provide decent quality, especially if you're only going for the 1.4x.

[rootrider]

A Sigma TC will work as well? I never even thought about that. How about Kenko TC's? (are Tamron's just rebranded Kenkos?)

[james23p]

Yes Kenko's are rebranded Tamrons or Tamrons rebranded Kenko's take your pick. Tamrons 1.4 SP(Super Performance) and Kenko's Pro line(I think 300 series)1.4 are both very good and will provide AF with the AF-D. If I remember correctly they are 5 elements in 4 groups vs the cheaper ones are 4 elements. Plus a 1.4x will have better IQ than the 2.0x. So add the better SP or Pro versions plus the better IQ of the 1.4 and you should have a nice package with the 80-200 2.8 AF-D, I know I did before it was stolen two years ago.

Jim

[cyclohexane]

A Sigma TC will work as well?

Now that I think about it, I could be wrong. Might have been thinking of Kenko instead. The Tamrons and Kenkos will work, so I'd stick with those.

[rootrider]

One would think a Nikon compatible TC is a Nikon compatible TC.. but who knows I guess

The Tamron piece I used yesterday felt really cheap.. the aperture thing was plastic.. ugh. I'm guessing it was the cheaper version available. I'll have to look around.. 200mm just isn't enough for the motorsports shots I've been doing but I can't afford a new lens at the moment.

[cyclohexane]

One would think a Nikon compatible TC is a Nikon compatible TC.. but who knows I guess

The thing is, Nikon makes two different kind of TCs: AI/AIS compatible TCs, and AF-I/S TCs. AI/AIS TCs will also work with plain screwdrive AF/AF-D lenses, but Nikon never made any TCs that utilize screwdrive AF, excluding the TC-16A which gave limited AF capability to AI/AIS lenses.

[rootrider]

I see... I think

[soxOZ]

Originally Posted by rootrider

I see... I think

Hi....

The Nikon TC's will only work on AF-S lenses as they do not have the drive screw connector in them to focus the 80-200 (or any other non AF-S,HSM etc lens). So the Kenko, Tamron and Sigma TC's will work with the 80-200 f/2.8. I use the Kenko 1.4x PRO300 DG TC on my 80-200 f/2.8 and find there isn't really any loss of IQ, but careful if you use a higher multiplication TC 2x as a lot have said that there is a substantial loss in IQ.

Also remember with these 3rd party TC that on your EXIF data it will not show the difference with or without the TC attached.

Example... If you set the FL to 200mm @ f/2.8, it will show this with or with out the TC attached , even thou with the TC attached it should be showing 280mm@f/4. Hope you understand what I'm trying to say here... (Note that the Nikon TC do the conversion but don't work with the 80-200)...

Hope this has helped you understand which TC you can and can't use....

[rootrider]

yeah.. thanks

I understood most of it.. but you helped simplify things a bit.

So... do Tamron/Kenko TC's have the correct contacts for AF-I/AF-S, etc. lenses or do you have to use a Sigma or Nikon TC for those to work? Or will Sigma TC's not work with Nikon AF-S lenses?

Again.. it seems to me that it should just come down to wheather the converter has the screw drive or not.. and whether they have the correct contacts for the AF-I/AF-S lenses or not. Are there inconsistencies that haven't been mentioned?

Also.. eh.. am I understanding correctly that the older Nikon "AI" TC's will work with normal screwdrive AF lenses.. or do they just "work", without AF?

[cyclohexane]

Also.. eh.. am I understanding correctly that the older Nikon "AI" TC's will work with normal screwdrive AF lenses.. or do they just "work", without AF?

No. Here's a blanket statement: aside from the special case of the TC-16A, Nikon made no TCs capable of screwdrive AF.

[rootrider]

keh actually has a couple tc16a tc's for sale right now. Do you think that'd be worth buying (they're pretty cheap) over something like a Kenko 1.4x ?

[cyclohexane]

No. It isn't designed to work with AF lenses. What it does is give manual focus lenses (AI/AIS, AI converted, etc.) some form of limited AF capability. Basically, you set a range of focusing distances, and the thing speeds up your MF by moving the lens part of the way there. The contraption itself is larger and a little unwieldy, but if you have something like an old fast telephoto Nikkor it'll give help you focus a little faster.

EDIT: Also, among the DSLRs, the TC-16A only works with the D2H/S and D2X/S. I don't know about the D1 series.

EDIT 2: More info on the TC-16A: Nikon TC-16A AF-Teleconverter

[rootrider]

aww, I see we're speaking different languages here
thanks for clearing that up..

[cyclohexane]

I see we're speaking different languages here

My bad. =)

Keeping it simple (for a change):

Tamron/Kenko, the higher-end ones (I believe they're white) work and provide AF. Nikon's don't work, or don't provide AF.

[Aardvark101]

Sorry to jump in on this thread - you mention that the Tamron/Kenko's work and Nikon does - any advice / info on the Sigma ones? (or should I just keep away?) this is for a Sigma 70-200 f2.8

Cheers

Ellis.

[rootrider]

The Nikon AF TC's work.. they just won't AF with non-AFS lenses

Sigma has some weird compatibility issues sometimes. Notice how they end up having to rechip some of their lenses each time a new semi-pro or pro body comes out. I did a lot of reading on Nikonians when I bought my TC and Sigma TC compatiblity seems to work best on Sigma lenses and not quite as well as the Kenko/Tamron TC's on other lenses. However it looks like the Tamron/Kenko TC's work just fine on Sigma lenses. Nikonians has a really cool lens/TC compatibility thread somewhere on there that you might want to look into. Either way, IMO, I'd just go with a high end Tamron/Kenko TC like I did. It'll work great with AF-S lenses and convert the aperture for you just like the Nikon TC's do, and it'll work with almost any other lens as long as the rear element doesn't go too far back.

I've been using my 1.4x TC on my 50mm 1.8 a bit recently.. it's been a good way to get a fast telephoto lens