Teleconverters

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

3 - If your lens has autofocus, you will undoubtedly lose it when using a teleconverter. Only some of the manufacturers own converters will retain autofocus, and then (apart from a few exceptions) only when used on prime lenses with large maximum apertures.

not necesarily - in fact its the expensive tcs that normally stop you from autofocusing (tho this can be prevented by taping the pins) - cheap third party ones rarely do per se

however most cameras require an efective max apperture of at least f5.6 or sometimes f6.3 (f8 for pro level kit like the 1D and 1DS range) for the cameras AF to work correctly.

that means that if you put a tc on a f5.6 lens like yours you will lose the af - however you can put a 1.4 on an F4 and retain it or a 2x on a f2.8 ( I can vouch for this as i use a cheap kenko 2xtc a lot on my f2.8 macro lens and it autofocuses wihout a problem.

[Morph]

Originally Posted by eeyore

those that screw on to the front are not really a teleconverter at all (though this is how they are marketed) - they are more properly known as suplementary lenses.

That is what Jim says "the teleconverter you use is a supplementary one that's screwed on the front"

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Morph

That is what Jim says "the teleconverter you use is a supplementary one that's screwed on the front"

I know - but what i was saying is that that type isnt a teleconverter , I'm not trying to argue with jim - just being clear so that the original poster doesnt get confused.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by eeyore

not necesarily - in fact its the expensive tcs that normally stop you from autofocusing (tho this can be prevented by taping the pins) - cheap third party ones rarely do per se

however most cameras require an efective max apperture of at least f5.6 or sometimes f6.3 (f8 for pro level kit like the 1D and 1DS range) for the cameras AF to work correctly.

that means that if you put a tc on a f5.6 lens like yours you will lose the af - however you can put a 1.4 on an F4 and retain it or a 2x on a f2.8 ( I can vouch for this as i use a cheap kenko 2xtc a lot on my f2.8 macro lens and it autofocuses wihout a problem.

another point to bear in mind is that the canon TCs only work with certain lenses (generally the L series and one or two others) they will not work with the 55-200. (this is a physical incompatibility as the back of the lense will hit the front of the converter) - therefore if you have cheaper canon lenses you need to invest in a third party TC like one from kenko, sigma etc.

[Jim Ford]

Some work, some don't - it must be all pretty confusing for Canon owners. Is there a matrix somewhere that shows the lens/teleconverter combination functioning?

Jim

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Jim Ford

Some work, some don't - it must be all pretty confusing for Canon owners. Is there a matrix somewhere that shows the lens/teleconverter combination functioning?

Jim

see here -=FAQ=- Teleconverter/T-Con Tele extender FAQ - Canon Digital Photography Forums second post down.

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by Lancashire Lad

...3 - If your lens has autofocus, you will undoubtedly lose it when using a teleconverter. Only some of the manufacturers own converters will retain autofocus, and then (apart from a few exceptions) only when used on prime lenses with large maximum apertures...

Originally Posted by eeyore

not necesarily - in fact its the expensive tcs that normally stop you from autofocusing (tho this can be prevented by taping the pins)...

Agreed eeyore.
I must have had my head in the clouds when I wrote 3 (above). Certainly some third party teleconverters will retain autofocus with some lenses - as you say, generally the faster aperture ones.

I have a Kenko 2x converter which, (and I haven't a clue why), occasionally autofocuses ok, but mostly will not autofocus at all, when used with a Nikon 70-300 f4/5.6. There doesn't seem to be any logic - It certainly doesn't appear to depend on whether the lens is zoomed to max (i.e.300mm at f5.6) or whether it's on 70mm at f4.

The results are never too good. (Usually only centre frame retains acceptable sharpness). It only ever gets used when I can't get any closer to the subject, and would otherwise have to crop the final image to ridiculous extent.

Just a case that sometimes, any image is better than no image at all, and accepting the fact that there will, occasionally, be constraints on your photographic opportunities, dependent upon the amount of money you are prepared/able to spend on your kit.

Regards
Mike.

[cherrybee]

Most of this goes right over my head, but I have an Olympus 1.7x tele conversion lens and I need some tips on what settings are best to get the best out of it.(In simple terms please Pete) I use Aperture control on my FinepixS5600. I have tried different settings but this setting is the one I get on with best.I am hopeless with following manuals,I really need to see it done to get the hang of things.Any help on this will be most appreciated

[Morph]

Originally Posted by cherrybee

Most of this goes right over my head, but I have an Olympus 1.7x tele conversion lens and I need some tips on what settings are best to get the best out of it.(In simple terms please Pete) I use Aperture control on my FinepixS5600. I have tried different settings but this setting is the one I get on with best.I am hopeless with following manuals,I really need to see it done to get the hang of things.Any help on this will be most appreciated

Apparently we,ve only got supplementary lens they are talking DSLR camera club stuff on here. But if your camera have a conversion tab in the menu it should work fine, does yours work with or without the tab activated ?

[Lancashire Lad]

Originally Posted by cherrybee

Most of this goes right over my head, but I have an Olympus 1.7x tele conversion lens and I need some tips.....I use Aperture control on my FinepixS5600.....

As morph says cherrybee, to be strictly correct, you have a supplementary lens. (although in the real world, this is splitting hairs, as what it does is exactly the same as a teleconverter - in terms of the end result).

According to the fujipix manual, your S5600 has a 10x optical zoom, and aperture range of f3.5 to f8.

So - adding your 1.7x converter should give you an optical zoom max of 17x which is on a par with some of the best available.

You prefer to use aperture priority, so I suggest using the correct aperture that will let your shutterspeed stay above 1/500th of a second at minimum, and for preference above 1/1000th of a second.

To explain this - at 10x optical zoom, your camera has the equivalent of a 380mm lens on a 35mm SLR camera. With the 1.7x converter lens attached, your lens will effectively zoom to 646mm. (A quite staggering amount of zoom).

The best way to try to remember what shutter speed needs to be (purely to avoid camera shake & blurred pictures), is to make sure that the shutterspeed is always faster than the focal length of the lens.

For example: -
Focal length 100mm use 1/125th minimum shutter speed
Focal length 200mm use 1/250th minimum shutter speed
Focal length 400mm use 1/500th minimum shutter speed
Focal length 646mm - (your kit) use at least 1/500th or 1/1000th min.

Of course, if you are using a tripod or monopod, you can use longer shutter speeds and still get sharp pics.

Hope all that made sense.

Regards
Mike.