kenko pro 300 1.4 teleconverter help

[peppermint]

Hi, I am after a bit of information/advice as i am going to buy a kenko pro 300 1.4x teleconverter.

I have been looking around on the internet to find the best price, and it seems to vary a great deal from £71.99 to £149

I also notice that there are 3 different titles that different websites use

Kenko pro 300 1.4x DG AF
Kenko pro 300 1.4x DG
Kenko pro 300 1.4x AF

I was wondering if these are all the same teleconverter or if Kenko actually makes 3 different ones . I have tried to find this out myself by searching the internet but can't really find anything to confirm or deny this as shops seem to stock just 1 of the 3 listed above.

Any help would be appreciated,

thanks

Jen

[matt_xyz]

I think the 3 that you mention are all the same. The important bit is having 'pro' in the title, because Kenko also make a cheaper non-pro version. The one you are after is the Kenko pro 300 DG. I have one of these and the image quality is good, but there are the usual AF problems if used on lenses with a maximum aperture of 5.6 or smaller.

Matt

[galanthus]

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

I think the 3 that you mention are all the same. The important bit is having 'pro' in the title, because Kenko also make a cheaper non-pro version. The one you are after is the Kenko pro 300 DG. I have one of these and the image quality is good, but there are the usual AF problems if used on lenses with a maximum aperture of 5.6 or smaller.

Matt

I'm considering buying the canon 400mm 5.6 lens and am thinking of teaming this up with a Kenko 1.4. Would the pro 300 DG be the one to get ? Also, what are the usual problems ?

What lens are you going to use it with peppermint ?

[matt_xyz]

Originally Posted by galanthus

I'm considering buying the canon 400mm 5.6 lens and am thinking of teaming this up with a Kenko 1.4. Would the pro 300 DG be the one to get ? Also, what are the usual problems ?

You will lose AF when you attach a TC to most cameras (apart from the 1 series Canons) if you're using a f5.6 lens, so to fool the camera you need to put tape over 3 of the pins on the TC. This is easy and a takes only a few seconds, but AF still won't work very well. It tends to hunt around and takes time to lock on. Image quality is fine, but it is difficult to use the AF particularly if the light isn't brilliant.

Matt

[galanthus]

Aha, I've read something about this pin covering thing on the forum somewhere !! So basically, very poor or zilch AF then ? Or is it managable ? I don't mind using manual focus sometimes but wld like the option of AF I suppose. Ideally the 2.8 400mm wld be arriving tomorrow.... oops, dreaming again

[Ollie]

Originally Posted by galanthus

I'm considering buying the canon 400mm 5.6 lens and am thinking of teaming this up with a Kenko 1.4. Would the pro 300 DG be the one to get ? Also, what are the usual problems ?

What lens are you going to use it with peppermint ?

It's the Kenko Pro 300 DG thats ok to use with a Canon 400mm f5.6 lens.I have the box that mine came in and that's what is written on my box. Although as Matt mentioned I think all three that Peppermint mentions are the same

Again as Matt says though auto focus can be a bit hit and miss with it hunting quite a lot and refusing to lock on at times. to be honest I don't use the converter with my f5.6 lens much but it has got me the occasional photo that would have been impossible without it, and as long as you are aware of the shortcomings of it I would say it is a useful addition to your kit.

My converter spends 90% of it's time on the Sigma 150mm macro lens, it works a dream with it as long as the pins are taped

Roger

[DuncanE]

I've just got myself one of these. I use it with my Sigma 70-200 f2.8 (probably not ideal). In AF mode on my Nikon D80, it hunts about a bit but does funny things like make the battery indicator flash as if its about to run out and therefore locking the camera. Turning the camera off then on again brings the operation back to normal only for it to go again. If anyone knows how to get around this I'd be most grateful. But that said in Manual mode it works fine.

That said, given that I focus correct the picture quality using the TC is great.

[peppermint]

Originally Posted by galanthus

What lens are you going to use it with peppermint ?

sigma 70mm-300mm f4 - 5.6 to begin with.

Thanks everyone for your replies. I am quite suprised how much the price varies . I think the cheapest was in digital-rev.