teleconverter help

[momji1971]

Just wondered if anybody here can help.

Will a kenko pro 300 2x tele work with my nikkor 300mm 2.8 AF lens. Its the old screw type focus not internal motor!

Works fine with a 1.4x sigma but tried a kenko teleplus 2x and it failed to AF and meter!

Sent it back and the store said it was faulty. Sending me a new pro 300.

Just thought I'd ask. If yes I'll wait in for it, if not, I'm off birding!

kind regards.
Stu.

[Geoff F]

I'm not familar with that lens but most x2 converters will not AF with most lenses. You have to manually focus. With some lenses you can sometimes get acceptable results by taping over the appropriate connection pins in the converter.

If you can't find anybody here with that lens I would recommend trying Photography community, including forums, reviews, and galleries from Photo.net and going to the Nikon Forum for advice.

[Bruin]

I Have a Kenko x2 300 pro. It will not focus on my Nikon D3 With the Nikon 80-200 F2.8 or the Sigma 150-500 OS HSM. The focus just hunts back and forth.
Found this very useful table on Nikon Cafe -

http://blog.nikonians.org/archives/N...er%20Table.pdf

Should give you an idea of what x2's can or can't do.

[momji1971]

thanks for that! I'll check out both sites.

thanks again.
Stu.

[Bruin]

CORRECTION

The Table I linked to above which lists which Teleconverters work with which lenses came from the Nikonians web site, not Nikon Cafe.

[lost in the woods]

Hi Stu
Im a canon user not nikon so i can't comment on lens but i own a sigma 300mm 2.8 and that will auto focus with X2 convertor. most lenses will auto focus down to a maximum apeture of 5.6 this is what you would have with a 2X fitted to your lens after f5.6 lenses tend to hunt more due to lack of light entering lens canon pro bodies will work down to f8 on centre focus point only, you can some times tape pins on teleconvertor to get them to work if appeture is less than F5.6 but don't expect miracles.
Regards
Lost in the Woods

[momji1971]

thanks.

The tele is just a quick fix for now for some extra reach. Next year I intend on buying a 500mm f4. Just gotta save the pennies!

Wish I'd have gone for the sigma version though! Second hand it was the same price as my nikon but the sigma has HSM! Didn't know any better then. Oh, hindsight is a wonderful thing!

thanks again.
Stu.

[lost in the woods]

Hi again Stu
Like you i bought a 300mm and 1.4 & 2x tele convertors i decided to get a longer lens i tried the sigma 300-800mm, 800mm prime and the canon 500mm and 600mm i liked the 500mm for weight and portability but the extra reach of the 600mm i.s. swayed me with the 1.4 tele convertor i found that it was much easier photographing birds with this set up. Down side is you will need to invest in a decent tripod and gimbal type head set up. The reason i mention this is if you are buying a long lens buy one that will suit your needs
now and in the future it's a expensive mistake to make if you get the wrong one
Regards
Lost in the Woods

[momji1971]

Lost in the woods,

How did you find the 300-800mm sigma? Ignoring the weight issue. I understand what you mean about expensive mistakes. I really wish I'd have heard of this forum before I got the 300mm and would have plumped for something longer from the off!

thanks for you advice.
Stu.

[lost in the woods]

Originally Posted by momji1971

Lost in the woods,

How did you find the 300-800mm sigma? Ignoring the weight issue. I understand what you mean about expensive mistakes. I really wish I'd have heard of this forum before I got the 300mm and would have plumped for something longer from the off!

thanks for you advice.
Stu.

Hi Stu
The Sigma is a good lens in many respects the zoom facility is it's biggest benefit by far, being able to zoom to different focal lengths from a hide say offers many opportunities a fixed focal length cannot match. Sharpness across zoom range was good so was contrast. Downsides f5.6 maxium aperture oposed to f4.0 on 600mm prime no image stablization so camera shake is a major problem on tripod it needs to be rock solid at slower shutter speeds. where the 600mm does'nt need to be locked down if shutter speed is within 3 stops less than the focal length. Size is another issue very few bags will accomadate it's size the bag that comes with it is not a backpack type and this is a problem if you are going to walk any distance in the wild. Thats why i opted for 600mm and i don't regret it one bit i normally have my 5D and 100-400mm in a side holster on my chest and 1d mk 3 or 40d on the 600mm on tripod so i have the benefit of a zoom if needed
Regards
Lost in the Woods