Teleconverter Pros and Cons

[mjschocken]

I have a Canon Eos 80D and a Canon 100 - 400 mm F4.5 - 5.6 L IS USM lens and use them mostly for bird photography.  I think the 400 mm is not enough to capture small birds that tend to be skittish of humans.  Admittedly, I have lens envy when I see birds photographed with a 600 or 800 mm lens.  In generally, I really like the lens that I have but want to consider getting a teleconverter, at least a 1.4X.  I know about giving up an F stop but it's less clear to me about the effects of the teleconverter on focus points (I have 1, 9 and 45 on the camera) and on autofocus.  I would also like to know your thoughts on the pros and particularly the cons of using one.  Appreciate your feedback but if I'm asking a question that's already been asked, please let me know and I'll try to find the discussion.  Thanks.

[TTMartin]

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[Waddizzle]

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@TTMartin wrote:

Green Heron, Ollie's Pond, Port Charlotte, FL 1/9/2017

Canon 7D Mk II, EF 100-400 IS II with 1.4X III, 560mm, 1/1250, f/8, ISO 640

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I like the eyeball for some reason.

[TTMartin]

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[TTMartin]

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[TTMartin]

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[mjschocken]

After a lot of reading outside and inside of this forum, talking to a few friends that have the teleconverter, and based on the image quality of photos provided priimarily by TT Maritin, I ordered the Canon extender III to go with my Canon 100 x 400 mm EF IS USM II zoom lens.  The only difference between him and me is that I have the Canon 80D and he has the Canon 7D Mark II so he has the next Canon rung up.  Hopefully I'll get good results as well.  I'm calling this lens "the kingfisher" because, if you're a bird photographer, you'll know why.  Thanks hugely for all the comments and discussion.  I'll let you all know how it goes in a few weeks.

[mjschocken]

By the way, I ordered the 1.4X extender which I failed to mention.

[ebiggs1]

Only believe 1/2 of what you see and very little of what you read.

[amfoto1]

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@mjschocken wrote:

...difference between him and me is that I have the Canon 80D and he has the Canon 7D Mark II so he has the next Canon rung up...

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Actually, your 80D has an excellent AF system for this particular lens + teleconverter combo. The 80D has 45-point AF, with up to 27 "f/8 capable" points.

The 7DII's 65-point AF may be superior in some other ways, but it only has a single "f/8 capable" point, at the center.

Keep us posted how you like the lens and TC combination after you get a chance to make some shots with them.

***********

Alan Myers
San Jose, Calif., USA
"Walk softly and carry a big lens."
GEAR: 5DII, 7DII (x2), 7D(x2) some other cameras, various lenses & accessories
FLICKR & EXPOSUREMANAGER 

[mjschocken]

I used my new extender EF 1.4X III with my Canon 100 x 400 mm f4.5 - f 5.6 II yesterday at Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, FL, my go-to birding spot.  (By the way, for those of you who might live in the area and don't know about Circle B, check it out.  Fantastic for Florida birds and other wildlife). For perched birds, it seemed to work very well.  Image quality was quite good at 560 mm.  I could capture birds in flight (in this case, great blue herons) but I did have a lot of trouble autofocusing on a bald eagle hovering in the air.  It seems like the speed of autofocusing is slowed in general with the extender.  Through the morning, I only used the single focusing point and have to try 9 or 27 points.  Overall, my initial experience was good for my limited sampling but the verdict is out for birds in flight.  I will report back in a few weeks when I have more experience with the extender on this lens and get a chance to photograph a belted kingfisher, hopefully both perched and in flight.  That will be my litmus test!