3X TC won't work with Tamron Lens

[BlairW]

I need help, I bought a Soligor 3X tele-converter for use with my Tamron 150~600 mm lens, the body is a 60D. The problem is when I try to take a shot I get an error message "Err 01 Communications between the camera and lens is faulty. Clean the lens contacts." So I try a Canon 50mm f/1.4 with the Soligor 3X tele-converter & works fine. Any suggestions at to why this tele-converter won't work with my Tamron lens? I thought there is just a ribbon inside the TC to make a connection. 

PS.. I also tried the Tamron 150~600mm & TC with my girlfriends Rebel and I get the same message. I have a 1.4X and a 2.0X TCs and the Tamron 150~600 mm lens works just fine. Also I did clean the contacts on each end of the 3X TC. thanks, Blair

[Waddizzle · Accepted solution]

I would suspect that the error message is fairly generic, and would apply to any type of communication error, INCLUDING bad data.  The bad data that I am thinking of would be f/stop, which in this case would be as high as f/16 being reported ot the camera..  The camera rejects that numbers as bad data, out of range, etc.

[BlairW]

Thanks that makes perfect sense I hadn’t even considered anything other than a bad connection. Now I understand why some place tape over some of the pins to prevent erroneous data from reaching the body.. thanks again, Blair

[RobertTheFat]

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@BlairW wrote:

I need help, I bought a Soligor 3X tele-converter for use with my Tamron 150~600 mm lens, the body is a 60D. The problem is when I try to take a shot I get an error message "Err 01 Communications between the camera and lens is faulty. Clean the lens contacts." So I try a Canon 50mm f/1.4 with the Soligor 3X tele-converter & works fine. Any suggestions at to why this tele-converter won't work with my Tamron lens? I thought there is just a ribbon inside the TC to make a connection. 

PS.. I also tried the Tamron 150~600mm & TC with my girlfriends Rebel and I get the same message. I have a 1.4X and a 2.0X TCs and the Tamron 150~600 mm lens works just fine. Also I did clean the contacts on each end of the 3X TC. thanks, Blair

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You're asking, in effect, why your Canon camera doesn't give you an accurate analysis of why your 3rd-party lens and 4th-party teleconverter don't play nice together. I think that's asking a lot; don't you agree?

[BlairW]

you’re right but there is always hope. I just couldn’t understand why the long Tamron lens worked fine with the other 2 tele-converters but not with the one I wanted it with. Although the 1.4x and the 2.0x TCs are both Tamron brand I guess that makes a difference. it’s not that the equipment won’t work together it’s why that drives me mad. thanks thou, Blair

[ebiggs1]

Blair,

Actually the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens is at the limits of your 60D.  Right off in the first place.  Adding any tele converter and getting any usable result is amazing.

If you could post a example of your shots with the 2x converter, I would love to see it.

[BlairW]

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ebiggs1 wrote:

Blair,

Actually the Tamron SP 150-600mm f/5-6.3 Di VC USD Lens is at the limits of your 60D.  Right off in the first place.  Adding any tele converter and getting any usable result is amazing.

If you could post a example of your shots with the 2x converter, I would love to see it.

this is an image with the lens at 600mm and my 2x TC.... it was shot at ISO 2000, 1/125 & f/6.3.... 

If I get the opportunity again, I’ll shoot in manual or AV mode and see if I stop down the lens and can sharpen the image a bit. I shoot on a Sirui T-2205X tripod and a Slik SH-909 three-way pan head.

[Waddizzle]

"this is an image with the lens at 600mm and my 2x TC.... it was shot at ISO 2000, 1/125 & f/6.3.... "

Sometimes you're better off without a teleconverter and just cropping the shot. Sigma 150-600 Contemporary and 6D

This was shot in near darkness, at dawn's first light.  1/125, f/9.0, ISO 3200, ~500mm

[BlairW]

really great shot, what photo editor are you using? makes me want a full frame camera even more. for years I stayed with 35mm and a medium format cameras,  I'd like the 5D Mark IV or a 5DS R... 

[Waddizzle]

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@BlairW wrote:

really great shot, what photo editor are you using? makes me want a full frame camera even more. for years I stayed with 35mm and a medium format cameras,  I'd like the 5D Mark IV or a 5DS R... 

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Thanks,

I used Lightroom 6 to process the RAW files into JPEGs.  It is like Canon's Digital Photo Professional on steroids.  I think the performance of the stand alone version is well worth the cost, even for amatuers such as myself. I'm no fan of renting software {Creaative Cloud].  IBM tried a similar business model in the late 1960s, got sued by the government, and lost in the early 1970s.  The only difference [from what IBM tried] is that Adobe allows users to write add-ons.  I ask, how many users will actually do that?  Very few.

The 5DS cameras are pretty specialized pieces of hardware, and not what I would consider general purpose cameras.  The 5D3 has been an excellent general purpose, all-around workhorse, but not the master of any single feature.  The 5D4 seems to continue the design philosophy of the Mark 3.

Meanwhile, the 6D is pretty much the functional equivalent of a basic full-frame, point and shoot camera, but with a few professional grade features.and smarts.  It's greatest strength has been its' low light performance, which the posted photos are demonstrating.  The 6D is not a good camera for shooting video, but it can do a decent job [of it] from a stationary tripod.  Neither is the 6D the camera of choice for shooting fast action subjects.  It is an excellent choice for most scenarios that photo enthusiasts might need or encounter, and more versatile than a 5DS series camera body.