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

[ebiggs1]

Blair,

"...this is an image with the lens at 600mm and my 2x TC.... "

That is about what I expected.  As the post above suggests, no converter and cropping in post will usually deliver better results.  Please take this the right way as we just want to help you get the best from your gear.

Even better that cropping in post is getting closer.  Getting close to your subject is even better than a better lens!

This shot of a gray squirrel, like yours, was shot hand held with the Sigma S at 600mm and my 1D Mk IV.  However I was pretty close to him/her.

This is a 100% crop of that same squirrel.

This was processed in Lightroom 6 with Adobe lens correction applied.  As to getting a 6D to make sharper photos, I think you would be disappointed.  A FF camera will not necessarily automatically give you better IQ.  Mine was shot with a Mk IV which is a crop camera.

The three things you can do that will immediately give you better results is getting closer and using a good post editor.  Great shots are made in post. Not in the camera. An number 3, BTW, ditch those converters.

[BlairW]

Thankyou I appreciate all the input I can receive. I only bought my digital camera a little over 3 years ago. I first started with a Yashica TL Electro about 40 years ago but took a lot for me to finally make the move to digital. I still have three 35mm SLRs, one Rangefinder and a Yashica 635 TLR medium format. I’ve yet to use a photo editor other than the one that came with my 60D. so I’m relative new to the world of DSLR photography. But am eager to learn new techniques to better well adapt.

[ebiggs1]

Oh, man, I have a Yashica Electro 35.  I think I got it in 1964.  I have a display case in the formally stop bath satined utility room that used to be a darkroom.  It has most of the older cameras I used at one time.

"I’ve yet to use a photo editor other than the one that came with my 60D"

What is it?  Sometimes some pretty good editors came with older DSLR's. I have seen Photoshop Elements come with some.

But at any rate you must learn and use a good post editor.  It really isn't any different than we used to do in the darkroom. Execpt it doesn't smell as bad!

[BlairW]

I love your old camera my only limitations are space in my home. I used to live in Michigan but retired and moved to Tennessee not many of the houses here have a basement or I’d have it filled with display cases of old photography equipment. I did order Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 from Adorama. Just last month I bought a new notebook it’s an Asus Notebook Pro 15.6" Ultra HD. Should be sufficient for editing my photos. Blair...

[Waddizzle]

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@BlairW wrote:
I love your old camera my only limitations are space in my home. I used to live in Michigan but retired and moved to Tennessee not many of the houses here have a basement or I’d have it filled with display cases of old photography equipment. I did order Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 from Adorama. Just last month I bought a new notebook it’s an Asus Notebook Pro 15.6" Ultra HD. Should be sufficient for editing my photos. Blair...

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You will love LR6.  If you're not somewaht familiar with using DPP, then LR6 may be a bit overwhelming, so ask questions.

[ebiggs1]

Blair,

"I did order Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 6 from Adorama."  

That is a great start.  I use it for most of my editing.  It isn't Photoshop so you can't swap heads or remove city buildings for mountians.  Think about how you want to use the database.  In a while you will have thousands of photos to keep tabs on.

[BlairW]

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@ebiggs1 wrote:

Blair,

That is a great start.  I use it for most of my editing.  It isn't Photoshop so you can't swap heads or remove city buildings for mountians.  Think about how you want to use the database.  In a while you will have thousands of photos to keep tabs on.

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can I edit in JPEG or can photos in RAW only? reason I ask is I have hundreds saved in JPEG format. 

[ebiggs1]

On great advantage with LR is it will handle a wide range of formats.  Not just from Canon but from almost any other manufacturer.

The big thing to know is LR is not a heavy duty post editor.  It has far fewer features than PS.  It doesn't replace PS but for most light edits and RAW converting it is the one to have.

A big plus, fewer controls means a shorter learning curve.  LR is a databased editor.  It is nondestructive.  It is designed to keep track of thousands upon thousands of photos.  It does all the basic editing most of these require.  With the use of 'presets' it can apply most corrections as it imports and converts them into LR.  All done before you even see them.  For instance I apply 'lens correction' upon import.

 One big tip is, do all your photo importing, moving, copying and deleting from LR.  Do not do any of that outside of LR.  You will be a lot happier person if you remember that one thing.  LR likes to know what is going on.

[Waddizzle]

Here's another critical tip.  Don't try the Creative Cloud trial with with LR6 [the perpetual license version] installed.  Try a trial on a different machine.  Or use a separate Adobe login for a Creative Cloud trial, different from what you use with LR6.  And, even a separate login is kind of risky. 

The CC will co-opt the LR6 license, leaving you with a trimmed down version of LR6.  I had to remove them all and re-install LR6 WITH a new Adobe login.

[Waddizzle]

"can I edit in JPEG or can photos in RAW only? reason I ask is I have hundreds saved in JPEG format. "

That would depend upon how involved an edit you want to do to a JPEG.  Like Ernie said, you won't be able to remove tall buildings in a single click with LR6.  A RAW file is the digital equivalent of a film negative.  Lightroom is like a digital darkroom, allowing you to create digital prints, or JPEG files.

There are a couple of good freeware image editors out there.  I cut my teeth on Paint Dot Net before there were DSLRs.  There is a more sophisticated one out there.  I think it is called GIMP, but I'm probably wrong.  Either one will allow you to do sophisticated edits of images using Layers, which is a critical concept to understand when it comes to image editing.