Usefulness of the Extender

[westside8]

I'm still very much a newbie to this photography thing. I've been shooting more than just P&S for a little over a month or two, so I'm still learning alot.

I'm going to be able to shoot from the sidelines/courtside/rinkside in the upcoming season, and this summer I'll be shooting some community baseball/softball.

Now my question is, currently I own a 40D, 70-300mm f4-5.6, 28-135mm that I'm planning to use to shoot for the time being. But I'm definitely looking to upgrade to a 70-200 f2.8 and/or a 85mm eventually. I was speaking with a couple of other photographers who have shot football for my school in the past, and he has mentioned he have used either a 1.4x extender or 2x extender with his Nikon's version of the 70-200 to shoot football.

Now I was wondering whether the 1.4x and 2x extender that is available for Canons will be compatible with my current setup of body and lense, and how effective will it be.

[eigga]

The 1.4 teleconverter is not available on your current lens lineup. It works best with the long primes (300+) but many report good results on the 70-200. I dont particulary care for the 1.4 on my 70-200 ...the 300 is a different story.

Anyway...save up for the 70-200 2.8 first. Then if you have the light the teleconverter is a decent addition

[Sibil]

I'm going to be able to shoot from the sidelines/courtside/rinkside in the upcoming season, and this summer I'll be shooting some community baseball/softball.


Your lens line up is not up to par for those indoor shots (if that's what you mean by courtside/rinkside. You'll need minimum of 2.8 lens for those. 85/1.8 is often recommended as the best starter lens for indoor action shots.

[westside8]

Your lens line up is not up to par for those indoor shots (if that's what you mean by courtside/rinkside. You'll need minimum of 2.8 lens for those. 85/1.8 is often recommended as the best starter lens for indoor action shots.

Yep, I understand that, hence why I'm looking to pick up 70-200mm f2.8 (or the 85/1.8) by the time indoor season starts. Right now I'll mainly be shooting outdoors in the summer so I'm in no particular hurry just yet.

[eigga]

Well then you should hurry up anyway...you would be going from one of the worst canon lens to one of the best :)

[J.Napier]

Well then you should hurry up anyway...you would be going from one of the worst canon lens to one of the best :)

+ 1 for 70-200 2.8 L I started with the 70-300 it will work but you will wonder why you waited once you get the 70-200. If its a $ thing then I can understand. You wil enjoy it once you get it.
If you are determined to get a TC get the 1.4 before you get the x2. I ahve both now but I dont think I wopuld even try it on the 70-200 but the 1.4 is useable. I can use the x2 on my 200 1.8 without much of a noticable IQ reduction.
Hope this helps
pacdzyne

[Sibil]

I can use the x2 on my 200 1.8 .....

I am jealous :)

[J.Napier]

I am jealous :)

Its been six long years of drooling and finally pulling the trigger and spending the money that is the same price as a decent body. But yeah it is nice,Im getting some sweet shots of BB and I got it in time for the last comp of cheer season.

pacdzyne

[PhotosGuy]

I dont think I wopuld even try it on the 70-200 I use the 2X TC II with the 70-200 f/2.8, but feel I need effective f/11 to get reasonable sharpness. I had no issues with AI Servo:
POTN at Waterford Hills - Open Wheel Club Racing. (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=543685)

[xander2188]

i was able to shoot football with 20d and a 70-200 f2.8 and it worked fine, but i was not really able to get good shots of players across the field from me. I also have shot several different indoor sports, and i can vouch for the fact that you really need a f2.8 lens to be able to shoot with a decent shutter speed. About the extenders, no matter what they will decrease image quality, but the general consensus seems to be that the 1.4x has a lot less of a negative impact on IQ than the 2x does. I plan to buy the 1.4x soon, but i think i will pass on the 2x.

[ChunkyDA]

A teleconverter with your current lenses would be really dark. The 70-200 f2.8 with 1.4TC is the value solution. during the day you can cover 70-280mm and at night or indoors 70-200mm. The 1.4 TC gets you nearly to the 300mm f4 at about 1/5th the cost.

[Sibil]

How would the 1.4TC work on the 70-200 f/4.0, or the 70-210 f/3.5-4.5?

[polarbare]

slow focus on the 70-200 f4, not at all on the 70-210 IIRC on a 40D. The 1 series bodies can focus at apertures as small as f8, the rest of the Canon lineup at f5.6. So the 70-210 @ f4.5 + 1 stop gives you over f5.6 -- manual focus.

[westside8]

Thanks for all the comments and inputs. I'm definitely going to be going up to a 70-200 2.8 in the near future, and hopefully add the 85 1.8 before the indoor season starts in September.