Question for bird photographers...2x Extender Use?

[paulhillion]

I find myself enjoying more and more wildbird photography and so I'm considering selling my little used 50mm lens and purchasing a Canon 2x extender. I use my 1.4x a fair bit and I'm very happy with the quality of the images but I'd like to hear your views on using the 2x converter? I realise that when used with my 400mm lenses I'd lose AF and I'd be interested on hearing if this causes much difficulty when shooting birds and wildlife in general.

Thanks.

[gasrocks]

Many people will be glad to get your 50/1.4 - Yes, the 2x can help but...... center of the image only? You lose 2 f/stops (400/5.6 becomes an f/11, gulp.) Have you thought about a longer lens and/or learning how to get closer to the birds? You'll never have a long enough lens, so learn to get closer.

[robertwgross]

If you are trying to shoot wild birds on the fly, then autofocus can be pretty important. Also, as a general rule, most photographers describe the 2x teleconverter as making the image pretty soft. But that is a personal judgment for you.

You might give some thought into what kinds of wild birds you are after. A California condor is huge. Turkey vultures are pretty big, as are eagles and some hawks. When you get down into thrushes, it takes a bit more lens, and when you get down into warblers and then wrens, you need a lot more lens.

---Bob Gross---

[paulhillion]

You'll never have a long enough lens, so learn to get closer.Good point and one I'm slowly but surely (and happily) practising.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I'll trade you a 2X MkI AND a 50mm 1.8 ;)