To TC or not to TC...

[timjeburton]

I know this post probably goes over things people have already said in this forum, but...

What do people think of using the Canon 70-200L f/4 USM with the Canon 1.4x TC? Will I get significantly better image quality with just a bigger zoom, eg 100-400L?

[Wildman]

Tim...

Try what I did... I bought a Tamron 1.4X TC to use with my EF 70-200 f/4L. This TC might not be as good as the Canon version, but costs about a quarter as much. I've been very happy with my decision. The loss of picture quality isn't bad and the focus speed isn't noticable. The $80 you'll spend might be well spent. If you hate the result, sell the TC on E-Bay.

I plan on using the combination for sailboat races later this month and plan on using a tripod, a must for an old guy like me when zoomed out over 400mm (35mm equivalent). Test photos so far with the combination have been excellent.

[kram]

I liked your signature Tim :) Guess the 70-200 F4 will change that!!

I have just picked up the 70-200 F4. Still undecided on the TC - maybe I'll try what Wildman says.

[RbrtPtikLeoSeny]

I have this lens and would like the extra reach as well, but a 1.4x t-con degrades image quality by 10%, bumps it down a full f stop, slows AF and all that jazz. A t-con that costs nearly 300 bucks doesn't seem worth purchasing to put on a lens that cost 550. Peronsally, I see a t-con as wasted money that I can save to put towards a long telephoto prime (300mm f/4L IS or 400mm f/5.6L).

Wildmans suggestion would make sense though. The black tamron 1.4x t-con is a steal at 80 bucks and doesn't report the lost f stop to the lens so it maintains AF even on a f/5.6 lens. Pretty darn cool! If you really need it, I would say go with that. No personal experience with it, but it makes the most sense.

[SidW]

I have the 70 - 2-- f/4L and have ordered the Canon 1.4x TC II.
From all the threads I've read, they work wonderfully well together.
I hope they're right.
Sid

[Bob_A]

I have the 70 - 2-- f/4L and have ordered the Canon 1.4x TC II.
From all the threads I've read, they work wonderfully well together.
I hope they're right.
Sid

I have this combo and it seems to be excellent. I need to spend a lot more time taking shots with the TC, but so far I'm really happy with the quality of the images.

[FScott]

I have the 70-200 f4L and tamron 1.4x TC as well. It is a nice combo. The tamron TC is supposed to be equivalent to the canon for sharpness in the center and a bit softer on the edge which we may not see with the 1.6x crop. With some casual tests, I don't see much degradation on the edge.

Here is something to read:

http://bobatkins.photo.net/photography/reviews/tcs.html

-- Scott.

[BearLeeAlive]

I just got the Kenko Pro 300 1.4 TC earlier this week and with the few shots I have taken with my 70-200 4L things look really great. There does not seem to be any optical quality loss at all, can't be happier, especially for the price.

All that said, a 100-400 is still on my wish list.

[ed rader]

>>I just got the Kenko Pro 300 1.4 TC earlier this week and with the few shots I have taken with my 70-200 4L things look really great. There does not seem to be any optical quality loss at all, can't be happier, especially for the price.<<

i have the same TC and i agree. the reviews that i've read say the kenko is as good as the canon for half the cost and my results are great.

ed rader

[Mohawk]

I have the 70 - 2-- f/4L and have ordered the Canon 1.4x TC II.
From all the threads I've read, they work wonderfully well together.
I hope they're right.
Sid

I have the same TC, it works fine. It works great on the 70-200mm f4L, you just need some bright sunlight or a good tripod to get the most out of it.

They can be had on ebay from flashpoint/17photo for $275.00. Or direct from 17photo.com for the same price, ask for Paul if you call.

Mike

[grego]

I use the 70-200 f/2.8 L IS with a 2x TC. Works well, if you are doing outdoor stuff. If you need extra range, it might be a better investment than another lens if your budget is small.

[Cadwell]

Interesting question:

The photozone.de lens performance survey database has some figures on this: These are weighted optical performance marks out of a maximum of 5.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L………………. excellent (4.69)
Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 USM L IS…. …...very good (4.31)
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L + EF 1.4x ……good - very good (3.98 )
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 USM L + EF 2.0x……. good (3.45)

Whether you consider the reported performance advantage between the 100-400L and the 70-200mm + 1.4x TC significant or not is I guess down to your definition of “significant”. The difference to the 70-200mm with 2x TC is certainly significant.

Personally, my main dislike of TCs stems from the AF speed degradation that they cause. They make most lenses AF too slowly to give me the hit rate I need when photographing sports, particularly motorsport.

(p.s. I know the figures are for the f/2.8 lens but the 70-200mm f/4.0 is optically very similar)

[condyk]

Cadwell is spot on. I had the Kenko 300 Pro 1.4 and 2.00x and the former worked pretty well with the Canon f4. I don't recommend any 2.0x as the impact on Af speed and image quality is too much for me, but you may think different. The Kenko option is a good one for value and performance. Lower light performanc ewwith the f4 isn't great and it is worse with a TCon. So depends when and where you will use it. I certainly wouldn't spend on a Canon TCon for this lens.

[timjeburton]

Thanks everyone. Looks like it's a Tamron or Kenko 1.4x for me!

[marsian]

My first post!

I originally eyed the 100-400L USM IS but settled on a 70-200 F4 and EF1.4x combination because of price in RSA. This at least gives me an intermediate solution for wildlife photography in our game parks while saving for 100-400L. I reckon my next lens will be the 100-400L. Then I will still have the 70-200 for portraits and the 1.4x to extend the range of the 100-400L USM IS.

Got the 70-200 and 1.4x combination yesterday and tested it today on hefelumps in a game park. I am very happy with image quality on my 20D with this combo. Interesting that EXIF data shows actual focal length due to TC e.g. 70-200mm indicated as 98-280mm.