I'm finally satisfied with the performance of the 300 + 2xTC.

A beautiful set and they look tack sharp to me. Love those Long Tailed Ducks...have only ever seen two and both were female...

I too have heard great things about the 3rd gen TCs.
These are further proof.
Great shots at 600 5.6!

Great, great images, Harvey. Which merganser is that? I've been struggling with ID of some recent sightings.

Great series. I haven't had trouble with my 300 with 2x II on my 20D or 60D, but it was a little soft on my !Dmk2. I thought it was internal processing/settings on the camera body. Maybe now it could also the way the camera works with the lens combination.

You have convinced us with these pics, I say that combo works perfectly, it delivered stunning pics

very nice, and sharp, series, Harv

Lovely set of shots, certainly are sharp.

Well, that Mark III must do real well with your camera and lens, Harvey, as these shots are excellent. Those long-tailed ducks are beautiful!

Gary Fairhead wrote in post #14112774
A beautiful set and they look tack sharp to me. Love those Long Tailed Ducks...have only ever seen two and both were female...

Thanks a lot, Gary. I guess you'll have to visit the Cobourg Harbour next winter to shoot some of the drakes.

jhayesvw wrote in post #14112785
I too have heard great things about the 3rd gen TCs.
These are further proof.
Great shots at 600 5.6!

Thank you very much.

sparker1 wrote in post #14112929
Great, great images, Harvey. Which merganser is that? I've been struggling with ID of some recent sightings.

Thanks a lot, Stan. The merganser is a female (hen) Red-breasted. You have to look closely to tell the difference between it and the common merganser hen. The drakes are easier to ID as they are a lot different from each other.

jorj7 wrote in post #14113435
Great series. I haven't had trouble with my 300 with 2x II on my 20D or 60D, but it was a little soft on my !Dmk2. I thought it was internal processing/settings on the camera body. Maybe now it could also the way the camera works with the lens combination.

I didn't have trouble with the Mk II. The sharpness just did not satisfy me. I guess we each have our own acceptable limits. The Mk III is noticeably better, regardless of camera body.

jodelak wrote in post #14113913
You have convinced us with these pics, I say that combo works perfectly, it delivered stunning pics

Thanks a lot.

dgraham329 wrote in post #14113922
very nice, and sharp, series, Harv

Thanks a lot, Dean.

Lester Wareham wrote in post #14113942
Lovely set of shots, certainly are sharp.

Thanks a lot, Lester.

Levina de Ruijter wrote in post #14113947
Well, that Mark III must do real well with your camera and lens, Harvey, as these shots are excellent. Those long-tailed ducks are beautiful!

Thanks a lot, Levina. It's better, regardless of body used.

I don't know anyone who wouldn't be happy w/results and images like that Harv.
They are all very crisp and sharp. I do love the Long-tails too, they are sweet.
Between you and Levina y`all are going to make me get a 2x aren't you -

Great set Harvey! Looks like the III works great. I had one too, worked nice on my Sigma 120-300 2.8 OS but at the same time I also had a Sigma 2x TC which is also sharp. The Canon was a little bit better in the corners and handled fringing and CA much better. But eventually I ended up selling it, I couldn't justify twice the price compared to the Sigma. I can correct most of the color issues in ACR anyway (just a little more work).

I know very little about 2x TC, but I do know about great shots... and I think these fill the bill I mentioned to you back in an old post, that the Long-tailed Ducks are a species I see on Lake Superior... but can't get close to them, so I envy and am impressed with these beautiful images.

Dave

Great clarity and great shots!

Super shooting, Harvey; Artie Morris would be proud of you.
Al