Tamron manual lenses, Adaptall 2 and Teleextenders

This post maybe useful to those of us that own manual Tamron lenses and would like to extend their focal reach. I have the following lenses:
1. Tamron SP 35-80mm 1: 2.8-3.8
2. Tamron SP 35-210mm 1: 3.5-4.2
3. Tamron 80-250 mm 1: 3.8-4.5
4. Tamron SP 60-300mm 1: 3.8-5.4
I do not use them all as they cover each others focal length, it is mainly 1 and 4.
I have attached these lenses to a Canon 550D via a Adaptall 2 OM fitting with a OM to EOS adaptor with focus confirm chip between lens and camera.
All 4 lenses give the focus confirm beep at the widest aperture.
To give it a try I bought an after market Adaptall 2 EOS mount. I believe the original Adaptall 2 mounts to Canon EF are very rare and impossible to buy second hand.
From my test results on a very sunny day the after market Adaptall 2 EOS mount gave focus confirm beep the same as the Adaptall 2 OM wide open.
To continue with further tests I connected my Teleplus C-AF 1.4x Teleplus MC4 EF mount.
I connected the 4 above lenses to the Adaptall 2 EOS mount then to the Teleplus C-AF then to the Canon 550D but could not get any focus confirm beep.
Then followed the above 4 lenses with Adaptall 2 OM connected to the Teleplus C-AF via a OM to EOS adaptor with focus confirm chip, then the Teleplus to the Canon 550D and I found focus confirm beep with all 4 lenses.
In conclusion it appears that buying the after market Adaptall 2 EOS mount has been a waste of money if one wants the option of extending the reach of lenses. The original Adaptall 2 OM did the job with more options. From my experiences so far I have found Teleconverters or Teleplus lenses work very haphazardly with lenses and cameras.

Interesting.

I used to have a Tamron 400mm f/4 that I used with my old manual camera. When I switched to Canon years ago, I adapted the Tamron via a Adaptall2-Nikon and Nikon to EOS. I compared it against a Canon 300mm f/4L + Canon 1.4x TC and found the Canon setup much much sharper with better contrast, plus it had AF. So I let the Tamron go.

One of the test subjects was a metal rail. It had a spiderweb on it. The spiderweb was clear and sharp with the Canon lens, and invisible with the Tamron.

I just performed this test with

• Canon 40D,
  
• Tamron SP 90mm f/2.5 Adaptall-2 lens,
  
• Kenko 1.4x EF teleconvertor,
  

1. 3rd party Adaptall2-EOS chipped adapter
   
2. Tamron Adaptall2-OM adapter + 3rd party OM-EF chipped adapter
   

With Tamron combo #1, camera detected a lens of (programmed into chip) f/1.8

1. focus confirmation light seen with lens alone
   
2. focus confirmation light seen with lens + Kenko 1.4 OM teleconvertor
   

With Tamron combo #2,

3. camera detected a lens of (programmed into chip) f/1.8 and focus confirmation light seen, with lens alone
   
4. camera detected a lens of f/00 and NO focus confirmation light seen, with lens + kenko 1.4x EF tleconvertor
   

So then I tried using an Olympus lens

5. with 135mm OM lens + a 3rd party OM-EF chipped adapter and mounted it to the 40D, and focus confirmation light was seen.
   
6. with Olympus 135mm OM lens + 3rd party OM-EOS chipped adapter the camera detected a lens of f/00 and NO focus confirmation light seen, with lens + kenko 1.4x EF tleconvertor
   

My finding is that using an Adaptall 2 EOS mount chipped adapter works with lens alone, and also works with lens+teleconvertor.
But in trying use the OM-EF chipped adapter plus teleconvertor, the combination would not focus confirm.

I can only conclude that the chipped adapter can be compatible or NOT compatible with the teleconvertor, since the 3rd party Adaptall2-EOS chipped adapter worked, but the other did not.

Thanks Wilt. Just to make sure I am on the right path you found
"Adaptall 2 EOS mount chipped adapter works with lens alone, and also works with lens+teleconvertor", this teleconverter is a Kenko 1.4x EF teleconvertor?
Therefore buy a Kenko TC and not a Teleplus C-AF 1.4x Teleplus MC4 EF mount that I own if you want use Tamron SP 90mm f/2.5 Adaptall-2 lens and probably other Tamron lenses.
A further point worth noting is that I do have like you a Olympus 135mm OM lens E.Zuiko AUTO-T 1:3.5 and I tried them like you

5. with 135mm OM lens + a 3rd party OM-EF chipped adapter and mounted it to a Canon 550D, and focus confirmation light was seen. Same result.

But the big difference was with 135mm OM E.Zuiko lens plus Teleplus C-AF 1.4x Teleplus MC4 EF mount focus light on and confirmation beep.

As a further note of significance this 135mm OM lens is one of the best lenses I own, because of the IQ hard cropping can be done on images, the infinity icon is at infinity and not 1-2mm before infinity symbol as it can be with other lenses, this means it can be quickly focused on images that are around 35 metres to infinity by pushing firmly in the clockwise direction until you can go no further. Image quality is the same at F3.5 through to F22. I have used this lens for rugby sports action on a very dull overcast day (trying to get rain soaked rugby players sliding through the mud) and it performed far better than any longer length lens, with TC the lens will be 189mm. Thanks for your effort this whole area of TC, lenses and cameras is just one of trial and error which can also be expensive as the combinations don't work you have done your money, its not faulty products, you have made the wrong purchase choice.

I do not think the choice of teleconvertor had anything to do with the Adaptall-to-EOS adapter working with the teleconvertor...I think the *chip* used in the 'primary lens' adapter had something to do with it:
Adaptall lens adapter MINE worked and yours failed with teleconvertor.
OTOH, with my OM-to-EF adapter, mine failed and YOURS worked with teleconvertor.

As you said, "TC, lenses and cameras is just one of trial and error which can also be expensive as the combinations don't work you have...( spent) your money, "its not faulty products, you have made the wrong purchase choice." ...

• I made a good choice for Adaptall-to-EF adapter, but you made a bad one.
  
• And then in the case of the OM-to-EOS adapter, you made a good choice but I made a bad one!
  

Thanks sawsedge, from what I have read on the interenet teleconverters that are made by the camera manufacturer are the best and your Canon setup was obviously all Canon. If you are interested in some field test I did on stacked TC this site shows the photos.
https://www.zonerama.c​om/RonsGaller/Album/24​20499
All photos taken on tripod using mirror up. None of these photos have been edited straight out of the camera, Canon 550D. Don't worry about the cricketer I just placed it on website as this was my photographic objective in using TC, ultra closeups without much cropping, player about 90 metres from myself and camera.

Interesting set of tests.

Yes, typically the camera maker's lenses and TCs are better matched to each other.

The Tamron SP 400mm f/4 was considered a very good lens in it's time, so I was surprised at how poorly it handled next to the Canon L lens, even with a TC on the Canon lens. Had the Tamron done better, I would have looked for a focus confirm adapter and kept it. It was just a sample of one so I have no idea how typical the Tamron's performance was. For what it's worth, I bought the Canon 300 f/4L used in good condition for around $600, and it served me quite well.

Thanks for reply. From my photos you may have seen I was using a Hanimex 400mm, a lens model that many say is cheap and nasty. It was a budget lens, however Hanimex was only a diversified wholesale style company that sold a range of products, I have had a Hanimex vacuum cleaner, slide projector and I am sure that had a hand drill. They bought in bulk numbers from manufacturers rebadged them and sold them under the name of Hanimex for a much lower price. It may well be that your Tamron 400mm was the same as my Hanimex 400mm, the lens is ok not as good as my Sigma 150-500mm but compatible with my M42 TC 2x and 3x and my Pentax K20D TC as well. Versatility useful sometimes.