Heat shimmer question relative to focal length

So It occurs to me that using a extender will magnify heat shimmer more so I will have to still be close to the subject to get a clear image. So then what advantage does a 1.4x tc offer other then getting you closer on say a cool day or certain time of day? What temperature limits does a 1.4x tc or higher focal length lens have? For instance lets say its 80F out and I have a 500 f/4 that I want to use the 1.4x tc or a 2x tc on. Will the 80F nessecatate the need to get that much closer? Its all very confusing the whole heat shimmer thing. I guess what I am wondering is at what temp/conditions should I not even bother with a 1.4x tc and for that matter a prime lens?

Thanks in advance for any help!

There's an awful lot more to heat haze than the air temperature - there's the intensity of the sunlight, the type of surface between you and your target, the difference in temperature between the surface and the air just above it, wind speed. I was on the north Norfolk coast in February this year where the air temperature was around 10ºC (around 50º F) but there was bright sunshine. The heat haze meant that anything more than 50m away wasn't suitable as a target. I've also been out on overcast days when the temperature has been very high and there's no heat haze.

When heat haze is a problem then the only solution is to minimise the amount of air between you and your target. A TC will still help if your target is small.

heat haze...mmmm, I love heat haze.

Don't try to fight it. Use it to your advantage
You can end up with some great effects

Here are a couple of images from a race meeting earlier in 2009.

Temps around mid to high 30'sC

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As Hollis said, heat haze in an image really has nothing to do with a lens' focal length, per se. It has everything to do with what's in between you and your subject (that can heat the air and cause the haze effect) and the distances involved.

Longer distances between the camera and the subject involve more air that could be "wiggling" due to heat haze. You can see the effect of heat haze with or without a camera. You can see it with your naked eye, though it may not be quite as apparent relative to the scene in front of you. The heat haze will affect what you see through binoculars or a rifle scope as well.

Don't confuse what I'm saying about heat haze and distances with my descriptions (elsewhere) of perspective control, although perspective is controlled by controlling the distances between elements of the scene and the camera.

hollis_f wrote in post #9071908
There's an awful lot more to heat haze than the air temperature - there's the intensity of the sunlight, the type of surface between you and your target, the difference in temperature between the surface and the air just above it, wind speed. I was on the north Norfolk coast in February this year where the air temperature was around 10ºC (around 50º F) but there was bright sunshine. The heat haze meant that anything more than 50m away wasn't suitable as a target. I've also been out on overcast days when the temperature has been very high and there's no heat haze.

When heat haze is a problem then the only solution is to minimise the amount of air between you and your target. A TC will still help if your target is small.

Oh okay sorry for being a little ignorant. Your right. Thanks for putting it into perspective for me. I was wondering what is an easy method to know if I should be within say 50m or if I can get away with less? I have noticed that I cannot really detect the softness haze causes on my 1dMKIIs tiny LCD. I shoot in Raw as well. Thanks again!

Here's another heat-haze effect. You can see it on part of the picture but not on the other part. In this case the source of the heat is obvious - it was actually a pretty cool day.

Somtimes it adds a little "texture" to the image...

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FlyingPhotog wrote in post #9078105
Somtimes it adds a little "texture" to the image...

And sometimes it makes it damn near surrealistic:
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=475747

Yes, I'll agree that it can really add to an image -