Photos at 896mm using 1.4x TC

[rpcrowe]

I shot this hand held in the rain from my patio, shot in RAW....

It is my first try using the 1.4x TC on my 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens. The AF works quite well using center point AF... I used Mode-1 IS

I used a Canon 7D Mark-2 camera (1.6x), 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II lens at 400mm with a Canon EF 1.4x TC (Mark I) which is reported as 898mm by Smugmug.com and 896mm by my calculations

I focused on the center bird using burst mode, center point single-shot, auto-focus

Manual exposure 1/2,000 second wide open (f/5.6 + 1.4x TC = f/8) using auto ISO at 3,200

Opened this into Photoshop CC using Adobe Bridge/Camera RAW

I used NIK Dfine for noise reduction and NIK Raw Presharpener and then I selected the birds in NIK Viveza and increased the structure 25%

Saved as a JPEG and uploaded full size to Smugmug.

I then linked it to CiC in X3 Large 800 x 1200 pixels



I am pretty well satisfied with this image...

I am looking forward to shooting in brighter conditions so I could use a lower ISO and also using a monopod or tripod so I could shoot at a lower shutter speed and close down the f/stop to about f/11 after the TC is calculated in...

I also want to do a test using the 1.4x TC and then shooting from the same spot with the bare lens. Then cropping to the subject size I got with the TC and seeing which is the better. But that will have to wait for brighter conditions...

[Tronhard]

Excellent image!

I have the same rig myself and on a crop sensor (7D MkII or 80D,) and with the 1.4 (in my case Mk III) extender that 100-400 still renders amazingly sharp images. Helped of course, in this case, by a skilled photographer from what I can see!

[John 2]

That's a nice sharp result Richard. Dedicated converters seem to produce a much better result than third party offerings.

[rpcrowe]

That's a nice sharp result Richard. Dedicated converters seem to produce a much better result than third party offerings.

This is a dedicated EF 1.4x TC but, is the original Mark-1 version. However, from what I have read, there is not a great deal of difference ESPECIALLY in the center frame between using the Mark-1, Mark-2, EF 1.4x Teleconverters. Since I am shooting with the 7D2, a crop sensor camera, I am making use primarily of the center of the image circle...

http://learn.usa.canon.com/resources...ders_pt2.shtml

"EF 1.4x II is optically identical to its previous version" However both the 1.4 and 2x teleconverters mark 3 are better optically than either mark 1 ir mark 2 teleconverters

[Stagecoach]

I think TCs tend to get a bad name because of their few inherent minor limitations.

From my own experience with the Nikon 80-400mm with a 1.4 TC using both crop and full frame cameras once the limitations are learnt, I have not found a subject that I want to shoot with the combination that I can't produce results that I'm very pleased with.

I look forward to seeing the results of the comparison test, TC or crop for same framing. This is something I have not got around to doing yet.

[DanK]

I look forward to seeing the results of the comparison test, TC or crop for same framing. This is something I have not got around to doing yet.

I've done this with the following equipment:

Canon 100-400 II
Canon 1.4 x II
7D (old version)
5DIII

I set the lens at 350 mm on the crop (560mm FF equivalent) and 400mm + 1.4x on the full frame. I shot a high resolution chart at a short distance, perhaps 15 feet.

The crop without the converter beat the FF with the converter. The image with the converter wasn't as sharp, but the biggest difference I noticed was more chromatic aberration with the converter. I don't have a Mark III TC to try, but my guess is that it would be better. I don't think I kept the results, but the differences were enough to convince me to take the crop rather than the FF plus converter when I know I will want reach.

Unfortunately, my old 7D won't focus with the 100-400 at 400 plus a converter.

[Stagecoach]

I've done this with the following equipment:

Canon 100-400 II
Canon 1.4 x II
7D (old version)
5DIII

I set the lens at 350 mm on the crop (560mm FF equivalent) and 400mm + 1.4x on the full frame. I shot a high resolution chart at a short distance, perhaps 15 feet.

The crop without the converter beat the FF with the converter. The image with the converter wasn't as sharp, but the biggest difference I noticed was more chromatic aberration with the converter. I don't have a Mark III TC to try, but my guess is that it would be better. I don't think I kept the results, but the differences were enough to convince me to take the crop rather than the FF plus converter when I know I will want reach.

Unfortunately, my old 7D won't focus with the 100-400 at 400 plus a converter.

My interest Dan was more in comparing one camera type, firstly using a 1.4 TC then secondly without the TC and cropping in post to get the same framing and image size.

With my old D300, the 80-400mm + 1.4TC AF is fine on the centre focus point but does become less reliable using the outer points, target dependant.

[Shadowman]

Nice experiment and capture.

[terrib]

Nice job. Looking forward to your comparisons.