Re: Canon Converter

"Christine Woolgar" <christine.woolgar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I have just purchased the Canon EF 70-200 f/4, In a few weeks I am off
to an air show, and have thought of getting a converter to increase
the range. I know Canon do 2 different types and I would like some
advice on which would be the best.
Regards Christine

I have both of the Canon Extenders, EF-1.4x II and EF-2x II. Just as the
name indicates, the 2x doubles the focal length of the lens and the 1.4.x
increases the focal length by not quite 50%. The extenders also reduce the
effective aperture of the lens. You lose a stop with the 1.4x and 2 stops
with the 2x. Your f4 lens will not autofocus with the 2x mounted.
Depending on the camera you're using, your f4 lens may or may not autofocus
particularly well with the 1.4x mounted.

When the extenders are used with my lenses (70-200mm f/2.8L IS and 300mm
f/2.8L IS) the 1.4x introduces almost negligible reduction in image
quality. The 2x does reduce contrast a tiny bit but the average person
would probably not notice this even in a large print. In situations where I
really need to bring something close, I'll occasionally stack the two
extenders, which is something the lens manuals tell you not to do because
of loss of quality and loss of autofocus. This is a reasonable thing to do
only if you start with a really aharp lens. In addition, the EXIF data is
not reported properly when using stacked extenders. That said, here's a
photo that I took yesterday with both extenders stacked on my 300mm f/2.8L
IS:
http://www.justphotos.ca/galleries/animals/images/035191.jpg

What you need depends on how you value increased focal length compared to
image quality and a faster aperture that will allow autofocus. I would
think you'd want fast focus and good focus tracking at an air show. If
this is true, then you might not want to put any extender on an f/4 lens.
What camera will you be using at the show?
.

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