The Poor Man’s Super-Telephoto

Using a tele-extender can give your long lenses even more punch for wildlife and landscape photos

By Mike Stensvold

Labels: Lenses, Gear

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Canon Extender EF 2x II

The lens of choice among the serious pro wildlife photographers I know seems to be the 600mm ƒ/4 super-telephoto. It’s great for subjects that won’t let you get close, is incredibly sharp, and autofocuses quickly and accurately. However, it costs over $7,000. That being just a bit beyond my budget, when I really need “reach,” I turn my $1,200 300mm ƒ/4 lens into a 600mm ƒ/8 by attaching a $300 2x teleconverter between the lens and camera body.

Also known as tele-extenders, teleconverters are available from the major lens manufacturers for their long lenses, and offer three major benefits.

First, as just cited, they’re an economical way to get superlong focal lengths. And they’re not just for the budget-challenged. Pros use them, too—a 1.4x converter turns that monster 600mm into an 840mm; a 2x converter, into a 1200mm.

The second benefit of the teleconverter is that it doesn’t change the lens’ minimum focusing distance. Add a 2x converter to a 300mm lens that focuses down to five feet, and you have a 600mm lens that focuses down to five feet. (For comparison, my camera manufacturer’s 600mm super-telephoto won’t focus closer than 18 feet unless you attach it to an extension tube; but then it won’t focus out to infinity.)

Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX

The third teleconverter benefit is lack of bulk. A 300mm lens with a 2x teleconverter is much more compact than a 600mm ƒ/4 super-telephoto lens. (A 600mm ƒ/8 prime lens also would be smaller than the 600mm ƒ/4, but currently no one makes a 600mm ƒ/8.)

Of course, teleconverters do have some drawbacks, the biggest being that they reduce the amount of light transmitted to the film or image sensor—by 1 stop for a 1.4x converter, 1.5 stops for a 1.7x converter, and 2 stops for a 2x. Add a 1.4x converter to a 300mm ƒ/4 lens, and it becomes a 420mm ƒ/5.6. Add a 2x converter to the 300mm ƒ/4, and it becomes a 600mm ƒ/8. TTL metering automatically compensates for the light loss, but the necessarily slower shutter speed reduces action-stopping power.

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Conrad Monroe makes this comment

Wednesday, 09 September 2009

Oh that poor neglected 12 year old. If the lad or lass needs further clarification they would benefit themselves immensely to seek out and acquire it themselves rather than wait to be spoon fed. Tele-converters/extenders don’t require VR (Nikon) or IS (Canon). According to my experience, shopping around for one has left me wanting, as I have found that the converters don’t fit my Canon 55mm-250mm Image Stabilization lens because of the addition of the stabalization.But I’ll keep looking.
tom wise makes this comment

Saturday, 11 July 2009

It adds 1 or 2 stops to the light drop? When writing articles such as these we should all put in specifics for the uninitiated. ie: Without the teleconverter and my 300mm f4 lens mounted on the Canon 40D at 300mm and f4 I need an ISO of 250 in bright sun to acheive a shutter speed of 800 whereas with the tele mounted in the same setting my f4 becomes f8 and requires an ISO of 1600 to achieve the same Shutter speed as before; 800. Like the great physicist Richard Feynman said if you cannot explain something so that a 12 y/o could understand it, you don't know it well enough! I read article after article written this way yet, no one seems to want to give real world specifics and results. I am still not convinced about settling for the cheaper route. And of course the Nikon 300mm f4 hasn't got a stabilizer or VR as they call it.
Nancy makes this comment

Thursday, 07 May 2009

This is something I will be saving for in the future. The less equipment to carry the better.
Jim Goldstein makes this comment

Tuesday, 05 May 2009

It helps seal your camera body off from the elements if you switch lenses in turbulent weather. Having just returned from the Costa Rican jungle with 95%+ humidity and sporadic torrential downpours, not having to worry about moisture getting in my camera was a nice perk. I could change lenses on my teleconverter/extender and never worry about any moisture getting into my camera body. Not living in a humid environment normally I didn't want to take chances with my camera body while abroad. Worked like a charm and it of course helped bring me closer to my subjects. Nice write up!

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The Poor Man’s Super-Telephoto

Using a tele-extender can give your long lenses even more punch for wildlife and landscape photos

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