Tele convertor any good?

[starrynight]

Hi
I have a canon 100-400mm, added a canon 2x convertor
BUT :complain: the images has a misty appearance and require manual focusing after that. Any slight movement of the subject cause a tremedous blurring. On top of that it became f11.

Am I missing some fine techniques here? :dunno:
please advise!!
Thanks

[Sree]

Hi
I have a canon 100-400mm, added a canon 2x convertor
BUT :complain: the images has a misty appearance and require manual focusing after that. Any slight movement of the subject cause a tremedous blurring. On top of that it became f11.

Am I missing some fine techniques here? :dunno:
please advise!!
Thanks

Starrynight I assume yours is the 100-400/F4.5-5.6 lens. In that case, when you add the 2X convertor, at 400mm, the maximum aperture will change to F11 (you will lose 2 stops) as expected. At this f-stop your camera will probably be unable to auto focus. In Nikon bodies, for example, once the f-stop hits above F8 the camera AF stops working/is unreliable. You will have to MF. I assume Canon bodies are the same.

Also, with the 2X TC, you are looking at 800mm at full zoom. This requires the use of proper long lens techniques as even slight vibrations cause bluriness. Coupled with the right long lens techniques you MUST have a sturdy tripod (even if you have IS) for best results.

Try using the 1.4X convertor, if you have access to one, first. At the long end it will give you 560mm with a maximum aperture of F8. This length is very usable for bird photography. Once you have mastered this combination, you may want to try the 2X TC again.

[starrynight]

Thanks
I don't have 1.4x but using a sturdy tripod and tried very hard to apply long lens technique as much as I can.
Points taken though... guess I just have to take the photos when light is good and accept the 'misty' appearance ...
Thank u once again :thumb:

[Garion]

Hi starrynight, just one question, when you shoot with just the lens mounted, any signs of the "mistiness" you mentioned? Or does it only occur with the 2x converter added on?

The mistiness may be caused by the addition of the 2x TC. In general, most zooms do not fare very well with a 2x converter added, the optical quality degrades by quite a bit.

[starrynight]

no problem with 100-400mm
but when I add the 2x convertor, it became 'misty'
is it suppose to be like that?
Thanks