TC17eII use with 85mm f1.4 or 105mm primes.

I just got a TC17 eII teleconverter. The spec sheet/ instructions

listed many lenses specifically not recommended for use. Also, many

lenses were reccomended for use and they did not include short

telephotos like the 85mm f1.4 or any of the 105mm or 135mm lenses.

Can anyone tell me if they have used these lenses with a

Teleconverter.

The TC-17E II is an AF-S teleconverter and it can only be used with AF-S and AF-I lenses, to the best of my knowledge. If you want to get a teleconverter for your short teles like the 85-135 mm primes, you need to check the TC-14A or TC-14B which may be compatible with your lens. These converters support only A and M exposure modes and spot or centerweighted metering on most bodies, although it may be possible to have matrix metering on F6 and D2, not sure about that. On D70, D100, F80 and some other models, no metering is supported. Third party converters are also available.

I have the TC-14e and 20e but have never seen a TC-17e. However, I would imagine that the front element of the 17e also protrudes very far into the rear end of the lens in front of it such that it cannot be mounted on short teles such as any 85, 105, or 135mm lenses.

Shun is correct. The front element of this unit does protrude quite markedly into the rear

cavity of the lens it's attached to. It seems to be optimized for use on long tele's and tele-

zooms. If you want to use a converter with these lenses, it might worth looking into one of

the third-party models that has a more "universal" fit. I used a Tamron SP AF 2X for years.

It worked well on my 105mm Micro Nikkor and was worth what I paid for it. Good luck

with your search.

The spec sheet listed the lenses that would collide with the TC17 but the smaller tele were not listed. I knew that autofocus would not be possible without AFS but didn't care since often I focus manually anyway. It just seemed to me a good Idea to try it with my D70 since the TC17 only loses 1.5 f-stops and the 85mm f1.4 would make a fast 217mm lens. This one of the times that the lens factor is positive for a change. I wonder if their is anywhere where Nikon lists all lens combinations ?

Ditto. Most teleconverters are a poor match with most short telephotos. The rear elements of the short telephotos tend to be too close to the rear mount and the front elements of the teleconverters too close to the front. At the very least contact can damage the lens coatings; at the worst, the glass can be damaged or the cemented groups may be delaminated.

 

If you look at the cross-section illustrations of lens designs most lenses ranging from wide angles to short telephotos have optical elements scattered throughout the length of the barrel. Once we get to the 180mm and 200mm lenses, most of the optical elements are clustered toward the front of the barrel, leaving room at the rear for converters.

 

Many telezooms have optical elements either close to the rear of the lens barrel, or which move to and fro inside the barrel enough to approach the rear at certain focal lengths and focus settings.

 

The only "generic" converter I've owned or seen that was a good match with a variety of lenses is the Vivitar Macro Focusing 2x Teleconverter, which may be one of the finest optical instruments sold under the Vivitar name. It can turn a good, fast 50mm normal lens into a good, fast 100mm lens suitable for portraits and capable of 1:1 magnification.

 

But it's still not a good match for most short telephotos or many zooms. That's why most lens makers - whether camera brand makers like Nikon or third party makers like Vivitar - have designed teleconverters specially mated to one particular zoom or only one or two telephotos. It's not just a marketing gimmick on the part of Nikon, Canon, Olympus, et al, to squeeze more money out of us. Mismatched converters can damage elements or may simply deliver poor results.

Take a look at <A HREF="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=337511&is=USA">

the info on the TC-17e on B&H's web site</A>. Even though you are willing to file off the extra tab, you simply cannot mount it on the shorter teles.

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If you need a 200mm type zoom, you are much better off getting the 180mm/f2.8 or a 80-200mm/f2.8 zoom

Is there anybody out there who was tested the TC17eII with a 300/4 AFs or even other teles? The info on the internet about this Tc is really very scarce...

85/1.4 lens is a specialised lens for portraits. Having any TC will spoil its quality. As others have commented TCs are designed for telephoto lenses. I have TC14EII/ TC20EII and AF85/1.4D (not TC17E). But I have not tried TCs on 85/1.4.

I've used Kenko's 1.4x TC on the 85mm/f1.4 few times, and I can't tell which pictures I've used the TC with. The pictures came out just like the ones w/o the TC. It didn't collide with the rear element, and the pitcures are fine. Having said that, I don't see the point of using TC on the 85mm/1.4 since all you're getting is 120mm/f2.0. I'd give up one more stop and rather get a 80-200mm/f2.8 zoom.

"Is there anybody out there who was tested the TC17eII with a 300/4 AFs or even other teles?"

 

-I use the TC17E with an older 300mm f4.0 AF. It definitely can't compare to a prime of equivalent focal length but I find the results satisfactory, better than if it were a zoom. I only carry three lenses in my backpack (17-35, 80-200, and the 300mm) and there were times when I lacked needed reach, so bought the TC17E and made the needed modification to make it usable on the 300. You have to approach TC's with the proper mindset: They are a last-ditch solution when it means the difference between getting the shot and not getting the shot. I like mine, it's worth what I paid for it, it was a wise investment, but it doesn't ride around on my telephoto all the time, if you get my meaning. A sturdy tripod, cable release, and MLU feature is mandatory IMO. I'll see about posting an image later. Best regards...

Thanks Erik for your response. Hope to see a picture taken with the TC17E. Try to post a

detail of of pic if you can. Greetings, Ivan.

Thanks for your answers, I guess I need to get a definative answer for manual focus use from Nikon where usage of the 85mm f1.4 is concerned.

 

I bought the TC for use with the 70-200 VR AFS Nikon lens, which the TC was designed to match. I have read several tests that showed this pair was a good match. I see the 85mm on D70 with the TC as a more compact lighter kit for instances where taking such a long lens would not be convient, but you want to have the reach. Together the above combination would be equivalent to a 217mm lens at less than f2.8. I can see using this at a theatre or other indoor venue.