Tele-Converter

I am looking for a cheap but not too crappy tele converter for my EF and EFS

lenses. It doesn't have to be L quality because my lenses are mostly kit lenses.

I would just like something that will give me a little more range w/out having

to drop $500 on a new lens. Something under $100 would be great.

the following links are ones i have seen around a bit but am just not sure about.

 

<A

href="http://cgi.ebay.com/2X-TELE-CONVERTER-FOR-CANON-EOS-AF-EF-CAMERA-ZOOM_W0QQitemZ300075797330QQihZ020QQcategoryZ106844QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem">Digital

Optics 2x teleconverter</A><BR><BR>

 

<A

href="http://www.sigma4less.com/sess/utn;jsessionid=1545be67aad2b1b/shopdata/0040_Lenses/0030_Teleconverters/product_details.shopscript?article=0290_Phoenix%2B2X%2BAF%2BTeleconverter%2Bfor%2BCanon%2BEOS%2B%3D28PH2X4CA%3D29">Phoenix

2X AF teleconverter for Canon</A><BR><BR>

Any suggestions? If someone has a used x1.6 or x2.0 tele converter they would

consider selling I would also be interested in that.

I have an EOS 30D.

Thanks!

Three bits of advice:

 

(1) Stick with a 1.4x, you'll lose too much quality and speed with a 2x.

 

(2) Get a Tamron or Sigma.

 

(3) I don't think any of them will work with EF-S lenses. There's not enough room for the extended rear projection of EF-S lenses.

Most (all?) teleconverters are designed to be used with telephoto lenses, so the image-quality loss will be even more dramatic when they're paired with a shorter focal-length lens. For just over $100 you can get <a href="http://www.adorama.com/Refby.tpl?refby=rflAID062012&sku=SG70300DGEOS">Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 from Adorama</a> (and I'm sure from all the other mainstream vendors like B&H, etc.). I've never tried a TC and kit lens, but I'm pretty confident that the Sigma will have much better image-quality. - GSS

FWIW, I have a Pro 300 Kenko 1.4 teleconverter. I have used it on my Digital Rebel with the Canon 70-300mm 4-5.6 USM IS. OC I should have been using a tripod as well, but here is a shot from several miles away. Took this from a balcony in Austria last September. I am doubtful that you will find this teleconverter for less than $160-200. Good Luck<div></div>

Point 3. of Bob Atkin's comments is absolutely correct.

 

I have the Tamron SP AF Tele-Converter, which is a 2X converter.

 

It works with my 24 - 105L which is an EF lens.

 

It will not work with my 17 - 55 EFS lens - as stated, the rear element mount projects farther back than it does from the 24/105. It simply will not mount to the outer end of the converter.

 

This is also borne by the rear lens caps; the Canon ones are about 16 mm deep, the Tamron one is just under 12 mm deep.

 

As for the other comments, I would concur; it is definitely not in the same league as either lens, and the AF which is stellar with both lens, really starts to hunt when the converter is used with the 24/105.

 

If I had to do it over again, I might buy the 1.4X, but surely not the 2X. I had dreams of getting an effective 1.6 x 105 mm x 2.0 = 336 mm. What I got was something I will hardly ever use (if ever).

Incidentally you can probably mount an EFS lens on a Tamron or Sigma TC with the aid of a 12mm extension tube. Of course you will need Canon's fancy EF 12 II version which is a small fortune itself. I make no promises about optical quality.

Rodger Edgington wrote:

"FWIW, I have a Pro 300 Kenko 1.4 teleconverter. I have used it on my Digital Rebel with the Canon 70-300mm 4-5.6 USM IS. OC I should have been using a tripod as well, but here is a shot from several miles away. Took this from a balcony in Austria last September. I am doubtful that you will find this teleconverter for less than $160-200. Good Luck"

 

I have Kenko 1.4x Teleplus PRO 300 DG. Have bought it on eBay, have paid 125 USD (post from Hongkong to Poland), received it after 5 days. My greetings!

IMHO: IQ with TCs, at least the better ones, rests on the capability of the lens. If you have low quality kit lenses even a 1.4X is likely to be disapointing.

 

Glenn Kolot:

"...I have the Tamron SP AF Tele-Converter, which is a 2X converter.

 

It works with my 24 - 105L which is an EF lens. "

 

Glenn, how do you find the IQ, any 100% crops you could put up?

>> I am looking for a cheap but not too crappy tele converter for my EF and EFS lenses. It doesn't have to be L quality because my lenses are mostly kit lenses.

 

I never had a cheap but not too crappy tele converter nor any kit lenses but I could guess that cropping the original picture will yield similar results - and at zero cost. YGWYPF, TANSTAAFL, BTBACOO and all the usual acronyms apply.

 

BTW, which lenses do you have?

 

 

Happy shooting,

Yakim.

Ray, another thought. I can't imagine much success with lenses shorter than 150mm with a tele converter. Just my opinion. As Bob Atkins suggested, you can buy a fairly cheap telephoto lens for the price of a decent tele converter.

 

OC, you can move to Poland, and apparently save $40 to $75.00 on the Kenko Pro 300 1.4. Ha Ha. Good buy Jerzy.

I have the EF 28-90 f/4.0-5.6 that came with my Rebel T2,

I have the EF 50mm 1.8 and I have the EFS 17-85mm IS USM that I got with my 30D. <BR>

I also have the kit EFS 18-55mm that comes with the Rebel XT.<BR>

I was hoping to couple the TC to the EF 28-90mm. With a 1.4x and the 30D frame ratio I was hoping to achieve 200mm. <BR>I will probably just save for a lens based on what I have heard here.<BR>I can't decide if I want to get the 100mm Macro or if I should go with something more along the 300mm range. Any opinions?<BR><BR>

 

I tried to buy a <A href="http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3626640">Canon EF 75-300mm</A> one time at Wal-mart. It cost around $180 I believe. Of course I was shooting in horrible conditions (a dark church w/out a flash) but I was very disappointed with the resulting photos. I took it back and got my money back.

Under the same conditions, the telephoto lens you purchased from Walmart will give better results than a wide-short tele zoom lens with teleconverter.

What about a Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro Telephoto Zoom?

Anyone use this? I'm very weary of buying something other than Canon lenses as I have heard people say that image quality is not near as nice as what you get with a Canon lens.

<p> If your budget is <b>very</b> tight than the <a href="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#compatibilitythirdparty">Sigma</a> 70-300 APO <b>II</b> or APO <b>DG</b> (the ones with the red stripe) are optically the best of all the <a href="http://www.photo.net/nature/x-300.html">x-300</a> cheap zooms. That said, its AF is very slow so the USM versions also have some advantage in other parameters.</p>

 

<p> See <a href="http://emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/frary/toolbox3.htm">http://emedia.leeward.hawaii.edu/frary/toolbox3.htm</a>, <a href="http://www.photo.net/nature/x-300.html">http://www.photo.net/nature/x-300.html</a> , <a href="http://www.photo.net/canon/70-200">http://www.photo.net/canon/70-200</a>, <a href="http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html">http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html</a>, <a href="http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/telefoto.htm">http://www.bobatkins.com/photography/eosfaq/telefoto.htm</a> and <a href="http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#telephotos">http://photonotes.org/articles/beginner-faq/lenses.html#telephotos</a>. </p>

 

<p> Happy shooting , <br>

Yakim. </p>