It is impossible to have a single bird
photographer who doesn't wish for longer lens or the longest possible
reach within budget. Frankly speaking, I'm also a budget photographer
and hence always look for a cheaper way to photography (Read 'Bird
Photography') coz it costs a lot.
This time I was thinking of using a
1.4 tc with my canon 40D+ canon 400mm 5.6 combo ( 400x1.4x1.6= 896mm).
As canon Tc would not auto-focus and report exposure + aperture
correctly, I thought of using a Kenko Tc which would report and
auto-focus on my 40D @ f8.
Keep in mind that I'm sharing 'my personal experience' with the Kenko 1.4x pro 300 dgx Teleconverter.
Just sharing my
Flickr page for the sake of viewing my work and reading exif data if you like.
Black-faced Warbler
Canon 40D + Canon 300mm f4 + Canon 1.4Tc ii
1/125, f7.1, ISO 800
Gear Reviewed:-
I'm going to share my experiences with
Kenko 1.4x pro 300 DGX Teleconverter in general and
my experiences using it mounted on a Canon 40D + Canon 400mm 5.6L.
Technical Details of the Product :-
Sharing their own link....
http://www.kenkoglobal.com/photo/lens_accessories/general_lens_accessories/teleplus_pro_300_af_14x_dgx.html
And flipkart link to have an idea about the price here......
http://www.flipkart.com/kenko-pro-300-af-dgx-1-4x-teleconverters-for-canon-lens/p/itmdnymtab2ur3ax
Test Details:-
Few month ago, I've tested this Kenko
tc casually on a Canon 100-400mm 5.6L+ Canon 550D/ 60D, owned by friend
of mine and on my Canon300mm f4 L (non-IS) which I was using with Canon
1.4xTc ii and found that Kenko gives better focusing speed and accurate
focus locking when used with Canon 300mm f4 than Canon 100-400mm 5.6L.
Image Quality is also superb (almost Identical with Canon 1.4xTc ii) when used with 300mm prime.
With
Kenko, 100-400mm suffers IQ and focus locking . Kenko 1.4x pro 300 DGX
is faster than Canon 1.4 Tc ii while using with Canon 300mm f4.
But on 2nd Feb'14, I thought to give
Canon 40D + Canon 400mm 5.6L + Kenko 1.4x pro 300 combo
a hard field test. So I borrowed the Kenko Tc from a friend and used it
in a bird shootout @ Gajoldoba Wetland, WB. My setting was 40D with
Lens + 1.4 Tc @ f8 and to surprise it auto-focused!!
The
shooting condition was purely HandHeld on a small fishing boat and my
experience is mixed one. We started nearly @ 8.30 in the morning and the
Sun was covered due to heavy mist.
In poor light condition the lens
+tc combo hunts and failed to lock focus but the bare lens focuses
quickly.In good light (Sunny) the lens + tc combo hunts little and
confirms focus but not too quick as the bare lens do.
In my opinion it is not suitable to use the Tc (though it auto-focuses) if you are keen on getting some action shot.
If
the subject is static and you are mounted on tripod then OK.The tc
takes sharp image with canon 400mm 5.6, means you loose little IQ. Same
result is obtained regarding focus on a 550D.
Pros & Cons:-
.Very good when used with primes having aperture f4 or faster.
.Unlike Canon Tcs, Kenko Tc can be fitted to almost every lens.
.Not
so good when used with lenses having max.aperture 5.6. But you can live
with it. I never used it with any other zoom except 100-400mm 5.6L.
Build Quality:-
Build quality is OK but I like the feel and handling of Canon Tc most over Kenko.
Value for Money:-
I
must admit that it's a value for money Tc coz without breaking your
bank you can have a tc which gives almost identical IQ when used with f4
or faster lenses.
Comparison:-
I tested my
400mm 5.6L coupled with Canon 1.4tc ii (manual focus) and it produced
amazingly sharp and great looking images with superb contrast &
colour. But Kenko gave a little lesser.
Kenko gave me superb focus locking speed on 300mm f4. Must say it's better than canon 1.4 tc ii in this regard.
Summary:-
A
good value for money Tc and produces almost identical IQ if coupled
with f4 or faster lenses.But on Canon 400 5.6 it needs good bright light
to lock focus and to be accurate.
Recommendation:-
Recommended for f4 or faster lenses.
You
can be happy with the result when shooting static subject (bird) using
it with Canon 400mm 5.6L. Best result can be obtained out of this combo
if you use a tripod (I guess). Some BIF can be made if the bird is big
enough.
Result:-
The image below is almost 50% crop and minimum PP is done so that you can judge the result of this combo.
Ruddy Shelduck
Gajoldoba, Jalpaiguri, WB
Canon 40D + Canon 400mm 5.6L + Kenko 1.4 Tc @ 560 mm
1/800, f8, ISO 400
