Yesterday, I had a rare moment where I saw deer in my backyard AND they stayed long enough for me to grab my camera and photograph them. Of course the problem is getting close enough without scaring them away. First I tried shooting with my Nikon 18-200mm VR lens, which was still attached to my Nikon D5000 from the photowalk. Shooting from the window (through the screen) didn’t get me close enough and just wasn’t cutting it.
I also figured if I was going to go outside, I might as well gear up with something better. So I ran and grabbed my Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens and my Nikon 1.4x Teleconverter. Although I got this teleconverter as a birthday present last year, this was actually my first time using it.
They were still there
Luckily when I returned the deer were still there just relaxing in grass. I approached a little at a time. With my lens all the way out at 200mm, the 1.4x teleconverter effectively gave me a 280mm reach. The closer I got the more nervous they got and eventually decided to move along.
The Bottom Line
Although you do lose one f stop with this teleconverter, it’s great for situations just like this one. Now that I’ve had a chance to use it, I plan to use it more often. The Nikon TC-14E 1.4x II Teleconverter for D-AF-S & AF-I lenses only, goes for $469.95 at B&H Photo. You could also go with this 2x teleconverter for $499.95.
Thanks for the post Terry, I also have the 70-200 and wanted to get a little more reach without having to to carry another lens in my bag. During my research I found the general consensus seemed to be that the TC-17E II was the happy medium between reach and quality in the Nikon teleconverter line. It is great to be able to pull out something smaller than a 50 mm lens and go from 70-200 to 119-340mm.
http://www.nikonusa.com/Find-Your-Nikon/Product/Camera-Lenses/2151/AF-S-Teleconverter-TC-17E-II.html
Those are very emaciated deer. You might consider feeding them a little and then you would get more opportunities to photograph them.
Don’t know aboutthe Nikon extenders, but in the Canon camp the 1.4x is ger=nerally considered good and the 2x is considered bad by most of the folks who have tried them. I use the 1.4x w/my 70-200f2.8L IS and it works great. Pictures are very sharp and as you mentioned, you only lose 1 stop with the tele. I like it a lot…
I bought the Kenko 1.4 Teleconverter for my Nikon lenses. From talking to the folks at B&H, it works with more of my lenses then the Nikon (like the 300 F4 AF), is almost as sharp, and costs less. A teleconverter is a great way to extend your reach. I think what Lance said about 1.4 vs 2.0 is true – the 1.4 are considerably sharper then 2.0 teleconverters. Plus with the 2.0 you lose 2 stops – that is a lot of light lost!
Since your D5000 is a aps-c sensor (cropped sensor) you are already getting a 1.5 crop, so your 70-200 is 105-300, then the 1.4x on top of that gets you up to ~440mm?
If you picked up a salt block for them to lick, you could get them to come a back regularly and probably catch a variety of them. And, you could position different structural elements based on where you any the deer in the photograph.
Anywho- have fun 🙂
Does the teleconvertor work with the 18-200? Would love to see it!
Sadly, no it doesn’t.