Nikon D200 + 80-200mm f/2.8 + 2x Tele-Converter = ?

I have a Nikon D200, and a Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 zoom. I'm considering
purchasing a 2X Tele-Converter. Will this combination work, and if so, what
tele-converter do you recommend? It appears that Nikon's do not support AF,
but some third party ones do.

Also, would this effectively be equivalent to a 160-400mm f/6?

Thanks,
Bill Crocker

"Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!)" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 Oct 2006 14:00:41 -0400, in rec.photo.digital "Bill Crocker"
wrote:

I have a Nikon D200, and a Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 zoom. I'm considering
purchasing a 2X Tele-Converter. Will this combination work, and if so,
what
tele-converter do you recommend? It appears that Nikon's do not support
AF,
but some third party ones do.

?? TC-20E-II. I use it all the time in combo with the 70-200 f/2.8 VR on a
D70 and D200. You will notice the AF gets noticeably sluggish.

Also, would this effectively be equivalent to a 160-400mm f/6?

The combo is f/5.6. FWIW, I've found my D200 will AF with the TC-20
mounted
with the 200-400 f/4, or f/8 in total even though Nikon says you need
f/5.6
or better.
--
Ed Ruf )
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photog...ral/index.html

Thanks for your help Ed, it is appreciated! I'll look into the TC-20E-II.

Bill Crocker

"Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!)" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 22 Oct 2006 14:00:41 -0400, in rec.photo.digital "Bill Crocker"
wrote:

I have a Nikon D200, and a Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 zoom. I'm considering
purchasing a 2X Tele-Converter. Will this combination work, and if so,
what
tele-converter do you recommend? It appears that Nikon's do not support
AF,
but some third party ones do.

?? TC-20E-II. I use it all the time in combo with the 70-200 f/2.8 VR on a
D70 and D200. You will notice the AF gets noticeably sluggish.

Also, would this effectively be equivalent to a 160-400mm f/6?

The combo is f/5.6. FWIW, I've found my D200 will AF with the TC-20
mounted
with the 200-400 f/4, or f/8 in total even though Nikon says you need
f/5.6
or better.
--
Ed Ruf )
http://edwardgruf.com/Digital_Photog...ral/index.html

It doesn't appear it will auto-focus with my AF lens, only AF-S lenses (that
have the motor built-in the lens). The AF lens requires a mechanical
drive-shaft connection to the camera. Some of the third party converters
extend the operation of that shaft.

Bill Crocker

Bill Crocker wrote:
I have a Nikon D200, and a Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 zoom. I'm considering
purchasing a 2X Tele-Converter. Will this combination work, and if so, what
tele-converter do you recommend? It appears that Nikon's do not support AF,
but some third party ones do.


You are better off with Nikon's 1.7x AF teleconverter. Nevertheless,
TC-20E II 2x teleconverter does support AF on Nikon's digital cameras
and newer SLRs. Nikon specifically recommends this converter for use on
your lens. Many third party teleconverters do not really support AF.
The TC-17E II teleconverter is a much better lens, though. The 2x
converter costs you two stops. The 1.7x converter costs you less than
half a stop. The 1.7x converter also supports VR. It is also a lot more
comfortable to use. Reviewers also say the 1.7x converter costs you
almost nothing in sharpness.

Nikon makes a line of manual focus teleconverters, too. You may have
them confused with the series II AF teleconverters.

Also, would this effectively be equivalent to a 160-400mm f/6?

Thanks,
Bill Crocker

Bill Crocker wrote:

It doesn't appear it will auto-focus with my AF lens, only AF-S lenses (that
have the motor built-in the lens). The AF lens requires a mechanical
drive-shaft connection to the camera. Some of the third party converters
extend the operation of that shaft.

It works only with AF-S and AF-I lenses.

"Rita Ä Berkowitz" ritaberk2O04 @aol.com wrote in message
...
Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) wrote:

The 1.7x converter also supports VR. It is also a lot more
comfortable to use. Reviewers also say the 1.7x converter costs you
almost nothing in sharpness.

So does the TC-20E-II. This isn't an either or situation. The
difference is an additional half a stop for the additional
magnification. Some might complain on the loss of sharpness, but on
the 70-200 f/2.8 images are still quite sharp in my experience.

I agree that the extra magnification is well worth getting the TC-20 II.
A while back, I did some experiments with the 70-200 and TC-20E II using
tripod mount and mirror lock-up. My findings are that the TC only added a
slight bit of softness, which is more than acceptable for the price point
and convenience of adding a 2x TC in the mix. Most "softness" issues
people have when using TCs is they neglect to use proper and good
technique. Your shooting at an effective focal length of 600mm with this
combo, use proper technique and you will be very pleased with the results.







Rita


Thanks everyone!

I may have solved my needs by another method. Last night I snagged a Nikon
300mm AF-S f/4 off eBay, in excellent condition, from a reputable seller.

Bill Crocker

Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) wrote:
On 22 Oct 2006 17:07:48 -0700, in rec.photo.digital "cjcampbell"
wrote:



The 1.7x converter also supports VR. It is also a lot more
comfortable to use. Reviewers also say the 1.7x converter costs you
almost nothing in sharpness.

So does the TC-20E-II.

Do you have some documentation for that?

Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) wrote:
On 23 Oct 2006 19:11:52 -0700, in rec.photo.digital "cjcampbell"
wrote:


Ed Ruf (REPLY to E-MAIL IN SIG!) wrote:
On 22 Oct 2006 17:07:48 -0700, in rec.photo.digital "cjcampbell"
wrote:



The 1.7x converter also supports VR. It is also a lot more
comfortable to use. Reviewers also say the 1.7x converter costs you
almost nothing in sharpness.

So does the TC-20E-II.

Do you have some documentation for that?

For what claim? VR works fine through the TC-20E-II in the following combos
in my experience:
D70 + 70-200mm f/2.8 VR + TC-20EII
D200 + 70-200mm f/2.8 VR + TC-20EII
D200 + 200-400mm f/4 VR + TC-20EII
I haven't gotten around to trying the TC-20 with the 200-4400 on the D70.

Yeah, it was the VR that I wanted documentation for. Interesting. the
1.7x teleconverter is the only one that Nikon says will support VR. How
do you know it is working on the 2x teleconverter?