Best nikon TC with zoom lens?

[myjohnson]

Hey guys,

I'm a kind of a noob so please forgive me for any stupid qestions.... :(

Most of my current work is with macro lens to take pictures of corals in a reef tank, fish in fish tanks, flowers, plants, bugs, etc.

The next "project" I have in mind is taking pictures of birds. Both in flight and standing still. I did some research and 400mm or the 500mm is really something I can't afford. My budget is 1K on the lens and 300 on the TC....both will be purchase used.

So, I'm looking for a nikkor TC to go with a nikkor zoom or prime lens to take pictures of birds during the day....so I should have high lighting. I prefer my nikkor TC to be x2 or x1.7. Also, I have a d90. I don't plan to upgrade to FX. I would like the max zoom with TC to be 400-500mm.

What nikkor TC and nikkor lens would y'all more exp. folks thinks would meet my requirements?

Thanks in advance!

-Thai

[TheFantasticG]

So, all 3rd party lenses are out of the question? Because Sigma has some nice options.

[Jim Boyd]

Thai,

I think you may be able to find a used 1.7 teleconverter for around $300, but your challenge is finding a lens that will work well with it for $1000. I've used my 70-200 with teleconverters with pretty good results, but finding that lens, even used, for $1000 is going to be tough.

I'd steer clear of Nikon's old 2.0 teleconverter because it didn't wok very well. The new one is much better, but I doubt you'll find one for $300.

If you're going to be shooting birds in flight, you need to be aware that there's a considerable lag in locking focus when you use a teleconverter.

I know this isn't a lot of help, and there may a lens that I'm not aware of that will fit your purpose. Good luck.

[Snarfy]

You'll be lucky to find a used Nikon TC-17E II for less than $400.
You might find a used 300mm f/4 AF-S for ~$900-1,000.
Generally speaking these teleconverters are made to extend nikon's finest tele glass, and little else.

A non-TC option:
A used Nikon 80-400mm AF VR can be had for $1,300 or less.

[scottbuckel]

The Nikon 300 f4 AFS, which I own and use regularly, will autofocus with the 1.4 and 1.7 TCs. The 1.7 autofocuses slowly, 1.4 is definitely faster, but the lens performs much better without a TC. I have used it with and without TC for flight shots.

Scott

[lhdvies]

Like Scott I used the Kenko 300 pro plus 1.4 & the nikon 1.7 on my 300/4.0 AF s with the D300 & D700. As Scott said the 17e II is slower , but I never had problems with them focusing- (use to call the 17 combo my "poor man's 500) It was a very sharp combo if you could live with approximately the 7.1 aperture.
I don't know why Nikon puts out info that it won't AF, but they do & they are wrong. I had the same questions because of that before I bought the tc 17e II, but all the folks at FM advised that it would work fine! I'm glad I listened to them.

[DougC]

Originally Posted by Snarfy

You'll be lucky to find a used Nikon TC-17E II for less than $400.
You might find a used 300mm f/4 AF-S for ~$900-1,000; but it will not autofocus with a TC. Generally speaking these teleconverters are made to extend nikon's finest tele glass, and little else.

Grabbed this from the interwebs:
Autofocus not possible with - AF-S VR Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED, AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED, AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR, AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4D IF-ED II, AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4D IF-ED, AF-I NIKKOR 500mm f/4D IF-ED, AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR, AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4D IF-ED II, AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4D IF-ED, AF-I NIKKOR 600mm f/4D IF-ED, AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED.

No limitations with - AF-S VR NIKKOR 200mm f/2G IF-ED, AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II, AF-S VR NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED, AF-I NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED, AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR, AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED II, AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED, AF-I NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED, AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II, AF-S VR Zoom-NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED, AF-S Zoom-NIKKOR 80-200mm f/2.8D IF-ED.

Rather than going the TC route:
A used Nikon 80-400mm AF VR can be had for $1,300 or less.

Glad Scott caught this. It's the biggest load I've seen in print for a long time. Those are Nikon "cover your butt" statements and anyone who owns this equipment will quickly prove they are compatible. I use both the TC14 and TC17 on my 300 AF-S f4, f2.8 and 500 f4. Anyone who says otherwise has no clue what they are talking about. The 80-400 isn't in the same league as the 300 plus either TC.
Here's an example made with my 500 and the TC17.

[DougC]

Thai,

A good alternative that will cost you a bit more but is unbeatable for the money is a 300 AF-S and both TC14 and TC17. Both work perfectly with the lens. Get the 14 first and learn good technique then pick up the 17. All can be had used to save a few $$.

[Snarfy]

Originally Posted by DougC

Glad Scott caught this. It's the biggest load I've seen in print for a long time. Those are Nikon "cover your butt" statements and anyone who owns this equipment will quickly prove they are compatible. I use both the TC14 and TC17 on my 300 AF-S f4, f2.8 and 500 f4. Anyone who says otherwise has no clue what they are talking about. The 80-400 isn't in the same league as the 300 plus either TC.

I altered my comment to reflect your comments. Thanks for pointing this out, I assume nikon's posted information was based on some of their results. I *hope* that they claimed no AF support for the lens because they had tested results that weren't optimal and didn't want to mislead anyone... knowing them, it's probably just downright wrong.

As for the 80-400, I made no claim about where it sits amongst the pro glass teles, but simply that it's an option that does not require a TC.

As for me, I'll leave the rest of these recommendations to the tele gurus and butt out of it.

[DougC]

Chris,

No offense was meant toward you. Nikon has to cover themselves due to our law suit happy society. Once your maximum aperture falls below 5.6, autofocus is slower than normal but unless you stop down to f11 or smaller, it will work quite well. As long as you have a decent amount of light you'll be okay. As for the 80-400, it is fiercely defended by those who own it but after trying 3 copies I relearned what I have known for years...once your zoom ratio goes beyond 2.5, IQ will suffer at one or both ends. Few, if any, of the "super zooms" perform well at both ends. If I pay for a lens with a focal length of 400 or 500, it should perform at those focal lengths. Otherwise I've wasted my money.