NIKON AFS Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF ED VR + Kenko Teleplus Review


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Sep 1, 2006
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Ever felt that your current lens setup does not have enough reach?

Purchasing lens of longer focal length is out of your budget?

Considering a tele-converter but afraid of degrading image quality?

This mini review should help you out.



It is known that by using a tele-converter on your lens, your image quality will degrade tremendously.

Due to the added element, the image quality would bound to be degraded and many would opt to go for their system’s brand tele-converters instead of looking for a 3rd-party like the Kenko tele-converters.

The fact that image quality would be degraded, and prime lenses are much sharper than zooms, most would recommend that to only use tele-converters on prime lens with large aperture.

This mini-review is to help users with low budget that needs the extra range in photography, you can view the images and decide for yourself if you could accept the image quality when using a tele-converter.

Equipment used
Nikon D700 + Shutter Release Cable
Nikon AFS Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF ED VR
Kenko Teleplus Pro300 DG 1.4x
Kenko Teleplus Pro300 DGX 2x
Sirui R1204 + G20

Camera Settings
Quality: JPG – Fine
Picture Control: D2X M1
White Balance: Auto
Color Space: sRGB
ISO: 200

The Nikkor is a popular lens among sports and event photographers and is rather affordable, note that the Nikkor in this review is the first version and not the latest VR II.

The Pro300 is the best series of the Kenko Teleplus range, there are other series such as the MC4 and MC7 which are optically inferior to the Pro300 series.

There are 3 versions of the Pro300 series, the Pro300, Pro300 DG and Pro300 DGX, which is the latest and best of Kenko Teleplus.

Some notes about the review

For the test images below, please click to enlarge. If your browser auto resize the image ot fit your screen, do set it back to full image size so as to be able to view the image quality at 100% crop.

The tests are conducting shooting at the widest and most tele focal lengths. 100% crops are taken from the center and top left corner of the image.

Due to the 12Megapixel sensor of the D700, some 100% crop images taken at the wide end might appear to be less sharp as compared to the 100% crop images taken at the tele end, and that is due to pixel density.

Test shots are taken at the following f-stops(where permitted): f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/6.3, f/8, f/11 with VR turned off.

This is not a professional review

Disclaimer

This review has no relation to Mitsubishi Electric, it just so happen that from the location of the review, that signboard was a good subject for sharpness test.

Review was original posted on E.TAN PHOTOGRAPHY
 

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Test Images of Nikon AFS Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF ED VR



70mm (Center 100% crop)
70mm (Corner 100% crop)
200mm (Center 100% crop)
200mm (Corner 100% crop)


Test Images of Nikon AFS Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF ED VR with Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 DG 1.4x


Meta data reports correctly and camera aperture automatically stops down to show the lost of light when using the tele-converter.
Autofocus works, VR works.

100mm (Center 100% crop)
100mm (Corner 100% crop)
280mm (Center 100% crop)
280mm (Corner 100% crop)

Test Images of
Nikon AFS Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF ED VR with Teleplus Pro 300 DGX 2x

Meta data reports correctly and camera aperture automatically stops down to show the lost of light when using the tele-converter.
Autofocus works, VR works.

140mm (Center 100% crop)
140mm (Corner 100% crop)
400mm (Center 100% crop)
400mm (Corner 100% crop)

Test Images of Nikon AFS Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G IF ED VR with Teleplus Pro 300 DG 1.4x and Teleplus Pro 300 DGX 2x

Meta data reports mostly correct and camera aperture automatically stops down to show the lost of light when using the tele-converter.
Focal length at 70mm should have been 196mm, but was reported as 200mm, and focal length at 200mm should had been 560mm, but was reported as 550mm
Autofocus works, but it will just keep hunting and would not lock focus, manual focus is a must

196mm (Center 100% crop)
196mm (Corner 100% crop)
560mm (Center 100% crop)
560mm (Corner 100% crop)
 

Usability

Most would wonder, how usable is the setup with the tele-converter when used for actual photoshoot.

Here are a few sample of what I have taken during some sports event.


Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 IF ED VR with Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 DG 1.4x at 280mm f/4


Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 IF ED VR with Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 DGX 2x at 400mm f/13


Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 IF ED VR with Kenko Teleplus Pro 300 DGX 2x and Kenko Teleplus pro 300 DG 1.4x at 560mm f/16 (View the full size at Flickr, it’s a 100% crop)

Conclusion

I was quite surprise by the usability of the images taken when using a 2x tele-converter on the 70-200, and even more amazed, when I stacked a 1.4x to it, to take the moon photo.

This setup suitable only if you are having small prints, or only using the images for web

For those who own the 70-200 and needs extra range for sports photography, this would be a low budget alternative, instead of getting a 300mm f4, 500mm f4 or 200-400mm f4. The latter two would cost you a bomb.
 

I'm using the exact setup and I would say both 1.4x and 2x converter works very well on 70-200 VRI, thumb up.
 

Got this little Ashy Tailorbird @ Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve recently.

Focal: 400mm
Aperture: F8.0
Exposure:1/200s
ISO: 1100

20110605235802-d140bee1.jpg
 

I'm using the exact setup and I would say both 1.4x and 2x converter works very well on 70-200 VRI, thumb up.

yeah! before I bought the 2x.
I was initially afraid that the IQ would be very bad, given most of the comments online. But lucky it worked out well


Got this little Ashy Tailorbird @ Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve recently.

Focal: 400mm
Aperture: F8.0
Exposure:1/200s
ISO: 1100

20110605235802-d140bee1.jpg

Thats a nice shot there! :D
 

Just curious, any pp done to the photos of the go-kart, surfing and the bird?

How about testing using 2x tele using at f5.6? My own experience with 1.4x is that it's IQ @wide open shows a tad softer but that can be improved through pp. Stopping down by 1 stop would improve the IQ noticeably but you might lose something like shutter speed, dof etc.

So far I like the 1.4x, using it as budget birding once in a while with my 300mm prime. I guess for the tele to work well, one must have at least a lens with good level of sharpness.
 

Ya me too even after having the 1.4x with good results. Got the 2x and was very happy with it :)
yeah! before I bought the 2x.
I was initially afraid that the IQ would be very bad, given most of the comments online. But lucky it worked out well

Thank you sir :)
Thats a nice shot there! :D
 

Just curious, any pp done to the photos of the go-kart, surfing and the bird?

How about testing using 2x tele using at f5.6? My own experience with 1.4x is that it's IQ @wide open shows a tad softer but that can be improved through pp. Stopping down by 1 stop would improve the IQ noticeably but you might lose something like shutter speed, dof etc.

So far I like the 1.4x, using it as budget birding once in a while with my 300mm prime. I guess for the tele to work well, one must have at least a lens with good level of sharpness.

Those 3 photos were after pp, but with little sharpening.
As the go-kart and surfing shots were pan in day light, i was unable to shoot at f5.6 and still get a shutterspeed slow enough for panning.

for sharpness at f5.6, you can check out the 100% from the test shots
 

I am considering the kenko 1.4 tele converter because I find my AFS 70-300 mm VR a bit 'short'. But my nikon lens is 1:4.5-5.6. I am not sure will that combination works?

Most people tell me I will be shoot at F8 and it is unlikely to achieve reasonable good picture quality.
 

hihi.. is the AF speed compromised??..

yup.

I am considering the kenko 1.4 tele converter because I find my AFS 70-300 mm VR a bit 'short'. But my nikon lens is 1:4.5-5.6. I am not sure will that combination works?

Most people tell me I will be shoot at F8 and it is unlikely to achieve reasonable good picture quality.

at f8, it might not be able to af properly
 

I'm using Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VR + Kenko 1.4X PRO 300 DGX and I'm very satisfied with the result.
The only thing that I don't like is that the lens rotate a little when attached to the TC, have anybody noticed this? Does the 2X also the same?