Thinking of buying the Kenko 2x MC7 DG Teleconverter. Any Thoughts on it?

rsi1986

I'm thinking of buying the Kenko 2x MC7 DG Kenko 2x MC7 DG Tele converter to use with the Sigma 70-200mm f2.8. My primary use for this combo will be wildlife. A real life review of the lens or Tele converter would be very helpful before I buy them.

ziggy53

rsi1986 wrote:

I'm thinking of buying the Kenko 2x MC7 DG Kenko 2x MC7 DG Tele converter to use with the Sigma 70-200mm f2.8. My primary use for this combo will be wildlife. A real life review of the lens or Tele converter would be very helpful before I buy them.

It sounds like you have yet to purchase either the lens or the teleconverter, is that correct?

It appears that you will be using a Pentax camera, from the information in your profile. (It's always a good idea to include that in pertinent threads.)

I have to tell you that I am a believer in Pentax optics, and I think the Pentax DA STAR SMC 300MM, F4 ED(IF) SDM plus the Sigma 1.4x EX DG APO tele-converter (as needed) is probably a much better way to go for wildlife. The 2x tele-converters are generally too much image degradation for my taste and the longer lens plus shorter converter tends to have better image quality overall.

I tried 2 copies of the Sigma 70-200mm, f2.8 HSM (non-Macro) and I found a peculiar "ringing" in areas of high contrast. Others like the lens, so I might have gotten bad copies. If you decide to purchase the Sigma 70-200mm, be sure you purchase from a vendor with decent return privilages. I have some test images in the following gallery:

http://ziggy53.smugmug.com/gallery/1269595

You might also consider the Sigma "Bigma" 50-500mm zoom. I've seen good results on Pentax cameras using that lens.

http://pentaxworld.com/forum/index.php/topic,2451.0.html

Cygnus Studios

I have the Kenko and it is quite nice overall. You will lose 2 stops, and without very good light the AF will have a difficult time.
If you are comfortable with manual focus this will not be a problem. A little sharpness is lost around the edges also.

rsi1986

I'm sorry for not including the camera I'll be using. I shoot with a Pentax K20d. The reason I'm looking at the 70-200, and a tele converter is versatility. I also would like to shoot concerts, candids, and portraits. As an aspiring pro, I just don't have the scratch to buy a lens for all of my shooting styles.