what U think ?

basflt

i realize these pics look lousy to most of you , but ,
for me its a first attempt on birding

here s the story
-mounted a 2xTC between my D7000 and a Sigma 120-400 APO HSM , with violence
-no AF possible , all manual focus
-all hand-held , i have no patience for a tripod

korandoke

not so simple to use this combination to achieve good results, previously thought impossible.
tc 2 is not one to zoom lenses, too much loss of detail.
The high ISO makes it complete, with the noise remover bit of detail, it also filters.

basflt

thanks , i know
any tips , other than buying a new 800mm prime ?

korandoke

certainly, a blind shelter tent to get closer
and a lot of patience

basflt

must be a floating tent , as there was 20 meter of water between the subject and me

but i understand , getting closer is better

jonh68

My recommendation is to take off the TC. I can use my 70-300 VR on my D300 and crop to a degree if needed. With a D700, you have even more leeway with cropping. Cropping X2 will look better than using a 2 TC.

basflt

thanks
i allready came to that conclusion
its just that i want to get closer

since this lens is already very sharp , i figured i might try a TC
guess 2X is to much

Harryb

Which TC did you use? I recently used the Nikon 2.0E III TC with very good results. I used it with the D3s and the 70-200 2.8 VRII.

basflt

exactly the same one

my idea is that i can still use the TC if ,
i use a tripod , so i can lower shutter-speed and ISO

Harryb

Looking at the exif your shutter speed was 1/1600 so I can only see two possible problems. I'm betting on camera shake, the 120-400 weighs close to 4lbs. and any motion will show especially when you shooting at it's maximum reach.

jonh68

You may want to try a Sigma 1.4 TC as I think it will AF with the Sigma 120-400 and start out at around f9-f111 for sharpness. For a 5.6 lens, a 2 TC is too much sacrifice of IQ. If you had a 300 or 400 2.8 prime, the 2 TC would be just fine. If you want to get closer, try using your car and drive around ditch areas where wading birds will wade in the ditches looking for crabs and other bait. I have been able to get really close using the car as a blind. For shore birds at the beach, go where people are. Many of these birds have learned people will feed them and they will hang out around people. For other birds that move about, sometimes you can observe the direction they are walking, and you can then wait for them to eventually walk to you if you walk around them and get to a spot. By doing this, you are already in their area, not walking towards them. Sometimes I luck up with a gradual approach if I see one. I will take some shots, them move a few steps closer, take more shots, and then move. I have had wading birds actually get too close where they got within my minimum focus distance using these methods without having to use a blind.

I have also found you can't characterize a certain species about getting close to them either. I have had flocks fly away but have one stay and pose. One Ibis will fly away and the next will stay etc.

basflt

Harryb wrote: »

Looking at the exif your shutter speed was 1/1600 so I can only see two possible problems. I'm betting on camera shake, the 120-400 weighs close to 4lbs. and any motion will show especially when you shooting at it's maximum reach.

so , you conclude that with a tripod i could use the TC ?
thanks , gonna try ASAP

basflt

@John68 , thanks for tips

what i dont get = why a 1.4 is useful and a 2.0 not
i read this everywhere on internet
i have 2 Nikon converters , and they make good glass

as a rookie , i think that raising ISO a bit would compromise for the loss of light
whats different between 1.4 , 1.7 and 2.0 ?

if i loose some IQ because of extra glass , i dont mind
but not this much as above

jonh68

basflt wrote: »

@John68 , thanks for tips

what i dont get = why a 1.4 is useful and a 2.0 not
i read this everywhere on internet
i have 2 Nikon converters , and they make good glass

as a rookie , i think that raising ISO a bit would compromise for the loss of light
whats different between 1.4 , 1.7 and 2.0 ?

if i loose some IQ because of extra glass , i dont mind
but not this much as above

http://mansurovs.com/nikon-tc-20e-iii-review

Because there is less magnification with a 1.4 instead of a 2.0. TC's work best on 2.8 and f4 lenses. After that, you start making bigger compromises in IQ. It will also be helpful to use Sigma TC's on Sigma glass as they are built to be compatible with Sigma lenses.

The new Nikon 2.0 TC III has made a big leap in quality, but using even a good TC introduces more IQ compromises. From reports and user reviews, the Nikon 2.0 TCIII works best on the 300 and 400 Nikon 2.8 primes, and the 70-200 VrII as Harry mentioned.

Sigma has a 2.0 TC and I tried to use on my Sigma 120-300 2.8, but I am not happy with the quality and get better results if I use a 1.4 TC and crop.


If you raise ISO, make sure you nail exposure. I like using f8-f11 for wildlife if I can get 1/1000 ss at ISO 800 and below on my D300. The reason I use that f-stop is the larger DOF for birds so I can get more detail. For artsy isolation, I will dial down to blur the background more.

Your budget options are getting a Nikon 300 f4 and using a 1.4 TC.
Sigma 100-300 f4 and a 1.4 TC
Your 120-400 you have now.
Nikon 80-400 but it has slow AF
Sigma 50-500 and 150-500

IMHO, you are wasting time trying to get even good images with a Nikon 2.0 TC on a 120-400 Sigma. It works best on much faster lenses and much more expensive lenses. I think even using a Sigma 2.0 is a waste of time. You can also use a Kenko Pro 1.4 TC on the Sigma s this will give you AFS on the Sigma lens.

basflt

thanks , thats some useful info