2X Bonus round question

BBones

Ok, I am seeing more and more that I need more "reach" when shooting sports, it's just getting too dangerous for me to be in some of the areas that I am at. Presently I am using the 1D Mark 2 (no not N model) and the 1.4x TC on a 300 IS L 2.8. That dials out to 420mm. What I am wondering is, is going to the 2x TC going to give me any issues with softness/sharpness in a drastic sense?

Most of my sales are from motorcycle racing and I would have to say a huge portion of that is people buying 8x10s and some 16x20s along with digital versions to use on their race resumes or desktops on their PC's (so they are not staring at the full sized version all day from 18 inches away.

What is the thought on going with a 2x TC? Worth it or not? Anyone have samples or horror stories they could share?

pathfinder

BBones,

I do not hesitate to use a Canon 2X TC on my Canon 300f2.8 IS L. Yeah, it is sharper without the TC, that is a given, but it is still a pretty darn good optic with the 2X if used with good technique. The 2XTC drops it to a 600mm f5.6 lens, but it still focuses as close as a 300mm lens, which is pretty cool. It is a LOT EASIER to carry and handle than a 600mm lens also.

I have a number of shots with a 20D and the 300+2x, here's one



And another


Here's a 1DMkll and a 300+2x


I am sure I have a lot more, but I don't store them by focal length, nor do I run these through Lightroom or Aperture where I could search the exif data.

If you need to see more, let me know.

Unsharp images from very long glass may not be due to poor quality glass. Technique does count out beyond 400mm as I am sure you are well aware.

BBones

Thanks for the info, the bird pics help a lot since they have much more little detail then racing bikes do.

Quite often I need to boost the Fstop to "higher" numbers due to white and shiny bikes so 5.6 is no issue at all.

And no I am not quite sure what you mean about the 400mm/unsharp thing. I shoot in RAW and apply no sharpening to my photos, just white balancing and shadow/highlight fixes.

pathfinder

BBones, my comment about unsharp images with long glass, was not in reference to Photoshop sharpening. While all digital images can profit from proper unsharp mask sharpening, due to the nature of digital capture, I was referring to less than sharp images from camera movement, too slow a shutter speed, OOF etc - just less than good shooting technique in general.

You shoot with long glass routinely, so you are very well aware of the techniques required for the sharpest images with lenses > 400mm.