| Joined: | Wed Apr 18th, 2012 |
| Location: | United Kingdom |
| Posts: | 4496 |
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I have done tests with and with-out the Nikon TC x1.4 and can see no loss of image quality. The turning of a 400mm lens to a 560mm is a major advantage when photographing birds. The size, baulk and weight of the lens is also not changed too much.
With modern DSLRs with dramaticly improved ISO at higher settings the need to have an f4 large 500mm lens is no longer needed, when as a 77 yr old, I try to reduce what I carry when out on a walk in a bird reserve.
My big 500mm f4 comes out when I spend the day in a fixed location like a hide or can work from my car.There is no doubt that the image quality at wider f nos is better with the big lens. Stop down the 400-80mm a bit more and it also is pin sharp.
Than goodness long gone are the days of a Hasselblad and a 500mm f8 lens and 50 ISO transp film. Working like this in Africa in the 1970s bird photography was not easy. Here photographing white rhinos in Rhodesia with a Linhof 6x7 1970!!
I am in admiration of your courage and envious of your flexibility to squat that low, let alone take photos in that position, Graham.
Time will only tell whether the convenient portability of the 300 with a 1.4 will be sufficient reach. But I am trying to stop carting large lenses around on the off chance something might pop out of a bush.
If my commitment to bird photography gathers momentum and I find myself more frequently sat in hides, then I may well invest in a longer heavier prime. But at the moment it's a peripheral interest for me that doesn't warrant high investment.
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Eric