NOTE: I have recently posted the detailed Nikon 300mm f/2.8 VR II Review.
I have been super busy performing tests on over 12 lenses (more on that later), including the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II and the new Nikon TC-20E III. It was very painful to find the TC-20E III, but I got one on my hands and I have been extensively testing it with the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II and Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II. I have also been comparing the results with my Nikon 200-400mm f/4.0G VR, so I will soon publish some very interesting findings for those, who are interested in high performance telephoto gear for sports and wildlife photography.
For now, here is a sample of the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II with the TC-20E III at 600mm:
And here is a 100% crop:
Amazing sharpness and contrast, I am truly impressed. Here is the same coyote caught in action with the same lens combo:
More to come!
About Nasim Mansurov
Nice photos of the coyote!
This will be an interesting comparison – and I look forward to seeing the full report.
I’ve been trying to get hold of a TC-20 EIII – to no avail!
I hope that a new batch will be produced soon – as there is a big demand for this NB tool.
Best, P:)
Thank you Pasquier, the full report is now posted, with TC-20E III details :-)
Nasim, thanks for the update. I am still trying to find the tc-20e iii for purchase. I’ve had to rent it, but still no luck. I check adorama, b&h, amazon almost every day, but no luck. Where did you find it? Also, looking forward to the upcoming info and shots. I setup a bird feeder this week with seed and also for humming birds. I have been getting a lot of practice this way and hope to apply this experience in the wild this weekend. I’ve had mixed results with the humming bird photos. I setup my D3s about the same way as you previously mentioned in your bird articles but increased the minimum shutter speed for the humming bird. The min shutter and max iso function isn’t working too well for this scenario. I suspect I will have to move to shutter priority in order to force the faster speeds. Any recommendations based on your experience for shutter speeds or general D3s configuration for the humming birds?
Thanks,
TIm
Tim
Have you tried using a flash with a tele-extender (better beamer etc)?
This should allow you to freeze the motion of the wings…..
A valuable resource with loads of info on bird photography is:
http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/index.php
HTH, P:)
Tim, do you want me to ask my rep at B&H about the TC-20E III? No guarantee, but I could try getting you one.
In terms of getting the image of a humming bird, if you want to try doing it without flash, set your ISO to a high value like 6400 and then shoot at 1/2000th minimum wide open using Aperture Priority or Shutter Priority modes. It is all about the shutter speed with humming birds…
If you want to stop their wings, you would need to get as high as 1/8000th of a second!
Yes on the TC-20E III. You have my email so just let me know. I will try the humming bird with and without the flash and see how it goes. I will let you know and post some pics! Thanks.
Tim, I’m still waiting for my rep on the TC-20E III. They had a couple in stock, but those were gone in no time…hopefully he will be able to get one for you, but he cannot make promises at this point.
Nasim – Thank you for this post, I look forward to hearing more on the tests.
Tim – If you want to freeze the wing motion on the hummingbirds, then I shoot Shutter Priority with a minimum of 1/2000 and 1/2500 or higher is better. I will be interested to see what others say.
Tom, thanks for the info. I will give it a try and see how it works out. I will also try the better beamer as Pasquier suggested. I am shooting with a 300mm f/2.8 and 1.7TC so I should get good results.
Thanks,
Tim
Tim, try to get closer to hummingbirds and get rid of that 1.7x TC…will give you f/2.8 to work with and slightly faster AF.
Good tip… I will definitely give it a try and keep you posted.
Great shots, Nasim! Looks like great fun!
Thank you Ryan!
Cool doggie )))
Hehe, I realized that I had auto ISO turned off after taking like 50 images of it jumping on the vole…all of them came out blurry :( Would have been some nice action!
cool pictures.
Did you shoot them with a tripod or free handed?
Does the VR really work with the teleconverter, or do you switch it off if used with a teleconverter?
Don, everything was taken hand-held. And yes, VR works perfectly well with all Nikon TCs…check out my Nikon 300mm f/2.8G Review that I posted last night for a lot more info.
Impressive sharpness! Interesting. How do you find TC-20E III?
Dennis
Dennis, that’s a good question :) Do you want me to try to get you one from B&H?
I just discovered your site. It is terrific. Thank you. If I may, approximately how close were you to the Coyote? Thanks again. I look forward to the updates.
Thank you Matt! The EXIF data is showing subject distance of 20 meters :) By the way, the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II lens review has been posted as of last night.
I’m really missing my Pentax K20D with the only telephoto lens I had about now which was a 70-300mm Sigma lens and a vivitar 1.5 teleconverter it was surely far from professional glass but enjoyed shooting with it and miss that reach for nature photos. I purchased a Nikon D700 and a 24-70mm f/2.8 which is my workhorse lens. I tried the 70-200mm f/2.8 but being mounted on full frame it didn’t have much reach for nature photos but I liked it for portraits aside from the weight! After seeing these I’m going to be working extra hard to save that cash to get myself a telephoto lens and a Nikon teleconverter to beable to do some wildlife photos .
Thanks for sharing Nasim the coyote image captured is amazing its so sharp, clear and colourful – full of life :)