Overview
It was not easy to obtain the Nikon TC-20E III because of high demand/short supply and after waiting for a few weeks, I decided to just rent it for a couple of weeks instead. My objective was to try the Nikon TC-20E III specifically with the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II and with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II to see how it truly performs in an outdoor environment when photographing nature. It is one thing to shoot test charts with a lens sitting on a tripod, and another to get out and do some real shooting. Some lenses look great on paper and on test charts, but cannot perform equally well when used in an outdoor environment, especially with fast-moving subjects like birds. The primary reason is autofocus, the performance of which depends on many different factors. Teleconverters generally negatively impact autofocus performance, due to a considerable loss of light and contrast and the 2x TC is the worst in this regard. Adding a teleconverter slows down lenses and the Nikon TC-20E III slows down by two full stops. What this means, is that when the teleconverter is mounted on an f/2.8 lens, it slows down to f/5.6 and as you may know, autofocus performance on small apertures beyond f/5.6 is unreliable even in broad daylight conditions. Nikon clearly points out that autofocus does not work beyond f/5.6, so if you have an f/4.0 lens, forget about autofocus – you will have to resort to manual focus.
In addition, due to the considerable number of additional glass elements, the lens sharpness performance can suffer significantly, depending on the quality of the lens. While lenses like Nikon 200mm f/2G VR II, Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II and Nikon 400mm f/2.8G VR work great with 2x teleconverters, some lenses like the Nikon 70-200mm have been known to perform very poorly with any teleconverters longer than 1.4x. As I have demonstrated in this review, the new Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II works beautifully with the Nikon TC-20E III when stopped down a little, which was a nice surprise. Let’s take a closer look at the teleconverter.
1) Lens Specifications
Main Features:
- Enhanced telephoto versatility – affordable and portable gateway to extend telephoto reach; ideal for sports, wildlife, surveillance and more.
- Aspherical lens element virtually eliminates coma and other aberrations, especially at wide apertures.
- 2x optical conversion factor doubles the focal length of select compatible NIKKOR lenses.
- Nikon Integrated Coating (IC) enhances light transmission efficiency, improves color consistency and reduces flare.
Technical Specifications:
- Mount Type: Nikon F-Bayonet
- Lens Elements: 7
- Lens Groups: 5
- Optical Conversion Factor: 2.0x
- Light Loss: 2 f-stops
- Compatible Format(s): FX, DX, FX in DX Crop Mode, 35mm Film
- Autofocus: Yes
- AF-S (Silent Wave Motor): Yes
- Dimensions (Approx.): 2.6×1.8 in. (Diameter x Length), 66x46mm (Diameter x Length)
- Weight (Approx.): 11.06 oz. (330g)
- Supplied Accessories: BF-3A front lens cap, LF-1 rear lens cap, Cl-0715 Lens Case
Nikon TC-20E III compatibility and performance chart:
| Lens Description | Effective Focal Length | Autofocus | Acceptable Sharpness | Optimal Sharpness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| * Acceptable and optimal sharpness numbers above are estimates, based on various tests and feedback from users | ||||
| AF-S Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR | 210mm f/4.0 | No | f/8.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 200mm f/2G IF-ED VR | 400mm f/4.0 | Yes | f/4.0 | f/5.6 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 600mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/5.6 | f/8.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR | 600mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/5.6 | f/8.0 |
| AF-I NIKKOR 300mm f/2.8D IF-ED | 600mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/5.6 | f/8.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 300mm f/4D IF-ED | 600mm f/8.0 | No | f/11.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8G ED VR | 800mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/5.6 | f/8.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED II | 800mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/5.6 | f/8.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED | 800mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/5.6 | f/8.0 |
| AF-I NIKKOR 400mm f/2.8D IF-ED | 800mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/5.6 | f/8.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4G ED VR | 1000mm f/8.0 | No | f/11.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4D IF-ED II | 1000mm f/8.0 | No | f/11.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 500mm f/4D IF-ED | 1000mm f/8.0 | No | f/11.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-I NIKKOR 500mm f/4D IF-ED | 1000mm f/8.0 | No | f/11.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4G ED VR | 1200mm f/8.0 | No | f/8.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4D IF-ED II | 1200mm f/8.0 | No | f/8.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4D IF-ED | 1200mm f/8.0 | No | f/8.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-I NIKKOR 600mm f/4D IF-ED | 1200mm f/8.0 | No | f/8.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR | 140-400mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/11.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II | 140-400mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/5.6 | f/8.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 80-200mm f/2.8D IF-ED | 160-400mm f/5.6 | Yes | f/8.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G IF-ED VR | 400-800mm f/8.0 | No | f/11.0 | f/11.0 |
| AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II | 400-800mm f/8.0 | No | f/11.0 | f/11.0 |
The lenses with f/11 for both “Acceptable” and “Optimal” sharpness produce very unreliable results.
2) Lens construction and handling
Similar to other Nikon teleconverters and its predecessor, the Nikon TC-20E III has a rugged all-metal exterior and a metal mount that is built to last a lifetime. The solid construction, along with a whopping 7 elements make it one heavy teleconverter, weighing a total of 330 grams without a lens attached. As a comparison, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4G lens weighs only 280 grams. The Nikon TC-14E II and TC-17-E II weigh 200 and 250 grams, respectively. While the number of optical elements has not changed between the new and the older 2x teleconverters, two key differences to note are the redesigned layout/lens groupings and replacement of a regular lens element with an aspherical one. The aspherical element was added to improve image quality by increasing sharpness, decreasing coma and other aberrations. Like other teleconverters, the Nikon TC-20E III has fixed lens elements that do not move when focus ring or zoom ring are touched on the lens. This means that the lens is protected very well against dust and moisture.
3) Focus acquisition speed and accuracy
When it comes to autofocus performance, the Nikon 2x teleconverters have always been the worst (when compared to other Nikon teleconverters), since they slow down lenses by two full stops and degrade image quality. The quality of light that reaches the autofocus sensor is often poor and only large aperture lenses that pass through lots of light can focus well enough with the TC-20E III. For example, the Nikon 200mm f/2.0 works very well with the TC-20E III and autofocus is often both fast and accurate. Slower f/2.8 prime lenses are a little worse, but still accurate enough in bright conditions. As lighting conditions worsen, the autofocus performance gets less accurate and lenses might start “hunting” – that’s when the lens goes from infinity to close focus, unable to stop at a particular focus mark. When the TC-20E III is used with slow f/4 aperture lenses, autofocus stops working completely or becomes extremely unreliable. With the exception of the new Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II, zoom lenses also start acting up in daylight with very mixed results. The Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II works surprisingly well with the TC-20E III and I found the autofocus performance to be good in bright conditions, although the lens also works very well with the TC-14E II and TC-17E II teleconverters. The same cannot be said about the older 70-200mm f/2.8 lens – it is only known to work well with the TC-14E II. The above table chart outlines which lenses perform best at what aperture with the TC-20E III. When photographing sports, wildlife and other fast-action photography, you have to be extremely careful when using the TC-20E III. Not only will it take some time to get used to, but you also need to know how to get the best out of your autofocus system on the camera. For example, choosing anything but the center focus point will often result in focus hunting and you might need to manually pre-focus the lens before trying to acquire focus on your subject. In addition, using the focus limiter switch on telephoto lenses also helps, as lenses do not have to go through the full cycle of focusing back and forth. So if you are frustrated with the TC-20E III, I recommend taking your time and experimenting with the AF system on your camera. It goes without saying that AF performance will suffer even more on lower-end DX cameras, so I suggest using the TC-20E III on pro-level bodies like Nikon D300s and above.
4) Lens sharpness, contrast and color rendition
Similar to AF performance, lens sharpness, contrast and color rendition will depend on the lens the TC-20E III is coupled with. Fast prime lenses generally yield the best performance, but still require stopping down in order to get optimal results. No matter what lens you use the TC-20E III with, image quality will be degraded in all cases to a certain extent, even with top-of-the-line lenses like Nikon 200mm f/2G and Nikon 300mm f/2.8G. Sharpness improves dramatically as you stop down on the aforementioned lenses, but still does not reach the same level of sharpness you would get without a teleconverter, which is expected. Colors and contrast are OK at maximum aperture and also improve when stopped down. I personally would not use apertures faster than f/8.0 (except on Nikon 200mm f/2G, which is very sharp at f/5.6) when using the Nikon TC-20E III if you want to get the best results.
Sharpness Tests
Sharpness Test – Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II
Sharpness Tests on FX Sensor
Some technical junk:
- White Balance: Auto, changed to “Custom”: 3400 Temp, +22 Tint in Lightroom
- ISO: 200
- EXIF information is preserved in the images
- Lens was mounted on Nikon D3s Camera and Gitzo tripod
- Focusing was performed through Live-View Contrast Detect. After each successful focus acquisition, focus was switched to manual to prevent camera refocusing
- Mirror Lock-Up mode with Exposure Delay set to “On” and remote cable release to completely eliminate camera shake
- Long exposure NR: Off
- Image Format: RAW
- Lightroom settings: Default settings, but exposure had to be slightly adjusted (-.20 to +.033) to make sure that all images have the same brightness level
- Lightroom export: sRGB JPEG Quality 80
- Nothing was moved during testing
5) Sharpness Test – Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II with TC-20E III Center @ 400mm
A couple of notes and observations before moving on to sharpness tests. I found the TC-20E III to work very well with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II for stationary and slow subjects. For fast-action photography (birds in flight, running wildlife), the autofocus on the 70-200mm was the bottleneck – I did not get many sharp images due to focus errors. The experience I had with the TC-20E III on 70-200mm VR II was very similar to the TC-17E II on 70-200mm both in terms of sharpness and AF accuracy, although the TC-17E II produced slightly better results with fast moving subjects. Unfortunately, the previous generation Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR does not pair well with the TC-20E III or the older TC-20E II (in my opinion, the older TC-20E II is basically unusable with any lens as there is too much image degradation and loss of contrast). So if you own the older 70-200mm f/2.8G VR and want to try the TC-20E III, you will most likely be disappointed. It almost feels like Nikon “tuned” the 70-200mm for the TC-20E III before they released it. Overall, I am very pleased with how the TC-20E III performed with the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II.
I only tested the Nikon 70-200mm @ 200mm (400mm effective) for two reasons: the lens is incredibly sharp at all focal lengths and those who will be using the 70-200mm with a 2x TC will be using it at the longest focal length to get the maximum reach. Wide open at f/5.6, the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II shows pretty good sharpness. Stopping down the lens to f/8 improves the situation significantly, as can be seen below:
Here is what happens when the lens is stopped down to f/11 and f/16:
As you can see, stopping down to f/11 does not improve sharpness and anything smaller than that shows the negative effects of diffraction.
6) Sharpness Test – Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II with TC-20E III Corner @ 400mm
The corner performance with the TC-20E III is not as good as the center when it comes to sharpness. Here is how the lens performs in the corners with the TC-20E III at maximum aperture and f/8.0:
The first image is darker due to visible vignetting at the largest aperture. If I brighten up the image a little, there is no difference between the two images. This means that stopping down the lens does not result in improved sharpness in the corners. Let’s see if the situation improves at f/11 or f/16:
I cannot see any improvements at smaller apertures at all.
7) Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II + TC20E III vs Nikon 200-400mm f/4G VR
Here is how the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II compares against the Nikon 200-400mm @ 400mm wide open (Left: Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G @ f/5.6, Right: Nikon 200-400mm f/4G @ f/4.0):
Obviously, the Nikon 200-400mm is much sharper wide open without a teleconverter. Once you use the TC-20E III with the 200-400mm, the performance goes down the drain, as can be seen in other tests of this review. Here is a more meaningful comparison with the 70-200mm at f/8:
As you can see, the TC-20E III yields surprisingly good results with the 70-200mm at f/8, which is pretty close to the 200-400mm at f/4 (without a TC) in sharpness. Obviously, there is a loss of two full stops of light and larger depth of field, but still pretty impressive.
Sharpness Test – Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II
8) Sharpness Test – Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II with TC-20E III Center Frame
The Nikon TC-20E III was specifically designed to pair well with lenses like Nikon 300mm f/2.8G. I had a very pleasant experience with the TC-20E III both in terms of sharpness and AF speed on the 300mm f/2.8G VR II. I was able to photograph birds in flight with this combo and images were sharp enough wide open and very sharp at f/8. If you have an older version of the 300mm f/2.8 lens, you can safely assume that the TC-20E III will give you similar results. As I have already noted in my Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II Review, I would rather use the Nikon 300mm f/2.8 with the TC-20E III than the Nikon 200-400mm f/4 with the TC-17E II or the TC-14E II.
As can be seen below, the center performance is indeed impressive wide open and gets even better by f/8.0:
Stopping down the lens to f/11 does nothing and at f/16 diffraction kicks in and makes the image look a little softer:
If you want the best results, I recommend keeping your aperture at f/8. Larger apertures between f/5.6 and f/8 can also yield fairly good sharpness in the center. Let’s take a look at the corners now.
9) Sharpness Test – Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II with TC-20E III Corner Frame
At the widest aperture the corners look a little weaker than the center. Stopping down to f/8.0 slightly improves the sharpness as can be seen below:
Similar to the Nikon 70-200mm, stopping down further more does nothing to improve the sharpness:
Sharpness Test – Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S
10) Sharpness Test – Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S with TC-20E III Center Frame
I love my Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S, because it is a very sharp and lightweight lens that I take with me when I do not feel like taking the big bazookas with me. While it pairs very well with the Nikon TC-14E II, I find it to be unreliable with any other teleconverter. I have tried the TC-20E II with the 300mm f/4 AF-S in the past and found it to be completely unacceptable, so I decided to try it again with the new TC-20E III. The Nikon TC-20E III slows down the Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S to f/8. As expected, the small maximum aperture of the lens caused the AF system to be completely unreliable and often inoperable – the lens would hunt in almost all cases. I quickly gave up using the TC-20E III. Let’s see how sharp the optics of the Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S are with the TC-20E III if you were to manually focus:
The wide open performance of the 300mm f/4 AF-S @ f/8 is slightly worse than when stopped down to f/11.
Stopping down the lens further to f/16 does not improve the sharpness.
11) Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S + TC-20E III vs Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II + TC-20E III
Let’s see how the lens stands against the 300mm f/2.8G lens at f/8 (Left: Nikon 300mm f/4 @ f/8, Right: Nikon 300mm f/2.8G @ f/8):
As you can see, the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II + TC-20E III is much sharper at f/8 when compared against the Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S + TC-20E III. If you compare both lenses wide open (at f/5.6 and f/8.0), then they look very similar as seen below (Left: Nikon 300mm f/4 @ f/8, Right: Nikon 300mm f/2.8G @ f/5.6):
I am not going to provide test results from the Nikon 300mm f/4 AF-S in the corners, because it performs very similarly to the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G.
Sharpness Test – Nikon 200-400mm f/4G VR
12) Sharpness Test – Nikon 200-400mm f/4G VR with TC-20E III Center Frame
I had a negative experience with the TC-20E III mounted on the Nikon 200-400mm – not only did autofocus not work, but I could not get good sharpness out of this lens, period. Without a teleconverter or with the Nikon TC-14E II, the 200-400mm is extremely sharp from center to corner across the zoom range. But it just does not play well with the Nikon TC-17E II, Nikon TC-20E II and the new Nikon TC-20E III. Take a look at the performance of the lens at 600mm:
As you can see, the wide open performance at f/8 is weak and stopping down the lens to f/11 does nothing to improve the sharpness – the same goes for f/16:
The corner performance is very similar to the center performance.
13) Nikon 200-400mm f/4G VR + TC-20E III vs Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II + TC-20E III
Let’s see how the above compares against the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G VR II (Left: Nikon 200-400mm f/4G @ f/8, Right: Nikon 300mm f/2.8G @ f/8):
Again, the Nikon 300mm f/2.8G is much sharper and the two would be comparable wide open.
Summary and Image Samples
14) Summary
Without a doubt, the new Nikon TC-20E III is a huge improvement over the Nikon TC-20E II. While I have not had a chance to actually test both side-by-side, I have tried using the Nikon TC-20E II in the past and was very disappointed with the results, even when used with fast lenses like Nikon 300mm f/2.8G. As can be seen in the previous pages of this review, the new TC-20E III is capable of producing excellent sharpness and contrast with most fast prime lenses and the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II. Even though the lab tests show that the sharpness is relatively good with slower f/4 lenses, I personally would not recommend using the TC-20E III with any of those, unless you will be heavily stopping down and focusing manually on a tripod. You will need to be careful in selecting the right lens to pair with the TC-20E III. Again, it is one thing to shoot test charts in a controlled environment and completely another to shoot subjects like birds in challenging light. The TC-20E III is not an easy tool to master – it will take some time to get used to and you will have to first learn how to properly use the autofocus system on your camera.
Overall, if you own a fast prime lens or the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II and need the maximum reach, the Nikon TC-20E III is definitely worth looking at. When photographing distant subjects such as wildlife and birds, the Nikon TC-20E III can be an invaluable tool that will let you enlarge your subjects without approaching and disturbing them.
15) Where to buy and availability
B&H is currently selling the Nikon TC-20E III teleconverter for $489 (as of 04/11/2012).
16) More image samples
All Images Copyright © Nasim Mansurov, All Rights Reserved. Copying or reproduction is not permitted without written permission from the author.
About Nasim Mansurov
Добрый день Насим. Спасибо за обзор. Смотрю никоновскую продукцию с БиХи на Россию не отправляют:(
Алексей, это с недавних пор так стало? Раньше вроде отправляли… Кстати, как там ситуация с вашим другом разрядилась? Я позвонил своему человеку в B&H и он сказал что ничем не сможет помочь пока USPS не найдет посылку.
Да, друг уже все получил. Повторно они отправили с рекордно быстрой скоростью. Большое спасибо. А с Никоном – это буквально неделю-полторы. Скорее всего БиХа заключила с Никоном региональное соглашение о продажах только в своем “регионе”. Тогда же и появился значок Никона на его товарах, представленных на БиХе. Жаль. В принципе я купил основные стекла. А 400/2.8 все равно придется в штатах брать или самому приезжать или оказию заказывать. Правда рассчитываю, может Никон полтинник 1.2 выпустит. Но есть цейсовский 1.4 и 2.0, правда мануальные. Вспышку я все равно хотел квантумовскую покупать для дочки. А мелочь – типа 24-120/4 для дочки куплю у себя. Я теперь с БиХи каждый месяц чего то заказываю, так как Адорама на Россию не шлет. Кстати очень 35/1.4 нравится, даже больше чем 24-ка, хотя это разные фокусные, но по рисунку – 35-ка – очень:)))) Спасибо.
Works great with the Nikkor 105mm Micro VR as well !
[AF needs manual help under poor light condition, but it works, despite what Nikon says (and so does the TC-14EII)]
Del-Uks, I used the TC-14E II and TC-17E II with the 105mm macro and was quite pleased with the results, although Autofocus did not work well at all. But I rarely use AF on the 105mm, since it is not good to start with…
…then… you should try it with the TC-20E III and let us know what you think… ;¬]
A very thorough review Nasim, as usual! :-) I have enjoyed using the TC-20E III on my 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II. Your tests and review pretty closely match my real word experience with the combination in the past few months. I would love to get a 300mm f/2.8 or 400mm f/2.8 next, if enough work comes in over the summer. (Of course, a D800 will probably kill that idea and save me some dough, haha!) Did you get a chance to try the TC-20E III much on the 400mm f/2.8? I wonder if it works as well as on the 300mm f/2.8? Wow is there a huge price jump between the two lenses!
Thank you Aaron! I borrowed the older version of the 400mm f/2.8 from a friend and tried the TC-20E III and it worked quite well, similar to the 300mm f/2.8G. Just like the 300mm f/2.8, the optics of the 400mm f/2.8 lenses are superb and the lens pairs well with any Nikon TCs. The price difference is not the only difference between the two – the 400mm f/2.8G is also significantly bigger and heavier :)
Ain’t that the truth! Almost makes sense to go for a 500mm f/4 instead, except I already own a nice TC-20E III if it works well on the 400mm f/2.8. Thanks!
Aaron, unfortunately, the Nikon 500mm f/4 only works well with the TC14E II and relatively well with the TC17-E II. If you need the reach and good IQ, I would suggest getting the 400mm f/2.8G, since you can get to 800mm with the TC-2oE III and still have f/5.6 as maximum aperture. Obviously you will have to stop down to f/8 to get sharper images, but at least you won’t have to worry about constant AF issues.
That’s where I was leaning. Glad to hear you concur!
Hi Nasim,
Thanks for the great review.
Brad Hill has posted some interesting comments on his site concerning this TC, especially in combination with the 300mm f2.8 and 400mm f2.8:
http://www.naturalart.ca/artist/fieldtests/tc_series3.html
Aaron – if you really want reach – there is no way you can get past the 600mm f4.0 – period – so start saving….:)
Where the 500mm f4.0 excels is that it weighs a lot less than either the 400 f2.8 or the 600mm cannon, and still counts as carry-on luggage. It appears to work quite well with the TC 1.7 – just do an exif search for 850mm…!
I got to play with a friend’s Canon 600mm f/4 on a 5D Mark II. Cost twice what my truck did though! Haha!
I am a beginner hobby photographer. This is a very good review, although much of it may still be “over my head!” I have a Nikon D5000 with two kit lenses, a the 70-300 F/4.5-5.6 G VR and the 18-55 F/3.5-5.6 (?) VR that I’ve been shooting with for about a year and a half. I like to shoot grandkids in motion, sports, and birds. The 70-300 of course is what I use most. For quite a while it seems that my sharp photos are almost non-existent, which could be my skills, of course. I have been wanting to get a 2.8 lens hoping to improve on the sharpness. If you don’t mind making recommendations for people, I would really appreciate it if you could recommend a lens for my D5000. And I’m afraid it might have to have AF-S as well as VR. I also would like to venture into the macro area, and have been looking at the 85mm and 105mm macro lens. Could you make recommendations to a beginner? I would surely appreciate it. I so enjoy receiving the emails you send out, and I LOVE your birds, especially the raptors.
Thank you,
Peggy
Thank you for your feedback Peggy! The Nikon 70-300mm VR lens you have is a good lens that should be able to deliver sharp results. When shooting with long lenses on DX cameras like Nikon D5000, you have to be very careful about your shutter speed and I suggest using the center focus point to get more accurate results. A faster lens will certainly help in getting better images due to faster autofocus, but you might want to learn how to use your existing lens effectively first.
As for a macro lens, I highly recommend the Nikon 105mm f/2.8G VR macro lens – I personally use it and love it. If you do decide to go with a faster lens and you need to be able to stay far back from your subjects, then the only lens I would recommend is the Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II. It is a very expensive lens though. You can also get the older and cheaper Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8D lens, but it has no VR.
Hope this helps…
Yes, thank you very much. May I ask one more? Can you use a teleconverter on the 105mm f/2.8G VR macro to make it long enough to get a decent bird photo (one fairly near, in a tree, for example)?
Peggy, no, I would not recommend to use the 105mm for bird photography…unless the bird is several feet away from you.
Хороший отзыв. Я как-то смотрел сравнение 20Е и 14E. Качество заметно раличалось, но, если я помню, это были вторые версии. Поэтому решил не покупать для своей 70-200 VRI. Теперь всерьёз задумался.
Hi Nasim,
Thanks indeed for this review, I am just considering to buy a new 70-200 2.8 vr ii paired with this TC. I have one question though… As I understood from the article, the lens won’t autofocus beyond app f5.6 (“Nikon clearly points out that autofocus does not work beyond f/5.6″). Does it mean that I will have to switch to manual focus if I want to go to smaller appertures than 5.6?
Kind regards,
Alisher.
Alisher,
That only means the maximum aperture of the lens, not whatever you manually set it to. :-) Autofocus needs at least f/5.6 to get enough light to focus. The aperture will stop down to whatever you manually set it to when the photo is taken. I regularly use the 70-200mm VR II with the TC-20E III at f/8 for sharper photos and it focuses pretty well, a little sluggish on moving birds but great on still objects, especially with live view on a tripod.
Aaron,
Thanks for this explanation. Hope to become soon a happy owner of this gear as you )))
Kind regards,
Alisher.
Alisher, sorry for a late response – looks like Aaron already answered your question :) Thanks Aaron!
Hi Nazim,
Very useful review as usual,
I am using D300S & 70-300 VR, off course not satisfied with this lens’ performance at low light & at long focal lengths especially while shooting wildlife, but sometime managed to get the best results with VR off and on tripod, still I love it because it gives excellent results in its 70mm to 200mm range when there is decent light and especially for portraits.
I was planning to buy your all time favorite lens 300mm f/4 after reading the reviews, later I thought of buying 300mm f/2.8 because of realizing that I need more reach and now saving for it.
I just want to make sure this 300mm f/2.8 lens with TC-20E III converter gives sharper results better than my 70-300mm VR lens. (I know it’s an invalid comparison, but there is a huge difference in price, just to verify is it worth for value?)
We don’t have here lenses on rental; otherwise I may try it myself.
Here my question; if I took a shot of a stationary subject with 300mm f/2.8+TC-20E III converter (600mm at f/5.6) AND the same subject with 70-300mm VR lens (300mm at f/5.6) (I moved more closer to the subject to get the same frame), which one will give better result & how much better. (like 25%, 50% ..)
Since you are experienced with both the lenses, you may able to assume the results.
Have a nice day.
Shanavas
I’m curious to hear Nasim’s reply on this. The 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II with the TC-20E III is sharper and faster focusing at 400mm than my 70-300mm first gen was (but it had no AF-S and no VR). The 70-200mm and 2x tele combo is slightly sharper at f/5.6 and noticeably so by f/8 in comparison. Focusing of course is much improved with AF-S. Maybe “sharpness” wasn’t so much the problem for me as chromatic aberration making all the edges soft with purple fringing. I had a lot of that with my 70-300mm first gen after 200mm, and I just don’t get that with the 70-200mm and 2x tele at 400mm. Makes it seem much sharper at any rate. I suspect you’d see some of the same difference with your scenario.
Does http://www.borrowlenses.com ship to your location? I’ve used them a bit in the past.
Aaron, that’s an interesting observation in regards to first gen 70-300mm vs 70-200mm + TC-20E III. To my knowledge, sharpness-wise, there is not a huge difference between the first gen 70-300mm and the current VR version…
Shanavas, I apologize for a late reply. If you were to shoot with the 70-300mm @ 300mm and 300mm f/2.8G + TC-20E III and had the same field of view by approaching the subject, you are probably going to get very similar results at maximum aperture. Once stopped down, the 300mm f/2.8G + TC-20E III should yield slightly sharper results, but I cannot guarantee that, because I have not done such a comparison ;-) Overall, I would say you will probably get very similar results. Obviously, comparing 300mm vs 600mm like that is not fare…
Hey Nasim,
Having used the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II and TC-20E III combo for a couple months now, I’m noticing that I’m not getting sharp images focused at infinity, only on closer subjects. Doesn’t seem to matter what aperture (tried f/8 to f/16). I’ve started using tripod and live view, but I’m still not getting what I desire. It’s not bad, just noticeably soft. I’m talking VERY far away objects though like the moon and distant mountains. I’ve been blaming it on atmospheric conditions, but I’ve recently been shooting the same subject without the 2x tele, cropping in Lightroom, and getting sharper results. Things closer than say a quarter mile (just before infinity) aren’t showing this softness. It’s not the shutter speed since I can shoot the moon at 1/1000 and f/8 with auto ISO, just for a test, and get the same results. Turning off VR when on the tripod doesn’t seem to make any difference. Maybe my D700′s autofocus is just off? My eyes aren’t good enough to manually focus anymore. :-P Just curious if anyone else has softness at infinity with this combo compared to closer focus distances?
Aaaron, sorry for a late reply. I also had a similar experience with the TC-20E III+70-200mm when shooting distant subjects. I had to tweak the focus ring manually after acquiring the focus through live view and I had much better results afterwards. This only happened in relatively low light though – AF was much more reliable in bright conditions. I don’t think your D700′s AF is off…have you had a chance to test your 70-200mm for focus issues?
Yeah, it is mostly from sunset into dusk when I’ve noticed this, when it’s difficult for my eyes to manual focus. The moon is not a dark subject though and that is where I’ve had the most difficulty. I’ve given up getting a sharp moon shot with the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II and TC-20E III combo. Works better to shoot at 200mm without the tele (tack sharp!) and then crop. Things closer during daylight are perfectly fine at f/7.1 and up with the teleconverter. And the 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII without the teleconverter just blows my mind. :-P I haven’t needed to do any focus alignment on the lens itself, but I haven’t checked with the teleconverter yet. This photo was taken with the tele at 400mm and f/7.1 from 4.1 meters away (pretty much minimum focus distance): http://galleries.aaronpriestphoto.com/Nature/2011-07-30/18321167_qKW7wW#1410658381_KxcRVb5
Here’s another interesting question: if you calibrate focus on a lens, then add a teleconverter and calibrate again, does the camera store two different profiles? What if you use the same teleconverter between lenses? :-P
I have been going through the same phase on a 70-200VR II + TC 20 EIII. Still looking for a right aperture choice to make pics closer to the 400 mm end look little sharp..
For ex., http://www.flickr.com/photos/mkspectrum/7200135822/in/photostream shot is at 400 mm F/5.6 .. pretty good light.. easy for AF cross points to get a focus as well as the backgorund is pretty much plain. I had to size down the pic to get a decent image out of it (2:1).
Will f/8 work wonders at 400 mm?
Mansurovs,
Truly, an excellent review on this teleconverter. I would like to say that I have had similar experiences with both the Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 VRII and Nikon 300mm f2.8 VRII lenses with the TC-20EIII teleconverter. I have used both combos for some time now and have been VERY happy with the results overall. I have posted some sample results at the following link if anyone is interested: http://ksqphotography.wordpress.com/my-photography-equipment-reviews-image-galleries/
Thanks!
KSQ
http://ksqphotography.zenfolio.com/
Thank you for your feedback KSQ!
Hi I use the 105 Micro f2.8 VR for portraits, and was wondering if a TC-14EII would work for getting a better perspective for portrait headshots? Will it still autofocus? How does it affect sharpness? Thanks
Ruben, autofocus is even less reliable with the TC-14E II on the 105mm f/2.8G – I would not recommend it. Also, the only thing TC-14E II will give you is more reach, not much change in perspective.
You put in your chart that the AF-S Micro-NIKKOR 105mm f/2.8G IF-ED VR does not auto focus using the Nikon TC-20E III, but it does and also the VR works.
please my can you use a teleconverter on the nikon 70-300mm f 4.5 5.6 id-edvr nikon tc-20e11 ortc -20e111 thanks you for support
Jude, ONLY the lenses listed in the above lens chart are compatible with Nikon teleconverters, so your 70-300mm cannot be used with any TC.
thank you nasim what compatible teleconverter for nikon 70-300mm
Dear Nasim,
Highly appreciate your comment for 70-200 VR II and TC 2.0E III
I’ve bought 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII… And now, I’m considering to buy a TC 1.7 II or a TC 2.0E III… Which TC you’ll suggest for a better AF performance and sharpness?
Many thanks!
Hello Nasim,
I have been using my Nikkor 200-400 zoom a lot for bird photography. However, at F4 it is not a super-fast lens, to be sure, and I see by the table that F11 is the optimal f stop. My question is, do you feel the 200-400 is workable with the new 2x teleconverter?
Bill, forget about TC-20E III on the 200-400mm…AF won’t work at all. You can get reasonable sharpness on a tripod with manual focus, but that’s about it.
Thanks Nasim, that’s what I thought you’d say. Maybe I’ll save up for the 600mm – wish Nikon had an 800 similar to Canon but I’m sure that’s not in the cards.
Dear Nasim,
Highly appreciate your comment for 70-200 VR II and TC 2.0E III
I’ve bought 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII… And now, I’m considering to buy a TC 1.7 II or a TC 2.0E III… Which TC you’ll suggest for a better AF performance and sharpness?
Many thanks!
Can you help?
I have a D300 and a 300mm f2.8 VRI and the TC2.0e iii. However I can not get sharp images, they are ok at taken resolution, however they are poor if cropped, the 300 on its own gives better images cropped to fill the frame.
Would you recommend changing the 2.0x converter for a 1.4x to get better quality, or would the D700 with a FX sensor give images that could be cropped when using the 2.0x Tc. I know I would loss the 1.5x factor.
Today I was taking short ear owls with the d300, 300mm and tc2.0 these where on a tripod and i used a fluid head, however I am not happy with the results.
Settings
Focal Length 600mm
Focus Mode Af-C
Vr onAf- area mode single
F8
1/1600
Apeture Priority
Matrix Metering
iso640.
Have you any suggestions
Nasim,
I heard that this teleconverter with the new 70-200 looks great on the FX bodies and not so much on DX bodies. I think in your tests it would be great if you mention what camera you used as it will help readers like me relate with their camera bodies. If you have already and i missed it then i apologize.
I have just bought Nikon AFS 300F2.8 VR lens.
Can I use TC 2X EIII with this lens?
Of course you can!
Thanks Nasim for quick reply.
I have one more query What is major difference between Nikon AFS 300F2.8VR and Nikon AFS 300F2.8VRII lens. How is the performance of TC 2X EIII varies with these lenses?
Performance with the TC-20E III won’t matter with either lens.
Thanks Nasim for the reply.
For better picture quality and AF with Nikon AFS 300F2.8 VR lens, which TC will you recommend ?
TC 1.7X EII or TC 2X EIII
Since I have the 80 to 200 F2.8D lens for my D300 I could not use a Nikon branded TC. I opted for the 7 element 2X Kenko. It works with the AF-s as well as the D optics. The same issues of low light auto focusing apply-manual after you are at an effective f5.6.
I have a D7000 and just bought a used AF-S NIKKOR 70-200 VR (older model). So far I’m impressed and plan to use it a few weeks before adding a TC but I’d like to get closer to objects before an upcoming trip this spring.
I can’t understand why the VRII can stop down to f/5.6 while the VR must be at f/11 as I thought they had the same glass. What if manually focused? Would a TC-17E II work better with my VR?
I have a d90 and 70-200mm f2.8 but when i shoot it still not sharp…how to fix? i dont want to use tripod..can u give me tips…
Tell us more. At what shutter speed and what aperature are you shooting? Optimum lens opening is usually 2 stops down from wide open, but each lens varies so you have to test. If your shutter speed is less than 1/200 and your lens is at f2.8 it is doubtful you will get good sharpness handheld.
Your reviews are outstanding. It shows that you have put a lot of work into these reviews and you clearly communicate the content to the reader.
I primarily shoot wildlife but do enjoy shooting anything that has impact.
I have owned a few Nikon 300 f2.8′s: a VRI and VRII and a manual focusing one back in the 1980′s.
I love the 300 f2.8 formula for its compactness and great weight distribution for manageable portability, its pro-level sharpness, its usefullness throughout photography’s entire scope……….. and that magical VR!
I do not own one now but am thinking about re-purchasing one (a VR or VRII). I just missed (Feb 2012) a 300 VRI in demo condition for $4500! I hesitated and now it is gone. So I now have to wait some more or spring for the new VRII again.
I am encouraged by these results you have shown because for me the 300 is more applicable to a wider range of photography than the 500 f4 and I cannot afford a 300 2.8 plus a 600 f4. So, the 300 2.8 would have to do it all. In a pinch for extra long reach I would attach the TC 20 III and with practice I now know that I could get results that I suspect would satisify me……….again, in a pinch.
Keep up the great work.
Dear Nasim,
I’m in the the same situation of Cenk Oğurtanı (#42), that wrote the next question :
“I’ve bought the 70-200mm f/2.8 VRII… And now, I’m considering to buy a TC 1.7 II or a TC 2.0E III… Which TC you’ll suggest for a better AF performance and sharpness?” . Please, could you give me advice ? Greetings, Jorge.
Hi
Please can you give me any idea why I can only achieve very soft images with the 300mm f2.8 VR I lense TC20e III with my D300, d300 set at 1/1000 s, f8, 21 points , spot exposure, single area AF, iso 400. Tripod and mirror up.
The images are still very soft and not usable, I am better croping my 300mm lens images which have been handheld.
Since having the converter over a year now I have tried various ways to get a sharp image with no results.
Today with a friend who was a professional motor soart photography in the days of film we tried the above and he could not see why they are so soft.
Any possible ideas, the 300mm f2.8 has been serviced by nikon, this is my second converter and the 300f2.8 works fine on its own.
Is selling it the only conclusion
kind regards
Dave Oates
Try shooting a bracketed test at each aperature. How are you releasing the shutter? It is possible that the autofocus at f8 needs a manual “touch up”for optimum sharpness-you’d never know with the mirror up. How sturdy is your tripod/ball head, etc? Is the VR turned on or off when it is tripod mounted-try it each way. How can the focus be set to 21 points and single area at the same time?
You want to be focusing on one area unless you are covering sports action, yes?
Hi Nassim ,
Would you recommend the following for shooting outside sports ( soccer) ? 70-200mm VRII 2.8 with TC-20E III ? Would other TC work best ?
Merci
Hi Nasim,
I just got a 300mm f/2.8G VR II + TC-20E III. As you have mentioned in your 300mm f/2.8 review, the lens is superb and VERY sharp.
However, while I reckon that teleconverters degrades IQ, images from the 300mm + 20E III is a tad softer than I expect. I am beginning to wonder if i have a defective tc-20E III. I have put together a side by side comparison of 100% crops. –>
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7151839829_b1a4f8d396_o.jpg
Both images were shot with raw at f/8 on a tripod and focused with D800′s live view. No sharpening has been applied yet. The image on the left was shot with the tc-20E III. As you can see the image without TC-20E III is MUCH sharper.
Based on your experience with the combo and telephoto lens in general, do you think the level of image degradation i experienced with my TC-20E III is normal?
Thanks
David
Also regarding the 70-200 vrll and the TC- 20lll would you please share a setting combo that would allow me to shoot fast moving birds- I tried all day only to receive motion blur regarding moving objects- disappointing since I purchased it to capture wild birds.
I took a lesson w/ a pro yesterday using the 70-200 vrll and the TC- 20lll he empahsized shooting fast & he meant fast @ 8000 s & 5.6 a & ISO up 1600-I got great action shots-wish there was a way to acheive the same results w/low ISO but did not seem possible!
This is just back to basic photography. The longer the lens,the faster the shutter speed needs to be to get a sharp image handheld. Adding a TC makes the lens longer,so this rule applies. Wanting to achieve this AND use a low ISO is like “having your cake and eating it too” -it is a select one or the other situation.
Wonderful that today’s technology allows for the high ISO w/ noise reduction ability- starting to feel like we are able to have “have our cake & eat it too”!
Hi Nasim,
Your reviews are amazing!!!
I have the Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VRII and I would like to buy the Nikon TC-20E III for general-purpose but i m concerned about the IQ (especially with the queen – Nikon D800) so i think more and more about the Nikon TC 17E II.
What do u think will be the best choice for me?
Thanks :)
Eran
Eran, the TC-20E III is good, but requires stopping down to f/8 to get the best results. If you are worried about pixel-level quality, then go with the TC-17E II.
Hi Nasim,
Thanks a lot and have a nice day!
Eran.
Hi Nasim,
Your reviews are great and provide really useful information. I already have the 70-200 VR II on my D800 and is intending to extend the range of the 70-200mm for occasional Birding should i chance upon interesting birds while doing landscape photography.
I had seen a mix bag of reviews when comparing the TC17E-II and TC20E-III when paired with the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR II.
Some say the TC17E-II is clearly worse off while others claim that the TC20E-III is just not as good as the TC17E-II. Most of this mix bag of review comes from dpreviews. Although there are some photos posted which various authors have claimed to be TC20E-III + 70-200 VR II, but because the meta data does not identify the lens, it is hard to verify the results as they seem too good to have had been produced after a 2 x TC degration. Maybe i am wrong and the TC20E-III is really that good with some post processing.
I am expecting some degration and but dont know where should be the cut off so that if i should get a bad copy, i know it is a bad copy and not the TC20E-III design itelf and how much truth is there with regards to TC17E-II vs TC20E-III on a 70-200 VR II
What is your advise or could you point out which photos from your review were actual real environment photos taken with the TC20E-III + 70-200mm VR II?
Thank you
Quick question have you don’t any test using the above mention converter with any sigma lens
Thanks Regards
Would you recommend the AF-s 70-200F2.8 VR II with the TC-20E III on a Nikon D800 shooting primarily aviation, very fast action, primarily afternoons and evenings with no tripod – High ISos ?
Regards
I have this combo & do not think you would be pleased w/the results handheld. 5.6 is the optimum and even on a tripod I am still seeing softness.
I’m in much the same position, considering the same combo. And wondering if the TC-17 would be a significantly better alternative to use with the D800 and 70-200 VRII.
While he doesn’t cover using that combination with the D800 specifically he does suggest that stopping down to f/8 will yield dramatic increase in pixel level sharpness. I have this exact combination and came to the same conclusion after spending a day shooting wide open. With the incredible resolution you get with the D800 it really highlights the limitations of a lens, so you have to get the absolute best out of lens in order for it to look as good as possible. On the other hand, since you have such incredible resolution you don’t need to have as sharp of an image at pixel level as you are going to re-size it for any normal usage.
I am curious to see how people are faring with the D800 and the 300 f/4 with the TC-20E III, as I suspect the D800 can AF with that combination just fine.
Hello Nasim,
I have the AF-s 70-200F2.8 VR II and I shoot it on a D4 body. Its fantastic but I need more reach and I was thinking off the TC-20E III. Do you think I’ll be happy with the results bearing in mind I shoot mainly hand held?
Thanks for your time
Hello,
hello, I want to know what your opinion on the whole D800 + AF-S NIKKOR
400mm f/2.8G ED VR + Nikon TC-20E III? I will use for bird photography, have much loss of AF speed? and the sharpness and colors?
would be better to invest in the 500f4 + Tc 1.4xii?
thank you
imo, the following option is very good for birding:
d600 + 500/4 vr + tc-14e and use it at f/8.
No autofocus issues, no sharpness issues, no contrast issues, hand-holable, very useful 700mm, 10.5MP dx resolution with better iso per pixel comparing to current aps-c dslr’s, high dynamic range, …
You may even try tc-17e with d600, it might handle such combo pretty well also, keep in ming to stop down.
Hi Nassim, I am happy with my D800E with Nikon 300mm f4.0 AND Nikon TC1.4 and I could cropped the image more. I tried out the Nikon TC2.0III from a friend and the the auto focusing worked very well except the 3d tracking could not worked. Since I lost the crop factor , I am trying to make up with it . Do you advise me to get the TC 2.0III or the TC1.7E or still put with my current TC1.4.? Because my len is f4.0 aperture, do you think the quality will be good with higher ext converter.
As usual a very useful review. One correction: Although the manual states the 105mm vr lens will not AF my 1.7 does. Another reviewer reported that his 2x also would AF. Perhaps I misunderstood what you were saying?
Thanks for all the reviews,
Steve Sanders
So which would have better AF performance for birds in flight in conjunction with the 2x TC? The 200mm f/2 or 300mm f/2.8? TIA!
Have you had a chance to try it on the 70-200 f4? I’ve seen some comments were surprisingly good, even besting the 2.8 at f8.
Hi nasim!
Thanks so much for the very elaborate and detailed review. It really helps especially for someone like me who cant afford very expensive lens. I have a len 20-300 mm f3.5-5.6 ED VR. Does the TC 20E III works fine with it?
(Non-VR) 300mm f/2.8 ED-IF AF-S II lens
Will the TC-20E III works as well with this non-VR 300mm lens as with the VR versions?
Thanks.
Yes it does and AF at F8 works on the D600/D800/D4 with limitations on which AF points you can use. You can check the Nikon USA website and under the product tutorial, they explain how the AF points work at f/5.6, f/6.3, f/8.
I have personally used it to AF birds in flight at F8 on a D800 and even with the slow FPS, managed to retain 80% of the shots.
Hey Nasim, Did you write this review before the D899 and D4′s were out? They both will auto focus with f/8 lenses…
Thom Hogan rates this TC and the Nikon 200-400 f/4 as very good at f/8 with full AF.
Maybe an update is needed to your review?
Sorry typo, I meant D800 not D899
Ciao Nasim,
in the range between 200 and 400 is the new 80-400 AF-S f4.5/5.6 working better than the 70-200 VRII f2.8 + TC 20EIII?
Thanks.
Fabrizio Tabanelli