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Home → Cameras and Lenses

Nikon TC-14E III vs TC-14E II Performance Comparison

By Nasim Mansurov 84 Comments
Last Updated On November 9, 2024

I am currently in the process of testing the Nikkor 400mm f/2.8E FL lens in my Imatest lab and I am simultaneously also measuring the performance of the new Nikon TC-14E III teleconverter and comparing it to the older TC-14E II. Although I am planning to review the teleconverter separately, I decided to give our readers a glimpse of the teleconverter performance when compared to its predecessor in terms of sharpness. To make it easy to compare differences, I converted all numbers to percentages (detailed numbers will be posted in the reviews).

I am posting information based on what lenses I have tested the teleconverter with. Since teleconverter performance varies a bit depending on the lens, I suggest you look into the benefits of using the TC-14E III over the TC-14E II depending on what lenses you are planning to use. Please note that all tests for the below lenses were tested at the longest available focal lengths. Although I have previously reported that using a 1.4x teleconverter results in approximately 5-7% drop in sharpness, that particular test was performed at medium distance using a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. In subsequent tests, I found out that TC performance can actually vary quite a bit depending on lens, focal length and camera to subject distance. In the below example, the sharpness penalty of the 1.4x teleconverter is probably at its “worst case scenario”. Don’t pay much attention to the differences between the blue line and other lines – look at the green and red lines, which outline performance differences between the two teleconverters:

Nikon TC-14E II vs TC-14E III Comparison

That’s pretty interesting data – let’s do a quick analysis.

Table of Contents

  • Nikkor 400mm f/2.8E FL
  • Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II
  • Nikkor 300mm f/4D AF-S
  • Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G VR
  • Conclusion

Nikkor 400mm f/2.8E FL

It seems like the new TC-14E III does really well on new lenses. Based on my data, performance differences varied between 3-4%, which might be worth looking into for those that want ultimate sharpness with their “E” series lenses. Based on how well it worked on the 400mm f/2.8E FL, I would assume we would see similar performance improvements on the 800mm f/5.6E FL and any future Nikkor super telephoto lenses.

Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II

The performance in sharpness between the new TC-14E III and TC-14E II is practically non-existent. Looking at Imatest numbers, the difference stays very close at 1% mark, which is within the margin of error. Not worth moving up to in my opinion.

Nikkor 300mm f/4D AF-S

Now this one is interesting, because technically the TC-14E III does not work on the 300mm f/4D AF-S. When you mount the TC, the camera shows two “EE”s, indicating an error. If you look at this teleconverter compatibility chart, it clearly states that the 300mm f/4D is “not compatible”. To get the TC to work, I set aperture on the lens to f/4 and changed camera options to set aperture on the lens. The camera was locked at f/5.6 for aperture, so I had to move to manual mode to properly set exposure (aperture priority also works). As you can see from the result, it is less than 2% performance difference, so not much of an improvement here either, even if Nikon made the TC-14E III work with the 300mm f/4D.

Nikkor 200-400mm f/4G VR

Same result here – it seems like the TC-14E III does not do better compared to its predecessor on this lens. With less than 1.5% difference in sharpness, it practically brings no benefit.

Conclusion

Unlike the Nikkor TC-20E III, which was significantly better than its predecessor, it seems like the new TC-14E III teleconverter is only beneficial to use on the newest Nikon lenses for the most part. Based on my tests so far, it did very well on the new 400mm f/2.8E FL lens, but its performance was rather disappointing on older “G” type lenses like 70-200mm f/2.8 and 200-400mm f/4. As I get my hands on other super telephoto lenses, I will continue testing the TC-14E III and will update this article with additional information. If you have additional data or information on how the TC-14E III performs on your lenses, I would love to hear your feedback in the comments section below!

P.S. I don’t want to give too many spoilers for the upcoming 400mm f/2.8E FL review, but the lens sharpness is absolutely stunning. And boy, that lens is so light compared to its predecessor and other Nikkor super teles…

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Disclosures, Terms and Conditions and Support Options
Filed Under: Cameras and Lenses Tagged With: Imatest, Nikon, Super Telephoto Lens, Teleconverter

About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. He is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops, producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography Life. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook. Read more about Nasim here.

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win sson
win sson
March 23, 2024 4:37 am

Thank you for doing this test! I’m going to buy a teleconverter for my 300mm f/4D and I’m choice between tc-14 mkII and mkIII. Now I know what to choice

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DOREMI
DOREMI
April 12, 2023 2:57 am

Je suis tombé par hasard sur cet article et commentaires concernant le nikon TC 14 E III ;Personnellement je l’utilise occasionnellement avec D6 ET 70/200 FL VR ;et je n’ai rien constaté comme anomalie ,tout fonctionne nickel. D’ailleurs je ne l’ai jamais monté avec le 24/70,ni le 16/35,et sans y voir l’intéret ,ce serais a voir le résultat ,curiosité oblige a mettre un élément dans un role pour lequel il n’est pas a sa place logique.

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David
David
January 19, 2023 10:32 am

Is the VRII compatible with the Nikon 500mm PF on a D500

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Bo Smo
Bo Smo
October 19, 2022 1:25 pm

I meant “lever” in previous comment.

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Reply
Bo Smo
Bo Smo
October 19, 2022 1:23 pm

I just got TC-14E III teleconverter. When it’s not attached a small level inside is moving freely. Is it normal? Thank you in advance.

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Otto
Otto
Reply to  Bo Smo
December 24, 2022 2:10 am

Yup it’s normal that it moves freely. It couples the lever inside the camera to the one on the lens, so ideally it shouldn’t provide any added resistance.

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Carey Lee
Carey Lee
June 29, 2020 11:22 am

I’m using a D750 and I can’t get the 1.4e ii to work with the Nikon 300mm f4 D ED. It works when I put it on my D3s with the 300mm.

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Yousif A Almadani
Yousif A Almadani
April 11, 2020 1:38 am

i have nikon d5 with 500mm f4 e fl whan i am using tc 1.4 iii the camera focus very fast and fine
and when i am using the old tc 1.7 ii the camera some times not focusing or focusing very slow
i dont know the problem i tried to clean lens and tc contacts but face the same problem

i am thinking to by tc 2.0 iii

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Patrick Smith
Patrick Smith
December 24, 2019 1:45 pm

I updated my TC-14E II recently to the TC-14E III for use on my Nikon 400mm f2.8G VR lens. I wouldn’t say there is much of an improvement in sharpness, both are great in my opinion. However where I find there is a big difference is weather sealing and autofocus performance. The newer TC-14E III is weather sealed, constructed better and has fluorine coating which really helps keep the front and rear element clean. This is huge in my opinion as I’m a photojournalist and therefor forced to shoot in whatever weather is happening at my assignments. Also I find that the autofocus is better with the new TC-14E III, maybe not much faster, but definitely more accurate…it’s hard to describe it but I notice it’s just better. For the weather sealing, fluorine coating, better construction and design with slightly better IQ and AF this is a no brainer. Whats not a no brainer is the price lol, so I found one used on ebay from a dealer in Japan that I have used before and love, MapCamera and they had one for $364 USD! If you have a 300mm f2.8 VR/VRII, 400mm f2.8 VR/FL, 500mm f4 VR/FL or 600mm f4 VR/FL this is definitely the teleconverter to buy for the reasons above, if not for the weather sealing alone. If you’re like me and have spent $7,000-$10,000+ on a lens and $1,000 on a proper tripod setup, please just spend the $500 for this TC so that your huge investment is properly weather sealed, the other benefits are gravy!!!

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Reply
Patrick Smith
Patrick Smith
Reply to  Patrick Smith
May 15, 2021 8:19 pm

Upate 2021: I now have the 500mm f/4E VR FL and 70-200mm FL and have two TC-14E III teleconverter’s. One for the 70-200mm and one for 500FL, in case I need or want both lenses to have one. Most of time I don’t use both, but boy is it nice when I do need it. The 500mm F/4E VR FL and TC-14E III are a match made in heaven and perform better than I had expected, especially on the D5. The 500FL is the only F/4 lens that is not negatively effected by loss of cross-type sensors on the D5. So you get all 99-cross type sensors with the bare lens and drops to 45 cross-type sensors with the TC-14E III attached. However I find that in good lighting and especially with the Limiter switch set to 8m-infinity that it performs very well. Autofocus is still very fast and accurate with the TC-14E III attached. Image quality is only 3-4% degraded which is basically not even discernible on the D5, and I would say even the D850. So I use it all of the time and I am very happy with the performance. Unlike the 500mm PF, the 500FL really shines with the TC-14E III attached and AF performance and IQ remains extremely good. The 70-200FL is the same story, it performs very, very well with the TC-14E III attached. I don’t notice any AF loss and very, very little IQ loss, especially if you’re able or willing to stop down to f/4.5-5.6! If you stop down you can easily get back to bare lens quality as far as sharpness and contrast is concerned.

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Bruce Terrill
Bruce Terrill
April 13, 2018 2:21 am

Hi Nasim,
I have Nikon D500 & D7200 bodies and Nikkor 70-200 E FL VR, 200-500 F5.6E and 300mm F2.8 G ED VRII lenses, plus others.
I also have Nikon TC-14E MkII, MkIII & TC-20E MkIII.
When I use my 300mm F2.8G ED VRII lens on my D7200, I need an AFFT figure of +20 to align/mate this combination together. Please note that this combination was set by Nikon Australia because I was having trouble with terrible images and I couldn’t find a solution. When the equipment was tested by Nikon Australia, they found that the D7200 was rear focusing and they fixed that, they 300mm F2.8 was within specs, but the 1.4X MkIII was “Not even close” to being within specs. They adjusted the camera setting for the TC-14E MkIII/300mm F2.8 combination with a setting of +20 and refused to replace the offending teleconverter, saying that the “Plus twenty figure was in fact just a figure and not to pay any attention to it!” I still get varying results from the set-up and I’m not at all confident carrying it into the field. . .

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Oleg
Oleg
February 28, 2018 7:39 am

Насим, добрый день!
Можете ли Вы мне помочь с таким вопросом. Я пользуюсь для съемки птиц следующей связкой: Nikon D7200 + Nikkor 300 mm f/4 PF + TC-14E-III. Без использования конвертера никаких нареканий (кроме своих кривых рук) у меня не возникает… А вот с конвертером начинаются проблемы. Я понимаю, что так или иначе резкость должна быть хуже, но еще и гораздо хуже становится работа автофокуса. Но вопрос даже не в этом, а в том, что при использовании конвертера иной раз при похожих условиях съемки вся серия получается не резкой в той или иной степени.
Снимаю я при следующих настройках: приоритет диафрагмы, авто-ИСО, минимальная выдержка 1/640, центровзвешенный замер, следящий фокус чаще всего по одной, реже по 9 точкам.
При этом конвертер ведет себя нестабильно. Вот, к примеру, серия с горлицей получилась на 100% – все кадры были резкие, как будто без конвертера вообще. fotki.yandex.ru/next/…416?page=4
Серия с сычиком, который сидел весьма высоко – где-то 50/50 fotki.yandex.ru/next/…471?page=4 и можно считать, что меня все устроило, а вот, к примеру, серия с пеночкой – вообще вся была с недостаточной резкостью fotki.yandex.ru/next/…710?page=0
Недавно снимал на реке плавающего гоголя – вообще ни одного резкого кадра! Правда, было довольно холодно, может в этом дело? С другой стороны, в этот же день снимал снегиря – все хорошо… Все эти серии сняты вышеуказанной связкой…
Насим, может есть какие-нибудь специфические моменты при использовании конвертера? Может надо сильнее прикрывать диафрагму (хотя у нас последнее время большие проблемы со светом ), может не стоит использовать следящий режим и включить покадровый? Может еще что-то, чего я не знаю?
Буду раз за помощь и консультацию!
С уважением, Олег.

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