Three views: Three...

And finally; Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC20EIII


This is a very succinct post... 


If you have any recent Nikon long glass, AFS or the older AFI, and you need some more reach, or want a narrower depth of field, or apparent closer focussing, get this. Ditch any other 2x 'converters, including older TC20E versions, because this makes them look like bottle-bottoms.  It's that good!


Like all the TC-E converters, it will only mount onto certain lenses - basically that's AFI/AFS types from the 105VR, 70-200/80-200AFS, then 200/f2 and up. It maintains full metering with all such lenses, and will still permit autofocus with the f2.8 lenses - like all 2X teleconverters it robs the lens of two stops of light, f2.8 becoming f5.6 etc. 


(NB. although Nikon state the minimum aperture for their AF system to work is f5.6, in good light I have seen that it will allow focus with f4 lenses - effective f8 - but probably not to be entirely relied on).


Briefly, it gives very good results wide-open, and improves further stopped down one stop. As is usual, the reduced maximum aperture does make the AF "think" a little more but it remains effective and surefooted, and the VR works as normal. It's a bit pricier than the other TC-E models, but much cheaper than owning a 400+... Certainly I find that the 300 f2.8VR plus TC14EII, TC17EII and the new TC20EIII covers my needs well enough now.

70-200 f2.8G AFS Mk1 + TC20EIII, at 200mm f2.8 (equiv. 400mm f5.6). My little dog, peering in through the back door. This is a 1000 pixel-wide crop out of the original (though it's displaying smaller than 100% here). Remember, this is WIDE-OPEN, on a ZOOM lens. On the 300mm, stopped down one stop to f8 for cricket this summer, this is like having the old manual 600 f5.6AI back - with AF, Matrix Metering and VR!

Booster stage.
 I can't justify the vast expense of a 600mm, but this adds versatility to my 300 f2.8
AND it gives good results wide-open, which the old TC20E11 struggled to match with
the lens stopped down to f11. It goes in the bag day-to-day too, as it also works well on the
70-200 f2.8 shown here.

This isn't a company buy - I stumped up my own cash for this, too!

Three views: Two...

One I do like - Nikon 24-120mm f4G AFS

This came to me with the company D7000, where it's roughly a 36-180 on the cropped sensor. The original version Nikon produced was a screwdriver-drive one, f3.5-f5.6, and was replaced with an AFS model with the same variable maximum aperture.

I've no personal experience of the old AFS version, but trawling around the internet shows that it's not well-regarded in the Internet Nikon User world, especially by the full-frame FX'ers. I confess I wonder how much of the dislike is based on just graphs and figures, since the Mk1 70-200 f2.8 AFS also gets something of a slating (corner sharpness, vignetting) by many internet full-frame users. I DO have one of those and unless I'm lucky to have a particularly good one, mine is nice on my D3 bodies.

However, the new f4 version of the 24-120 sets out to address those issues. And I like it a lot.

Nikon's "AF-S Nikkor 24-120 f/4G ED VR" (phew). Nice.

More after the break

Three views: One...

This is not a review site – RagSnapper doesn’t do those, so there’s no test charts, MTF graphs or marks out of 10.

What this is, is my opinion that I’ve built up of some new bits of gear after using them in the field for work and for my own pictures. They are just that; my opinion based on the way I work and use them, so feel free to disagree if you’ve used these and come to a different conclusion…

First up, Nikon's D7000:

I’ve mentioned this in a few blogs previously, as I have one issued to me by work. The idea is that it lets the photographers begin shooting video for the website, so this is a pilot trial. The downside is, as it always has been since the idea was broached, that we’ve got no way of sending files of any size to the recipients. We only need VGA for the website, but because of the thought that we might pass on newsworthy footage to TV media, the material is shot at 1080p HD. Even a 10 second clip is 10mb+, so a handful of those can add up to 100mb. That needs an office to send them from, even then it won’t be quick and you’ve got to get to an office. At the moment, sending on the road is possible but only by resizing and compressing the original material using software (Apple’s iMovie or Quicktime X) that’s on MY laptop, not the company’s. So really, apart froma few test clips to see if it works, we are no further forward with video.

As a camera, I broadly like what I see off the sensor, but...

Nikon's D7000. Nice images, but not feeling the love...

More after the break

Grasscutting...

As I'd be otherwise occupied on raceday, I decided to take advantage of being on annual leave AND the unseasonal weather to get some suitable pictures for printing from qualifying day at Brands Hatch for the penultimate round of the British Touring Car Championship.

I'd originally wanted to get the cars riding the kerbs on the entry to Surtees, but as they were on the GP circuit for this meeting the racing line is different, so I walked round to the exit of the corner, where they sometimes ride the kerbs on their way out to Pilgrims Drop.

Dave Newsham takes the grassy line with his Seat Leon, British Touring Car Championship free practice, 

Brands Hatch, Saturday 1st October 2011.   

Nikon D3, 300mm f2.8 + TC17E2 converter (= 500mm), 1/500th @ f9, ISO 200

Picture: © Andy Payton

Dave, you're supposed to be the OTHER side of the kerbing!