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Telephoto Converters
Teleconverters (often called telephoto extenders outside the Nikon world) multiply the
actual focal length of your lens, giving you a longer telephoto for much less than the
price of a lens with that actual focal length. These converters fit between the lens and
your camera and contain optical elements that magnify the image produced by the lens.
Available in 1.4X, 1.7X, and 2.0X configurations from Nikon, a teleconverter trans-
forms, say, a 200mm lens into a 280mm, 340mm, or 400mm optic, respectively. Given
the D7000’s crop factor, your 200mm lens now has the same field of view as a 420mm,
510, or 600mm lens on a full-frame camera. At around $300-$400 each, converters are
quite a bargain, aren’t they?
The only drawback is that Nikon’s TC II and TC III teleconverters can be used only
with a limited number of Nikkor AF-S lenses. The compatible models include the
200mm f/2G ED-IF AF-S VR Nikkor, 300mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Nikkor,
400mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S II Nikkor, 80-200mm f/2.8D ED-IF AF-S,70-200mm
f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom-Nikkor, 200-400mm f/4G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom-
Nikkor, 300mm f/4D ED-IF AF-S Nikkor, 500mm f/4D ED-IF AF-S II Nikkor, and
600mm f/4D ED-IF AF-S II Nikkor. These tend to be pricey (or ultra-pricey lenses).
Teleconverters from Sigma, Kenko, Tamron, and others cost less, and may be compat-
ible with a broader range of lenses. (They work especially well with lenses from the same
vendor that produces the teleconverter.)
There are other downsides. While extenders retain the closest focusing distance of your
original lens, autofocus is maintained only if the lens’s original maximum aperture is
f/4 or larger (for the 1.4X extender) or f/2.8 or larger (for the 2X extender). The com-
ponents reduce the effective aperture of any lens they are used with, by one f/stop with
the 1.4X converter, 1.5 f/stops with the 1.7X converter, and 2 f/stops with the 2X exten-
der. So, your 200mm f/2.8 lens becomes a 280mm f/4 or 400mm f/5.6 lens. Although
Nikon converters are precision optical devices, they do cost you a little sharpness, but
that improves when you reduce the aperture by a stop or two. Each of the converters is
compatible only with a particular set of lenses greater, so you’ll want to check Nikon’s
compatibility chart to see if the component can be used with the lens you want to attach
to it.
If your lenses are compatible and you’re shooting under bright lighting conditions, the
Nikon extenders make handy accessories. I recommend the 1.4X version because it robs
you of very little sharpness and only one f/stop. The 1.7X version works well, too, but
I’ve found the 2X older TC II teleconverter to exact too much of a sharpness and speed
penalty to be of much use. (See Figure 11.15.) The newer TC III model is a better bet.
Chapter 11 ■ Working with Lenses 375