Nikon body - help with teleconverter shopping

[Batmeat]

I’ve stepped up my camera game. I use a d7500 body. Nikon continues to use F mount setup. I’d like to get a teleconverter, but not from Nikon. There lots on eBay, but most appear to be pretty old. What I should I look out for in my teleconverter shopping quest? Any recommendations? Ideally something around 1.7 - 2.0. 1.4x isn’t enough for what I want to photograph

 

[CuriousMike]

I'd look for an official Nikon 1.7x or 2.0x teleconverter - only certain lenses work with the TC's.

Some of the cheap ones on eBay might work with "any lens", but (a) focusing will suck and (b) quality will be hit-and-lots-of-miss.

 

[Paladin3]

Teleconverters are really only built for top end, fast glass: 80-200/2.8, 300/2.8, 200/2.8 and such. And a 2x tele knocks out 2 stops of light, so if you try it with something like an 80-200/f4-5.6 lens it will suddenly be a 400/f11 lens when wide open and focus will be almost impossible. And image quality will go completely to poop.

I used to use a 1.4x Nikon tele on a Nikon 300/2.8 and the results were good in sufficient light. I had a 2x Nikon tele that worked okay with a Nikon 180/2.8 in bright daylight, but was a pain to manually focus. An off-brand tele on a lens it's not designed for is a waste of money.

How much lens do you need for what you want to shoot?

 

[bigi]

It ALL depends on what lens(es) you are going to pair it with especially for the IQ (Image Quality)

Now, certain bodies will not AF past certain aperture threshold.
1.4TC will stop down your lens by 1 stop. 2.0 TC by 2 stops.

For instance, if you use 2.0 TC with f/2.8 lens, it will produce f/5.6 combo. Depending on your body it may/may not AF.

I recommend Kenko PRO or Sigma APO TCs for non-Nikon glass.
Use Nikon TC with DEDICATED Nikon Lenses.

Be warned, you results will depend on a lot of things once TCs get involved.

 

[jhansman]

I called Nikon today to see if their AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom would work with their 2x TC. Nope, I was informed; only a handful of AF-S lenses work with their TC, so give them a call to verify compatibility. Kenko's Teleplus HD DGX will work with some AF-S lenses, but again, check before you buy.

 

[turtile]

I called Nikon today to see if their AF-P 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 zoom would work with their 2x TC. Nope, I was informed; only a handful of AF-S lenses work with their TC, so give them a call to verify compatibility. Kenko's Teleplus HD DGX will work with some AF-S lenses, but again, check before you buy.

No Nikon DSLR can focus beyond F8. 2x tele will make it an F11. Even at F8, the focus is going to be slow and it will be harder to see out of the viewfinder.

 

[Mday]

Just a warning. Teleconverters are not universal. Think about what lens you shoot with first, then the compatible teleconverters follow.