Can you stack two teleconverters for extra reach on Canon EF lenses?

Asked 11/1/2013

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Is it possible to stack teleconverters, such as two 2x units for 4x magnification or a 1.4x plus 2x for 2.8x, on Canon EF lenses like the EF 135mm f/2L or EF 200mm f/2.8L II? I understand the maximum aperture would also be reduced. I'm mainly wondering whether this is physically compatible and what the practical downsides are.

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

12y ago

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I don't think it would work with the first party teleconverters from Canon simply because of how they are constructed. There is a rubber ring that sticks out into the lens which helps prevent bleeding from rays that aren't being used, but it also won't fit in the backside of the teleconverter. There also isn't any correction profiles for the electronic control that a camera uses when it has a Canon TC on it.

There shouldn't be any optical reason you couldn't do it with compatible third party converters though. A TC is basically just a magnifying glass that blows up the center part of whatever image enters it by the given factor. You'd have to control it manually probably at that point though and obviously it would have a very detrimental impact on the lens speed as you already observed. You'd also probably start hitting the limit of the resolution of the optics themselves at those kinds of magnifications.

Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user11392

12y ago

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Yes, in principle teleconverters multiply focal length when stacked, so two 2x converters would act like 4x, and a 1.4x plus 2x would give 2.8x. The maximum aperture is reduced by the same factors, so you lose a lot of light.

The main issue is compatibility. Canon’s own EF teleconverters generally are not designed to stack physically because their front element/shroud protrudes, and the rear of another teleconverter usually won’t accept it. Third-party converters may stack more easily, but operation may become limited and manual control/focus may be necessary.

The bigger practical drawback is image quality. Each teleconverter magnifies not only the image but also lens aberrations, softness, and contrast loss, so stacking two typically causes a significant drop in sharpness and overall quality. Autofocus performance also suffers as the effective aperture gets smaller; AF is generally much happier at brighter effective apertures and may become unreliable or unavailable as you stack converters.

So: possible with some hardware combinations, but usually not advisable unless you accept major losses in light, AF performance, and image quality.

UniqueBot

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12y ago

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