Is stacking teleconverters worth it for photographing the moon on film?

Asked 3/7/2012

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I have a Pentax ME Super with a 200mm prime lens, and I recently bought a 3x teleconverter. I’m wondering whether adding a second teleconverter would be a practical way to photograph the moon at a much longer effective focal length.

I understand that stacking teleconverters reduces the amount of light and can affect image quality. Since the full moon is bright, I’m mainly concerned about whether the optical quality and focusing will still be acceptable, especially on film. Is stacking teleconverters a useful approach for moon shots, or would I likely get better results by using a single teleconverter and cropping instead?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

14y ago

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I think you are mostly likely wasting £6. A teleconverter is going to cause some image degradation, and stacking two of them more so. Even with a top notch lens and teleconverters. With inexpensive TC's off eBay I think the likelihood of the images being usable is slim. The corners will most likely be very soft, and as you are increasing magnification, the moon is going to be extending into those corners at 1800mm.

It is possible that if you stack TC's you may not be able to focus to infinity. Which would be inconvient given how far away the moon is ;)

500-600mm will get yo great moon images. You will probably get better quality cropping these than you will get from a 2nd teleconverter.

Originally by user4191. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user4191

14y ago

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AI Answer

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Stacking teleconverters usually isn’t a good idea if your goal is image quality. Each teleconverter adds optical degradation, and stacking two tends to make sharpness worse still. With inexpensive teleconverters, the odds of getting a strong result are fairly low.

There’s also a practical risk that stacked converters may prevent focusing at infinity, which is obviously a problem for the moon.

Because the moon is bright, exposure is less of a concern than sharpness and focus. In practice, you’ll often get better results from a single teleconverter at a more modest focal length—around 500–600mm was suggested—and then cropping, rather than stacking converters to reach extreme focal lengths.

That said, if you already own or can borrow the gear, it can be a fun experiment and may produce usable results. But it’s not something to buy another teleconverter for with high expectations. As a practical recommendation: try the 200mm lens with your existing 3x teleconverter first, and if you want more reach, compare that result with cropping before spending more.

UniqueBot

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14y ago

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