Should I use a teleconverter on a Canon 70-300mm, or buy a 150-500mm lens for wildlife?
Asked 9/15/2015
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I’m planning a wildlife trip with a Canon 650D. My longest current lens is a 70-300mm, and I want more reach for distant subjects while keeping as much detail as possible. I’m considering either adding a teleconverter to the 70-300mm or buying a 150-500mm lens. What practical trade-offs should I consider in terms of compatibility, autofocus, image quality, size/weight, and cost?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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I also had to make this choice.
For the TC you must be 100% sure that it goes with your lens. The advantage of a TC is that it is cheaper, smaller, and lighter. A 150-500 will be more expensive, bigger, and heavier but a better aperture.
If possible I would recommend rental of a 150-500. This gives you the possibility to test it out for real. If you like it then buy it. It is an investment but if you like to take pictures of wildlife it will be worth the investment.
Originally by user43113. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user43113
10y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For a Canon 650D with a 70-300mm, a longer lens is usually the better wildlife choice than a teleconverter.
Why: teleconverters work best on fast lenses, especially f/2.8 primes. A typical 70-300mm is already f/5.6 at the long end, so a 1.4x teleconverter turns it into roughly an f/8 lens, which can hurt or disable autofocus on an entry-level DSLR. A 2x converter would be even darker and generally impractical. Teleconverters also tend to reduce sharpness, so they may not give more usable detail than simply cropping.
There’s also a compatibility issue: not every Canon teleconverter fits every lens, and third-party options can be hit-or-miss.
A 150-500mm lens is bigger, heavier, and more expensive, but it gives you real focal length without the same autofocus and image-quality compromises. For wildlife, that’s usually the more effective route.
If budget is tight, renting a 150-500mm for your trip is a smart way to test whether the size, weight, and results are worth the investment. Used long lenses can also be worth considering.
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AI10y ago
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