Which teleconverter should I use with a Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 on a Canon EOS 650D?

Asked 9/29/2015

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I use a Canon EOS 650D with a Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 and I’m considering a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter for extra reach for wildlife and moon shots. I understand that image quality and compatibility depend on the specific lens and converter. How should I choose a teleconverter for this setup, and are there compatibility or image-quality issues I should know about?

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

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

10y ago

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Unfortunately, I can't recommend using a teleconverter with the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 at all (Update in 2020: The most recent Tamron SP 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC G2 takes a TC better than the older Tamron 70-200mm lenses do - it's pretty much the equal of the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 l IS II). The lens is pretty good for most of its range, but the weakest image quality is at 200mm. And the long end is where you're going to use a zoom the most when you have a teleconverter attached. The way a teleconverter works is to magnify the center of the image circle cast by the lens. Any flaws, softness, and other image defects will be magnified as well. Of course you will also give up one stop of maximum aperture for a 1.4X teleconverter and 2 stops for a 2X.

If you insist on using a teleconverter with that lens, I would suggest a 1.4X as they magnify the defects less than a 2X will. Many of the teleconverters on the market are made in the same factory and marketed under various brand names: Tamron and Kenko being two of them. There are two tiers under both brands. There's not much of a price difference between them so you should probably go for the Kenko C-AF Teleplus Pro 300 DGX/Tamron SP AF.

Here's an image quality comparison between the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USM lens at 200mm f/2.8 and the same lens with the TC at 280mm f/4. Mouse over the image to switch from one result to the other.

I own the Kenko C-AF 2X Teleplus Pro 300 DGX and the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II lens. And honestly, the only thing I've found the TC good for is taking photos of the moon. For most other uses, I find I get better image quality shooting with the lens alone and cropping the snot out of it when editing. And the Canon lens takes a converter a lot better than the Tamron does. From Bryan Carnathon's review of the Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 Di VC USD at The-Digital-Picture

You buy a 70-200 f/2.8 to use at f/2.8. Otherwise, buy a Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L IS USM Lens. It will give you modestly better image quality in a smaller and lighter package – with a lower price tag. Thus, I feel that for most, the Tamron VC is a better choice than the Sigma OS from an image sharpness perspective.

The Canon 70-200 L IS II is perhaps the best zoom lens I've ever used – and represents a very formidable competitor to any lens in this class. Surprising is that, at its lower price point, the Tamron 70-200 VC delivers image quality very close to the Canon IS II until the long end of the focal length range where the Canon easily bests the Tamron. Before deciding that you are going to give up that Canon advantage for the lower price, remember that we tend to most-use the full extents of the focal length range in our zoom lenses. And 200mm is perhaps the most important focal length in a 70-200mm f/2.8 stabilized lens. The better 200mm image quality is also translated into better with-extender image quality at the 200mm focal length setting.

Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user15871

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With this lens, the main issue is not just brand choice but whether a teleconverter is worth using at all. Teleconverters magnify the center of the lens’s image circle, so they also magnify softness and other optical flaws. Since this Tamron 70-200mm f/2.8 is weakest at 200mm—the focal length you’d use most with a teleconverter—image quality can suffer noticeably.

A 1.4x converter costs 1 stop of light; a 2x costs 2 stops. That also makes autofocus and low-light performance worse.

For compatibility, Canon teleconverters are often a poor fit on many non-compatible lenses because their front element protrudes forward, and many lenses—including third-party ones—don’t have the required rear clearance. So a Canon extender may not physically mount.

If you still want to try one, a teleconverter from the same maker as the lens is generally the safest recommendation, since it is more likely to be designed for that lens family. In practice, for this setup, a 1.4x is usually the more sensible option than a 2x because the image-quality and aperture penalties are less severe.

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