On Thu, 6 Jun 2002, Karen Powell wrote:
> I am a novice photographer and I am considering purchasing a 2x
>teleconverter for my Minolta camera to use with my zoom lens - Can anyone
> give me the pros and cons of using a teleconverter? As I said I am a
> true novice to photography.
A converter magnifies the central portion of the image the
prime lens normally projects onto the film. The "prime" lens
is the one you start with. Converters fit between the prime
lens and the camera body.
The pros: 2X your focal length, and your focusing distance does
not change. Instant closer macro. Inexpensive way to go to a
longer focal length. Your focusing scale does not change,
and you retain infinity focus. They take up very
little room and weight in the bag, compared to
schlepping around bigger glass.
The cons: Significant loss of image quality, particularly with
zoom lenses (less so with converters specifically
designed/matched to the lens, but only a few lenses
had matched converters made for them). A mighty dim
viewfinder image (particularly with zoom lenses).
In macro mode with zooms, the image degradation is
serious, though for gauzy-flower type imagery it can
work. You lose two-f/stops of light (and often a bit
more) with a 2X, one f/ with a 1.4 converter.
Used with a top-notch single focal length prime, a
high-quality 1.4X TC is eminently usable. A 2X, exacts a
significant toll in light loss, but is still usable. With
most zooms...it's usually not a good idea.
Can you tell us what you intend to photograph with this
zoom+converter combo ? What is the zoom lens you will be
using ? The converter you have in mind ?
--- Luis
