Canon EF 2.0X III Telephoto Extender for Canon Super Telephoto Lenses

Comment

The extender works great. I use it with my 70-200mm IS II 2.8 and, even wide open at 400mm/5.6 I still get very clean and crisp images. If using it with a modern Canon body you should still get AF at max focal length. If I use this combination on my 7d instead of my 5dMIV I get 640mm. Some YouTube reviewers are saying they are not getting sharp images. Hogwash! Bottom line is that if you use it with a quality lens you should not see any noticeable degradation of picture quality. I will say, though, that to my eye I get cleaner pictures on my full-frame 30mp (when cropped to the same magnification) than with the crop sensor with its 1.6x greater "zoom". Even so, both combinations still result in great images even zoomed 100% on screen.

more

Comment

Every pro reviewer is quick to point out this will prevent autofocus with slow lenses--but today I discovered that with this extender attached, both a Canon 5D4 and a Canon 7D2 will autofocus a Canon 100-400 L f/5.6 lens just fine in Live View. On a 5D4 it registers as a minimum f-stop of f/11; on the 7D2, it shoots at f/9. No idea why that is. However, both cameras were able to autofocus the lens in Live View without any particular problem. Yes, the autofocus is slow compared to normal use but thats inherent in the design (and way beyond either my understanding or the scope of this review). My quickie test was random shots in my backyard in full sunlight; I also put a 10-stop ND filter on and shot the full sun. Autofocusing the sun is a little tricky but setting the focus square on the diameter gives it an edge and then it locks right in. The only other test I did was with a Canon 135L f/2 lens; the 5D4 autofocuses through the viewfinder, giving a 270mm f/4 lens. Not sure what good that is but now you know. Didnt try it with the 7D2.

more

Comment

I got this to pair with my 70-200mm F/2.8 IS II since I needed a bit more reach, and didnt want to spring for a 300mm or 400mm lens. Im extremely happy with it, and have to say that on a high quality lens, like the 70-200/2.8 IS II, there is hardly any loss of functionality at all. Yes, you do lose two stops, but getting a 400mm F/5.6 is not bad at all, and the 4 stops of the IS on the IS II certainly helps a lot. And these days, with the ability to shoot high ISOs without much noise (such as on the 5D3), its not an issue getting clear shots at 1/500s or faster during the day. There is some SLIGHT image degradation, to be expected, but it is not noticeable at all unless you are seriously pixel peeping. Only at 100% crops would you be able to tell the difference, and the gain from the extra focal length far outweighs the slight loss in image quality. You do also get slower autofocus, again, because of the reduced effective aperture size (less light passing through, so its harder for your camera to detect focus). The 70-200/2.8 IS II has extremely quick autofocus to begin with, so the reduced speed is not too bad. On slower autofocus lenses (such as if you use this extender for macro work, like on the 180mm F/3.5L Macro), the autofocus is nearly downright impossible and you may just be better off using full time manual focus. You also wont be able to use all the focus points that youre used to using, since youll only be able to use the points that respond to f/5.6 or slower with a F/2.8 lens. On the 5D3, this means only the center rectangle of points (about 21 cross type points). The 1DS3 and 1DX give you a bit more focus point options at f/5.6. And on lower end cameras, you may be only able to use your center AF point. On slower lenses, such as f/4 or slower, you may be limited to manual focus only. Thats why I really only recommend using a 2x extender on an f/2.8 lens. On slower lenses, youre better off using a 1.4x extender. The compact size and relatively light weight of the 2x extender makes it a must-bring any time I bring my 70-200 outdoors. Plus it gives me the flexibility of having either a 70-200/2.8 or a 140-400/5.6 at any time I want. Its especially great to use for wildlife (especially birds and other animals) and sports, if youre shooting during the day. For anything more serious, or in lower light, youll need to spring for a 300/2.8 or 400/2.8, which are prohibitively expensive unless youre using it regularly for your full time job.

more

Comment

I have not been able to use this extender extensively yet but so far I like it. I use the extender on a Canon 70-200 f2.8 ISM lens with no auto focus issues. I have been using f8 as most reviews said this was the "sweet" spot. I do a lot of local high school sports photography. As I do more I will update this review. I have attached some photos...I think the labels are self explanatory but basically I took the same shot at 70 and 200 and then added the extender for shots at 140 and 400. So it looks like it didnt add the photos in the correct order but I think you can tell the difference. Update: I was able to use this extender today while taking photos at a local high school soccer game. WOW!!! I have added two more photos. The picture with the goal in focus is 120 yards at f8 and ISO 2000 at 400mm. There were absolutely no auto focus issues and no slow downs as many other reviews list. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 70-200 f2.8 ISM. I know it was 120 yards because the game was on a football field and the goals are at the end of the end zone area which ads 10 yards to each end, totaling 120 yards. The picture with the people in focus is about 100 yards away. I highly recommend this product to anyone needing additional distance from their lens. Be sure to check compatibility for your lens.

more

Comment

Things to keep in mind when reading various review. 1. There is no such a thing as free lunch. Anyone who claims fast autofocus with this combo is smoking something. Canon white papers claims a 75% reduction in autofocus speed. It will also degrade image quality, no matter what lens you put it on. 2. As for Image quality, acceptability, and degradation, there are several factors in play. Of course where you end depends on where you start. used on an optically superb lens, after some image degradation, you can still end up with good image quality. with mediocre lens, you end up with bad, and with a bad lens, you end up with mush. The other factor in acceptability is the image density of the sensor. The image quality will be a lot more acceptable on a 5d2 or 40D for example than the 7D. the higher pixel density of 7D is far more demanding on lens resolution. furthermore, the cropped sensor of same pixel count, greatly magnifies Chromatic aberration. 3. In addition to loss of image quality secondary to use of extenders, going from say 200 to 400, requires great improvement in long lens technique. any movement is greatly magnified. for someone to properly assess the functioning of the lens, esp when used for things such as birds in flight, great technique is required. 4. there are obvious things that one must know. in addition to double the focal length, you loose 2 stops of light with the converter, so a 2.8 lens becomes a 5.6 lens. if you are starting with a lens with max aperture smaller than 2.8, you will loose autofocus on all current bodies, except for the 1D/1DS class. The coming 1DX has also dropped support for lenses slower than f 5.6. Edit april 2013. As many are aware, Canon updated firmware in 1dx to now support f8 focusing with central focus point, and has promised similar upgrade with canon 5dIII. so autofocus is still possible with the TC mounted on a f4 lens on those bodies. Edit Jan 2015 Some things have changed in the original review, which deserves an update. Most importantly, with introduction of Version II of canon super teles (300, 400, 500, and 600), the reduction in AF speed has certainly improved. Also there are better optimized to work with this Extender and claims are that the loss in image quality is less. Whether that is truly due to optimization of lens and extender, or due to the superb quality of the new superteles I dont know. probably some of each. Of course if you are already shooting with one of the version II super Teles, you are not reading this review, since you already know a ton on this topic. Second, on the review 14, Mr Mark Cunningham states after quoting excerpts for canon papers ******Accordingly, overall AF performance remains essentially unchanged with an EF Extender attached, versus the lenss AF speed without an extender.******* this is absolutely and simply not true, and I have use the extender with the caon 70-200 2.8L II lens. the lens focuses blazingly fast and tracks very well bare on my 5d3, it is indeed slower in tracking than the original 100-400L with the extender attached and thats a very real, practical and palpable difference in af speed.

more

Comment

This product does exactly what it claims to do, but unfortunately the image quality suffers too much for it to be worthwhile in most cases, and the reduction in autofocus speed is also a major drawback. Im going to keep it but scenarios in which Id really want to use it will be rare. Im using this on the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens and image quality drawbacks make it look like the 70-300mm basic telephoto lens.

more

Comment

I added the Canon EF 2.0X Telephoto Extender to my photographic gear as the cheaper approach than purchasing a single long lens capability such as a 400-800mm lens. I used this extender on a 70-200mm Canon IS lens and at 200mm having the ability the same as 400mm was terrific. This device allowed me to capture hard to get moments while not invading someones personal space. It performed well; however, this extender only works with the "white" lens line which is a bummer. I was hoping it would work with my fixed 85mm, but it did not. If you want additional telephoto capability but dont have the budget for a single lens that does the same thing, look at this option - you wont be disappointed. Keep in mind this lens extender does not work with every lens.

more

Comment

I am a learning, amateur photographer. I bought canon EF 2.0X extender because I like to shoot the birds. This extender does not work with my Canon EF400/5.5L USM Len in auto focus. it works with my Canon EF200/ 4L IS USM lens, but slower in auto focus. Its color is good and it produces sharp images.

more

Comment

Great addition to my 70-200mm f/2.8 IS. Perfect for sports and outdoor photography, without spending a fortune on purpose-built super telephoto lenses. Delivers great image quality with minimal reduction in focus speed. Have even used effectively for astrophotography (on camera). I was able to attach it to a Celestron SCT by covering the electrical contacts with some masking tape and using it in manual mode on the camera, but wasnt able to effectively focus during our first attempt - will try again when we have more time and decent skies... As is pasted all over Canons website, this is only compatible with Canon prime lenses and a handful of L series wide aperture zoom lenses. Be sure you check compatibility before taking the plunge.

more

Comment

excellent. purchased for use with the Canon 200-400mm with a Fotodiox adapter for Canon lenses to mount the Samsung NX1. Excellent compatibility and the lovely clarity and color you expect from your Canon lenses. Only issue I had was with the suppliers inability to package the product adequately, and the extender arrived out of its box and bouncing within the package, but with that said the extender works great and considering the way it arrived it must be pretty durable, though I dont plan on testing this further :P

more