Should i add a "magnifier" to my zoom lens?

[RayVilla]

Instead of buying a whole new zoom lens should i just add a magnifier to my current lens? the lady at the camera store said that it would "double" my furthest zoom level. What are the pros and cons of a magnifier? I understand that I may lose some quality in my photos.

[straightarm]

I think she is talking about a tele-converter, aka extender.

You can get 1.4x and 2x.

With a 1.4x a 200mm lens becomes a 280mm

With a 2x it becomes a 400mm.

However, there is no such thing as a free luch and with a tele converter, ther is a light loss to deal with;

a 1.4x loses 1 stop, so a 200mm f2.8 lens is now a 280mm f4

a 2x, 2 stops, so the 200mm f2.8 is a 400mm f5.6

Now if your using a consumer zoom like a 75-300, which has a max aperture of f5.6 at the long end, this would become at the long end either 420mm f8 or 600mm f11.

most SLRs require a max aperture of f5.6 for the autofocus to work, so you will probably lose the AF and f11 will require long exposures and a decent tripod to avoid camera shake.

There is also a loss of image quality, more with a 2x than a 1.4x

with a digital SLR you are often better just cropping than using a teleconverter

[Anbesol]

Yeah teleconverters aren't any good unless paired with top quality, fast glass. But, the better question is - what lens do you have, and what are you wanting to accomplish with a new lens/converter?

[Photo-John]

Yeah teleconverters aren't any good unless paired with top quality, fast glass. But, the better question is - what lens do you have, and what are you wanting to accomplish with a new lens/converter?

Great answers, Anbesol and starightarm! So tell us more about your gear and why you want to increase your reach, RayVilla.

[RayVilla]

Well i have a 18-55mm f/3.5 - f/5.6 zoom-Nikkor VR lens. I would like more of a zoom to take pictures of further subjects.

[Anbesol]

Definitely avoid a teleconverter for that. I am honestly puzzled why the sales lady would even suggest such a thing for that use. Teleconverters are most commonly and appropriately used for very fast super/telephotos, and primes. The lens you mention is quite the opposite of that on all counts. You would be much better off with even a basic 55-200mm f/4-5.6, or a 70-300 f/4-5.6. Though I would personally recomend looking into constant aperture lens like a 70-200 f/2.8 or f/4 (Tamron has one at f/2.8 on Nikon mount for some ~ $750, a great price really). Any of the options I mentioned would give you much better quality and flexibility than a teleconverter. In fact, I can't imagine a single scenario where using a teleconverter on a kit lens would be a *good* idea.

She also may have been talking about the teleconverters that affix to filters, which are entirely useless on DSLR and solely purposed for point and shoots. Applying a filter converter would be an even worse idea though ha.

[Franglais]

Well i have a 18-55mm f/3.5 - f/5.6 zoom-Nikkor VR lens. I would like more of a zoom to take pictures of further subjects.

And what camera? I ask this because if - as I suspect seeing the lens - you have a camera without a focussing motor (D40/D40X/D60/D3000/D5000) then you will need a teleconverter that is compatible with your AF-S lens, otherwise you lose the autofocus.

In fact you may lose the autofocus anyway if you buy a 2x teleconverter - this transforms the lens into a 36-110mm f7-f11 - this is outside the supported minimum aperture for the Nikon autofocus (f5.6).

If I were you I would spend a little bit more money (but still less than $200) on a nice 55-200mm AF-S lens from Nikon (AF-S) or Sigma.(HSM). No problems with compatability and it zooms out much further. I have the Sigma for use with my D60.

[armando_m]

Listen carefully to what is being said here

I bought a used nikon teleconverter 2x for $50 dlls or so, used it with a nikon 70-300 f3.5-5.6 zoom AF, it does make for a decent trelescope

The loss of quality is significant, besides being a nice experiment, the photos are not good.

just save for a better lens .. really

[RayVilla]

yeah i have a nikon d3000 so yeah i guess i'll just save my money and get a better zoom lens. glad i said something here before i wasted money.

[Photo-John]

yeah i have a nikon d3000 so yeah i guess i'll just save my money and get a better zoom lens. glad i said something here before i wasted money.

Good to see the forums working exactly as they should!

My guess is the salesperson saw you as a quick, small sale and worked that angle. But you really should save up for a decent telephoto zoom. You've got a solid camera and the kit lens will serve you well for the time being. There's not substitution for a great telephoto lens. Most of us buy teleconverters when the lenses they replace would cost thousands or are too big and bulky to be practical. However, you could spend a few hundred dollars and get a fine telephoto zoom lens to compliment your kit lens. Save your money, be patient, and start poking around to see what other people are using. You won't regret it

[RayVilla]

So i ended up buying a Tamron 28-200mm lens. I lost auto focus but it works for what i wanted. I got it for $100. I saw the same lens on ebay and other sites for about 280 new and 180 used so i got a pretty good deal i think.

[Frog]

And the lens will outlast the body and you'll get auto focus if you upgrade to a Nikon body that it works on.