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I had a Canon 2x series II teleconverter which I never used because I thought the images were too soft. This summer Kenmore Camera had a used Canon 2x series III for sale, so I purchased it. I have been very happy with the images I have gotten using it with my 4.0/500L telephoto lens. It has become a regular part of my "super telephoto" package that gives me a 1,000mm focal length when used with my full frame 5DIII.
Due to their construction , my two Canon 1.4x teleconverters (a series II and a series III) cannot be stacked with the 2x TC. Some after market 1.4x TC's can be stacked due to a different construction. I had an old after markert 1.4x TC gathering dust in my pickup, so I tried coupling it to the 2x III TC. It fit, so I took some photos for the equipment geeks to look at for comparison.
These photos were taken from the #2 viewing platform at the marsh on 10-26 & 28-18. All are uncropped unless otherwise noted.
5DIII + 24-105L wide angle zoom @ 50mm. I have been told that 50mm is the normal (1x) view. Note the Pt. Edwards eagle perched on the tree above the new condos. I thought it looked larger to my naked eye, but it may have been the horizon effect.
The auto focus does not work with the stacked TC's, so I turned it off on the 500L telephoto lens. Knowing that the stacked TC's would decrease the available aperture opening, I shot in Tv mode with auto ISO and let the camera pick the optimal ISO and aperture settings. I also put my hand over the barrel of the lens to minimize camera shake, which is bound to show up at 1400mm or 28x.
Interesting comparisons Bill. With a little sharpening (based in part on my playing with shots I took at the same time as you did) I think it will be hard to tell how much we were able to multiply the focal length by just looking at the results. It will be interesting to get a couple of shots printed in 11X14 format to see.
I want to try some stacked shots using the 7DII + 2x III TC + 1.4x TC. The 7D II has a crop frame sensor (1.6x crop factor) during our next sunny day, whenever that may be.
One more experiment stacking the 2x and 1.4x teleconverters, this time using the 7DII, which has a crop frame sensor. This took place on a windy Monday afternoon (10-29-18) at the marsh with the eagle obligingly perching in the same tree atop Pt. Edwards.
The second image is much clearer. Stacking the 7DII + 2x TC + 1.4X TC gave me real problems with vibration whenever I squeezed the shutter. A strong wind did not help matters either.
Stacking the 2x TC and the 1.4 TC on the full frame sensor 5DIII gives me a 1400mm focal length. With its crop frame sensor, I can get an effective focal length of 1600mm with the 7DII + 2x TC without the use of a second teleconverter. It also gives me the advantage of being able to shoot at f/8 with a functioning autofocus.
Lessons learned: Experimenting was fun, but I'll stick to using just the 2x III TC with the 5DIII + 500L telephoto lens. This lets me shoot at f/8 with a functioning autofocus. If I really need the extra reach, I'll use the 7DII + 2x III TC rather than stack teleconverters on the 5DIII. I usually use the 7DII only if the light is good, as it does not handle high ISO settings as well as the 5DIII.
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