TC 1.4 II OR III, DOES IT MATTER?

[PAUL50]

I’ve just finished reading an interesting thread discussing the relative merits of purchasing the Nikkor 600 or 800mm lens. In the thread, there was discussion of the 1.4 TC and one comment suggested that the IQ of the III version was better than the II version. I seem to remember reading comparisons of the two that essentially concluded it was a draw. In fact, I think I recall Steve discussing the issue. I have the II version and am now wondering whether it’s worth switching to version III. Your thoughts would be appreciate?

 

[JANuser]

Depends on what lens you get. Some of the newer "E" lenses don't work with the II, while some older "G" lenses don't work with the III.

 

[Thern]

I’ve just finished reading an interesting thread discussing the relative merits of purchasing the Nikkor 600 or 800mm lens. In the thread, there was discussion of the 1.4 TC and one comment suggested that the IQ of the III version was better than the II version. I seem to remember reading comparisons of the two that essentially concluded it was a draw. In fact, I think I recall Steve discussing the issue. I have the II version and am now wondering whether it’s worth switching to version III. Your thoughts would be appreciate?

I’ve used both TC’s, not much of a difference between the two but one ,which makes the last gen a bit better.
The III suffers from less CA and as a result it can be used at a longer shootingdistance.
Up to you to decide wether you want to pay the extra for a bit better performance. (But if you’re lucky your current TC plays above average together with your current lenses...)

Like @JANuser says be sure to look up wether the TC is compatible with your lenses.

 

[fcotterill]

To add to above on E lenses, and less CA, I recall my 0.02c on TCs and more links in this post. And this article recommended by @Thern in the same thread:

How to Use a Teleconverter to Get Closer to Your Subjects

Wondering about what a teleconverter is and how you can use it? In this article, we go through everything you need to know about using teleconverters.

photographylife.com

It is also worth reading Nasim's tests of the Nikkor telephotos, which cover TCs. Particularly the 300 f2.8G VRII and 400 f2.8E FL

and I recall Brad Hill did some tests compared the 2 TC14 versions. This question has come up in other threads.

Nikon 300 PF with TC 14 ii or iii?

Based on my question from an earlier post, I got the 300 PF and am very impressed with it. I also bought a TC17ii but have not been pleased with the results. There is a noticeable loss of contrast and generally it's not as sharp as an image taken without the TC17 and then cropped. So now...

bcgforums.com

And this review

Review: Nikon TC-14E vs. TC-14EIII - Jason P. Odell Photography

I've been using the Nikon TC-14E teleconverter now for years. Even though it was "updated" to the MkII model a while ago, the only differences between the TC-14E and TC-14EII were the exterior cosmetics (finish). The optical formula remained the same (5 elements in 5 groups) between them...

luminescentphoto.com

 

[dabhand16]

I’ve just finished reading an interesting thread discussing the relative merits of purchasing the Nikkor 600 or 800mm lens. In the thread, there was discussion of the 1.4 TC and one comment suggested that the IQ of the III version was better than the II version. I seem to remember reading comparisons of the two that essentially concluded it was a draw. In fact, I think I recall Steve discussing the issue. I have the II version and am now wondering whether it’s worth switching to version III. Your thoughts would be appreciate?

A while back I read a review that compared the TCii with the TCiii and their conclusoion was that the TCiii was indeed better, but it was more noticeable on newer lenses. With older lenses there was not much between them. So it looks like the TCiii can take advantage of the improvements that the newer lens designs offer.

Nikon TC-14E III vs TC-14E II Performance Comparison

photographylife.com

 

[PAUL50]

To add to above on E lenses, and less CA, I recall my 0.02c on TCs and more links in this post. And this article recommended by @Thern in the same thread:

How to Use a Teleconverter to Get Closer to Your Subjects

Wondering about what a teleconverter is and how you can use it? In this article, we go through everything you need to know about using teleconverters.

photographylife.com

It is also worth reading Nasim's tests of the Nikkor telephotos, which cover TCs. Particularly the 300 f2.8G VRII and 400 f2.8E FL

and I recall Brad Hill did some tests compared the 2 TC14 versions. This question has come up in other threads.

Nikon 300 PF with TC 14 ii or iii?

Based on my question from an earlier post, I got the 300 PF and am very impressed with it. I also bought a TC17ii but have not been pleased with the results. There is a noticeable loss of contrast and generally it's not as sharp as an image taken without the TC17 and then cropped. So now...

bcgforums.com

Thanks for the info.