300 2.8 vr1 + 1.4x tc vs. 500pf which is better?

[JohnWarePhotography]

I currently own a 300 2.8 vr1 and plan on getting the 1.4x tc sometime soon. Wondering if it'll be comparable to the 500pf sharpness-wise when shot at 5.6. Going to use it for wildlife portraits primarily, potentially sports during the daytime if af speed isn't bad. Really curious to hear your guys' thoughts! I shoot on a D500 right now.

 

[NorthernFocus]

I had the VR ii version. It was plenty sharp with a 1.4x. I'd say the two are close enough that without bench testing you couldn't tell them apart. Of course the 500 has the slight reach advantage so if you end up cropping images shot with the shorter lens that typically degrades IQ. Plus the 500 will probably focus faster due to the TC on the 300. And it's lighter.

 

[RichF]

Plus the 500 can take a 1.4 tc so you have a 700 if you need it

 

[simonsi]

Dont be afraid to use the TC20eIII on the 300/2.8’s, once fine tuned I find very little degradation in the images and still excellent AF speed with my D500. Mine is the AF-S II, no VR.

 

[JohnWarePhotography]

Dont be afraid to use the TC20eIII on the 300/2.8’s, once fine tuned I find very little degradation in the images and still excellent AF speed with my D500. Mine is the AF-S II, no VR.

Awesome! Thanks!

 

[JohnWarePhotography]

Plus the 500 can take a 1.4 tc so you have a 700 if you need it

True, thanks!

 

[JohnWarePhotography]

I had the VR ii version. It was plenty sharp with a 1.4x. I'd say the two are close enough that without bench testing you couldn't tell them apart. Of course the 500 has the slight reach advantage so if you end up cropping images shot with the shorter lens that typically degrades IQ. Plus the 500 will probably focus faster due to the TC on the 300. And it's lighter.

Thanks!

 

[Stephen Berger]

Depends nohow much you like great bokeh as those 300 2.8's are some of the best bokeh lenses ever made.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Depends nohow much you like great bokeh as those 300 2.8's are some of the best bokeh lenses ever made.

Not so much with TC on them. Still not bad but certainly not like the bare lens.

 

[eaj101]

Nikon teleconverters used to be designed first to optimize the 300mm f/2.8. On the AIS version I literally could not tell the difference between the bare lens and with the 1.4 x TC-14b. The TC-301 (2x) was slightly degraded, but very slightly.

I don't know if that's till the case, and I don't have the AF version of the 300mm f/2.8 to check, but I'd suspect the results are similar. I had too look it up to check this, but the 300mm f/2.8 is actually *twice* as heavy as the 500PF. (2900g vs. 1460g)