Are you satisfied with this Nikon AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III?

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tclune said:
I just recently got the TC 14III to use with my D500 and my Nikon 200-500. I'm in the process of getting used to it, so my views will undoubtedly change as I adjust. My early impression is that it does a terrific job if you're a mediocre photographer like me. It requires good light and is a bit slow to focus (but not very slow), but holds detail well and allows for a real increasse in reach. The exif in this photo says that the eagles were 56 meters away, which seems about right to me. I have cropped by a factor of two in this image, but it would have been a lot more without the TC. It's true that the fine detail in the feathers is lacking, but at that distance I am very pleased with the detail that it got. It was a grey day and the sky was blown out, so I pushed the background warmth to my visual taste.
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Sorry -- I thought the image would expand to full size. Here's a crop that will hopefully show at 100%:
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Double-click on the image of the crop and it looks pretty much like 100% to me.
FWIW
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Ok thank you very much 🙂. Your picture is very good with TC. Thank you for sharing your picture 🙂
 
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When I bought the TC-20 III it was easy to see that it produced sharper images than the TC-14 II that I also had at that time. Seeing the difference I upgraded to the III version of the TC-14. Part of the difference with the added magnification of a teleconverter any shortcomings with the technique of the photographer are magnified as well.
 
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The truth about TCs is that if your lens isn't good, the TC will multiply its flaws. If your 200-500 is giving you really sharp images, go ahead and try it. If it doesn't work for you, can you return it?
 
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My opinion is pretty high of the tc 1.4iii. this was taken with the TC, the Nikkor 200-500 on a D810.
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Calson said:
When I bought the TC-20 III it was easy to see that it produced sharper images than the TC-14 II that I also had at that time. Seeing the difference I upgraded to the III version of the TC-14. Part of the difference with the added magnification of a teleconverter any shortcomings with the technique of the photographer are magnified as well.
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Ok thank you very much :)
 
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The TC-14E-III is excellent on things like the 70-200 f/2.8 zoom and most compatible primes. I found it somewhere between acceptable and disappointing on the 200-500. With decent light, slower or stationary target and not too great a distance it’s not too bad.
Others have varying results.
 
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Yes. I've had mine for years and it works great on the right lenses i.e. 400, 600, 70-200 etc. Although it's compatible, you're not going to get the same performance on the 200-500 as you would a "professional" lens. Especially in the AF department. Also keep in mind that sometimes things are simply too far to get the image you want from an IQ standpoint. For telephotos, don't think of the TC as something that's going to extend your reach per say, but more as something that's going to bring things in a little closer.
 
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Mimi76 said:
Hello to everyone,

I would like to have your opinion about Nikon AFS Teleconverter TC-14E III please. I am thinking of buying it. Are you satisfied? I have a Nikon D7500 with N 200-500mm. I only take pictures of wildlife. Thank you very much.
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It's a great TC that works best on prime lenses. It works OK on the 200-500, as long as you have reasonably good light and more or less stationary subjects, but not so well with moving subjects like BIF. Of course, you lose a stop of light by using the TC, and the AF slows noticeably with many lenses, such as the 200-500. If you're using it primarily with your 200-500, I think you'll be mostly disappointed. I rarely use mine with that lens anymore.
 
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Steve W said:
The TC-14E-III is excellent on things like the 70-200 f/2.8 zoom and most compatible primes. I found it somewhere between acceptable and disappointing on the 200-500. With decent light, slower or stationary target and not too great a distance it’s not too bad.
Others have varying results.
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Thank you very much.:)
 
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Abinoone said:
It's a great TC that works best on prime lenses. It works OK on the 200-500, as long as you have reasonably good light and more or less stationary subjects, but not so well with moving subjects like BIF. Of course, you lose a stop of light by using the TC, and the AF slows noticeably with many lenses, such as the 200-500. If you're using it primarily with your 200-500, I think you'll be mostly disappointed. I rarely use mine with that lens anymore.
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Ok thank you very much:) . I don't take birds in flight(BIF). It's rare . Sorry I have one question please if you don't mind of course. What do you think if the birds are on the branch and far away and sit it will be ok with TC ? thank you very much. :)
 
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grossidm said:
Yes. I've had mine for years and it works great on the right lenses i.e. 400, 600, 70-200 etc. Although it's compatible, you're not going to get the same performance on the 200-500 as you would a "professional" lens. Especially in the AF department. Also keep in mind that sometimes things are simply too far to get the image you want from an IQ standpoint. For telephotos, don't think of the TC as something that's going to extend your reach per say, but more as something that's going to bring things in a little closer.
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I have N 70-200mm f/2.8 as well. If I understand I can't use the aperture f/2.8 with TC is that right? Thank you very much.
 
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The most optimal use case with TCs is not when your subjects are way too far. If the subject is so far and you end up doing heavy crop in post, it just isn't worth using a TC. Where the TCs work very well is when you already have a subject that is big enough in your frame (without the TC) and you use the TC to further magnify the subject to get a frame filler or a subject almost filling the frame. Subjects that fill at least 50% or more of the frame should be a good yard stick to start seeing the real benefits of using TCs.
 
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Mimi76 said:
I have N 70-200mm f/2.8 as well. If I understand I can't use the aperture f/2.8 with TC is that right? Thank you very much.
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It isn't that you can't use the f/2.8 setting -- any 1.4 TC makes the selected f-stop one full stop slower. So, when you set your lens to f/2.8 and add the TC, your f-stop is actually f/4. If you set it to f/4, it will be f/5.6, etc. When your lens tries to autofocus, it opens up completely while focusing. On the f/5.6 200-500, that means that wide open, you only have f/8 for the autofocus system to work with. That's the source of the slower focusing speed with a TC. I hope I have been clear.
 
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tclune said:
It isn't that you can't use the f/2.8 setting -- any 1.4 TC makes the selected f-stop one full stop slower. So, when you set your lens to f/2.8 and add the TC, your f-stop is actually f/4. If you set it to f/4, it will be f/5.6, etc. When your lens tries to autofocus, it opens up completely while focusing. On the f/5.6 200-500, that means that wide open, you only have f/8 for the autofocus system to work with. That's the source of the slower focusing speed with a TC. I hope I have been clear.
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Super I got it :D. Thank you very much for your advice and you have been very clear :)
 
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thelordofthelight said:
The most optimal use case with TCs is not when your subjects are way too far. If the subject is so far and you end up doing heavy crop in post, it just isn't worth using a TC. Where the TCs work very well is when you already have a subject that is big enough in your frame (without the TC) and you use the TC to further magnify the subject to get a frame filler or a subject almost filling the frame. Subjects that fill at least 50% or more of the frame should be a good yard stick to start seeing the real benefits of using TCs.
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thelordofthelight said:
The most optimal use case with TCs is not when your subjects are way too far. If the subject is so far and you end up doing heavy crop in post, it just isn't worth using a TC. Where the TCs work very well is when you already have a subject that is big enough in your frame (without the TC) and you use the TC to further magnify the subject to get a frame filler or a subject almost filling the frame. Subjects that fill at least 50% or more of the frame should be a good yard stick to start seeing the real benefits of using TCs.
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Ok thank you very much for your advice. :)
 
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tclune said:
It isn't that you can't use the f/2.8 setting -- any 1.4 TC makes the selected f-stop one full stop slower. So, when you set your lens to f/2.8 and add the TC, your f-stop is actually f/4. If you set it to f/4, it will be f/5.6, etc. When your lens tries to autofocus, it opens up completely while focusing. On the f/5.6 200-500, that means that wide open, you only have f/8 for the autofocus system to work with. That's the source of the slower focusing speed with a TC. I hope I have been clear.
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I think that might be confusing to the OP to state it that way.

When you attach the TC to the camera you won't have 2.8 as an option, the camera knows you have the TC attached and it will only allow you to go to f4 (2.8 won't even be an option). In short you don't have to do any math in your head when you attach the TC. In the case of your 200-500 when you attach the TC the camera will start at F8.

The only time you need to do the math is if you are shooting with a lens that does not have electronic aperture control (fully manual lens that you have to choose the aperture on the lens itself).
 
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Palmor said:
I think that might be confusing to the OP to state it that way.
the camera sets the
When you attach the TC to the camera you won't have 2.8 as an option, the camera knows you have the TC attached and it will only allow you to go to f4 (2.8 won't even be an option).
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You're probably right. I have never really gotten used to the idea of electronic controls, and especially cameras that display the right setting for you when doing macro or using a TC.
 
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I'm in the very satisfied camp with the TC 1.4 III . I was on the waiting list last year for several months and finally found a lightly used TC 1.14 III for half the cost of new. I have used the TC on the D850 and the Z7II with the 300mm PF F4 with good results @ f5.6.
 
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fballatore said:
I was not happy with the TC-14e III on my Nikkor 200-500 with my D500 or D850. I upgraded to the Nikkor 500 PF, it was so much better and the IQ difference was barely discernible with and without the TC.
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Now this is interesting b/c pretty much everything I've read on the 1.4 III (and the II) is that it did not work that well with the 500 PF. I had a 1.4 II on the 300PF and it was excellent, so I had assumed the 5.6 aperture was the issue.

So you have not had any issues with your 1.4 III and the 500PF?
 
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Mimi76 said:
Ok thank you very much:) . I don't take birds in flight(BIF). It's rare . Sorry I have one question please if you don't mind of course. What do you think if the birds are on the branch and far away and sit it will be ok with TC ? thank you very much. :)
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Sure, for situations like that it will work fine. I used the tc and the 200-500 in Yellowstone for Bison, elk, and pronghorn and it performed well. Here's a yellow bellied sapsucker taken with the same rig - I think it turned out fine.

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