[Blue]

If you find an inexpensive 1.4x TC, please let me know. I've seen (and owned) (and sold) zillions of 2x and a few 3x but I've never encountered a 1.4x. Even the ripoff camera shops in San Francisco's Chinatown and Fisherman's Wharf robbers' rows don't carry them. Seems like 1.4x's are off in another price zone. Why? Supply vs demand, probably. The demand for 1.4x's will be by more discerning toggers who want better quality, which ain't cheap. And I guess 2x's ARE easy and cheap to make. Go figure.

So I've used cheap 2x's on my Sakar 500/8 and I find: 1) CIF is out, except for the absolute brightest targets; 2) just about ditto with my split-screen VF, the subject needs to be VERY bright and contrasty; 3) even Focus Confirmation is iffy except in full light; 4) it's fun to have the extra reach and OK as long as subject|content are more important than image quality, but otherwise cropping (instead of the TC) generally yields better IQ. Maybe a high-quality 1.4x will produce better results, I dunno. Good luck!

I have an adaptall-2 collection and have the SP 1.4 which very good as far as tc goes if used on lenses matched for it. I supposed it could be considered cheap. The good 2x TC on the other hand is very rare and expensive unlike the more common SP 2x. Of course they are only good with adaptall lenses.

[excanonfd]

I have both the Tamron 500 55B and 55BB and the most I will use TC wise is the SP 1.4x matched TC on there. these are a fixed f8 and therein is one issue.

Would you be willing to post some identical shots taken with your 55B and 55BB (near, mid, and distant object), in the appropriate lens clubs? I have been curious of the design differences between the two and whether Adaptall-2.org's assumption the improvements in IQ was in the close focusing capability of 55BB is verifiable or not.

Thanks,

[Laurentiu Cristofor]

Or would I be better off to just crop & bypass the TC altogether?

Either that or get a longer mirror lens. A 1.4x TC would give you a 750/11 lens. At that point, the Samyang 800/8 may actually be better. Also, more importantly, such long focal lengths will be quite tricky to use either way. 500mm is a nice focal length.

Whichever way you go, please share your results. Good luck!

PS: The Samyang 500/8 is bad, but the 500/6.3 is a different story.

[GibbyTheMole]

I went out today & shot some photos of small critters with the mirror lens. I think I'll leave it as is & not worry about a TC. It's plenty sharp & I don't want to give that up. There's room for cropping when I shoot with the K-x, anyway...

Cheers,
Bobbo :-)

[Blue]

Would you be willing to post some identical shots taken with your 55B and 55BB (near, mid, and distant object), in the appropriate lens clubs? I have been curious of the design differences between the two and whether Adaptall-2.org's assumption the improvements in IQ was in the close focusing capability of 55BB is verifiable or not.

Thanks,

I will try to do that this weekend.

[excanonfd]

I will try to do that this weekend.

Great, I'll be looking forward to them.

Thanks,

[selar]

Or would I be better off to just crop & bypass the TC altogether?

Thats the way to go in the digital age. Teleconverters were great in the days of film, when cropping meant working in a darkroom, not the few mouse clicks it is today.