[Asynergy]

Hello.

My combo right now:

Pentax k-1 II + pentax SMC da 300mm F4

Sadly it sometimes lacks focal length, most of the times i have to crop my pictures and i dont get so clean and sharp quality i would like to achieve.
Since i do it as a hobby i can't spend thousands on new lens or at least not right now, so im considering teleconverter.

After some search i came up with:
Pentax 1.4x - leaves vignette since its not FF compatible
Pentax F 1.7x af adapter - main use is to make manual lenses af compatible, cant really find them on sale except ebay where there will be heavy tax
Kenko rz-af 2x teleplus mc7 - Didnt see clear info about it but seems to work with some lenses?

So here i'm asking for your advice/help for good combination with reasonable price. I know, you cant get good stuff that is also cheap but perhaps best money to quality ratio.
Mostly posting on instagram and facebook.

Thank you.

[kypfer]

Unfortunately, cropping when "birding" on a budget is about par for the course unless you're extremely patient (and well camouflaged) or have a good hide to work from.
The Kenko 2x (as with any 2x) reduces your exposure by two stops … not too bad on an f/2.8, starting to be a nuisance at f/4 and above, limits the autofocus functionality significantly!
If you can get close enough for the Pentax 1.4x vignette to be a nuisance, you probably don't need it … otherwise it might be your best bet … the Kenko 1.5x (which I use) might be a suitable alternative if you can find one.
Be aware that the Kenko converters are not recognised by the camera, so they're not fully compatible with the shake reduction, however, they do not cause a vignette on a full-frame camera
Good luck

[tduell]

I'd go with the Pentax 1.4x TC.
You'll almost always have to crop using a K-1, so vignetting will only be a very occasional problem.
I use the 1.4x TC with the DA* 300 (with the K-3 Mark III) and image quality is excellent, I'd expect the K-1 to be the same.
I've also used the 1.4x TC with the DFA 150-450 on a K-1 and for me vignetting was never an issue...there's almost never a bird pic that doesn't need cropping.

Cheers,
Terry

[wadge22]

One more option you may not be considering yet is a K70 (or other apsc "crop" body). More expensive than a TC most likely, although I found my K70 (body only) on amazon warehouse for $311, which is comparable to the pentax 1.4x. The K70 will give you a very effective 1.5x crop compared to the K1.

And always, regardless of equipment, the best thing you can do is get as close as possible to the bird. Gear can help (blinds, camo) with that, but techniques and patience are the biggest factor.

[vector]

I would go with the Pentax 1.4x rear converter. Since you have to crop anyway, I like to just shoot the K1 in crop mode with that lens+TC. In crop mode it gets a decent 6fps and a much deeper buffer. When you do shoot in FF mode the vignette isn’t really a problem with birds but for larger animals you can just take the TC off.

[K2 to K50]

Hello.

My combo right now:

Pentax k-1 II + pentax SMC da 300mm F4

Sadly it sometimes lacks focal length, most of the times i have to crop my pictures and i dont get so clean and sharp quality i would like to achieve.
Since i do it as a hobby i can't spend thousands on new lens or at least not right now, so im considering teleconverter.

After some search i came up with:
Pentax 1.4x - leaves vignette since its not FF compatible
Pentax F 1.7x af adapter - main use is to make manual lenses af compatible, cant really find them on sale except ebay where there will be heavy tax
Kenko rz-af 2x teleplus mc7 - Didnt see clear info about it but seems to work with some lenses?

So here i'm asking for your advice/help for good combination with reasonable price. I know, you cant get good stuff that is also cheap but perhaps best money to quality ratio.
Mostly posting on instagram and facebook.

Thank you.

Unless you are attempting extreme crops, you should still get decent results with K1 (the K1 has plenty of megapixels). Would be interested to see some sample pics. Make sure that if you are shooting hand-held, your shutter speed is not too slow

I would add my voice to those recommending the Pentax 1.4x teleconverter. I have not used it a lot with my 150-450mm, but with the proviso of using it only in good lighting, it produces good results, and I have seen many examples of excellent results by others who use it more often - esp on the 150-450mm lens thread!

[bwgv001]

K1 + Kenko + 300 is frustrating; it's slow and I see lot's of hunting.

[Asynergy]

Unless you are attempting extreme crops, you should still get decent results with K1 (the K1 has plenty of megapixels). Would be interested to see some sample pics. Make sure that if you are shooting hand-held, your shutter speed is not too slow

I would add my voice to those recommending the Pentax 1.4x teleconverter. I have not used it a lot with my 150-450mm, but with the proviso of using it only in good lighting, it produces good results, and I have seen many examples of excellent results by others who use it more often - esp on the 150-450mm lens thread!

Thank you for all the feedback. Luckily i found a guy who lends me 2x kenko and 1.4x pentax TC and i can try them out.

Posted 3 sample pics with pre post processing and after.
It may be because of post processing but i would like to achieve more clean and detailed look.

[K2 to K50]

Thank you for all the feedback. Luckily i found a guy who lends me 2x kenko and 1.4x pentax TC and i can try them out.

Posted 3 sample pics with pre post processing and after.
It may be because of post processing but i would like to achieve more clean and detailed look.

Those look pretty good to me. Were these using the Pentax 1.4x or the Kenko 2x? Aperture and Shutter Speed? I get the impression that the day was a little overcast?

[cmohr]

Bird In Flight.
Pentax K-1

[Asynergy]

Thank you.
Those were taken without any TC, just plain K-1 and 300mm
Clear sunny day so a bit harsh on shadows.
Both goose ones:
1/500
F 7.1
ISO 200

Owl is taken:
1/320
F 7.1
ISO 400

---------- Post added 05-15-22 at 09:44 AM ----------

Amazing osprey picture!

What lens were you using?

[K2 to K50]

Bird In Flight.
Pentax K-1

That is one knock-out BIF capture - so sharp!

[clackers]

Yeah, go with the 1.4 TC, it's of such high quality!

You will crop the corners, but it's wildlife, so you're forever cropping anyway, we can never get as close as we want, so that's not a problem.

[Lowell Goudge]

For birding, with the Pentax line up you are limited, but don’t take this as discouragement. The fundamental law of optics says

Image size = ( Subject Size x Focal Length ) / Distance

So let’s imagine you are shooting something like a warbler (since it is spring migration why not?)

A warbler is about 100 mm long (tall). To fill the long dimension of your K1, (24 x36mm sensor) you would need to be within 1.3 meters with a 500 mm lens. So the point here is that cropping IS a fact of life. Aside from this, no 500 mm lens will focus to 1.3 meters in the first place.

I accept here I am picking an extreme example, but it suits the discussion well

You will spend a lot of money and if you don’t understand the limits of photography. You will still be disappointed.

The time and patience needed to Getting close are your best investments, but there will always be a limit. Trust me, i shoot with the DA560 and even with this lens you are cropping unless you are shooting a relatively large bird, something very tame, and/or it is close.

[Asynergy]

Thank you for all the answers, went for 1.4 TC and it does it's job pretty well, vignette is pretty minimal.