Went out yesterday to test my new Promaster 1.7x teleconverter with Tamron 90mm macro. Captured a lot of butterfly shots, but have only had time to process one so far.

Tamron 90mm macro + Promaster Spectrum 7 1.7x teleconverter for 153mm + onboard flash:


Some flowers my wife bought at the local farmer's market.
Tamron 90mm macro, tripod, bay window + room lighting + black background:



Hope you like them. Comments always appreciated.

[rmtagg]

very pretty viewing

[Marc Langille]

Hey Scott,

Nice shot of the swallowtail considering how active they are! Nice even colors using the flash in both images - rich!!!

What's the crop look like? I am simply asking because I am curious as to the TC's image quality. It looks like there's little or no color shift, which can happen with certain TC's. Don't need to buy one, just curious...

BTW, it's getting close to a macro outing sometime soon... just not sure when. I'll shoot you an e-mail or PM.

Cheers,
Marc

[sajmmiller]

Hey Scott,

Nice shot of the swallowtail considering how active they are! Nice even colors using the flash in both images - rich!!!

What's the crop look like? I am simply asking because I am curious as to the TC's image quality. It looks like there's little or no color shift, which can happen with certain TC's. Don't need to buy one, just curious...

BTW, it's getting close to a macro outing sometime soon... just not sure when. I'll shoot you an e-mail or PM.

Cheers,
Marc

Hi Marc,

Thanks for commenting! Yes, the swallowtails were constantly on the move so proved to be quite a challenge. I did get quite a few shots though, some maybe better than this one.

I'd be curious to see what you think of the 100% crops using the Promaster teleconverter. So far, I think it's pretty good bang for the buck ($69.95 + $8 shipping). It's made in Japan, multicoated, and build quality seems good. I think I warmed the white balance a touch in my raw converter on the swallowtail shot, but I haven't noticed any obvious color shift with the TC yet. Autofocusing seems to work fine with good light.

I'll look forward to getting together with you at some point. Drop me an email or PM anytime.

Attached 100% Crops from converted Raw file (No Sharpening)(EXIF intact for all):
1. Tamron 70-300 Di LD @ 300mm + Promaster 1.7x for 510mm, tripod
2. Tamron 90mm macro + Promaster 1.7x for 153mm (From above swallowtail pic)
3. Another from above swallowtail shot

Attached Images

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[Marc Langille]

Hi Marc,

Thanks for commenting! Yes, the swallowtails were constantly on the move so proved to be quite a challenge. I did get quite a few shots though, some maybe better than this one.

I'd be curious to see what you think of the 100% crops using the Promaster teleconverter. So far, I think it's pretty good bang for the buck ($69.95 + $8 shipping). It's made in Japan, multicoated, and build quality seems good. I think I warmed the white balance a touch in my raw converter on the swallowtail shot, but I haven't noticed any obvious color shift with the TC yet. Autofocusing seems to work fine with good light.

I'll look forward to getting together with you at some point. Drop me an email or PM anytime.

Attached 100% Crops from converted Raw file (No Sharpening)(EXIF intact for all):
1. Tamron 70-300 Di LD @ 300mm + Promaster 1.7x for 510mm, tripod
2. Tamron 90mm macro + Promaster 1.7x for 153mm (From above swallowtail pic)
3. Another from above swallowtail shot

#1: considering the fact that you're using a cheap (but relatively good) zoom lens with the TC, that's not bad!

#2 and #3 are definitely the better ones, and it shows how good your TC really is when using an ultra-sharp prime lens such as a macro lens. The overcast day certainly didn't do you any favors in terms of shutter speed, and I personally prefer that - much nicer, more even light.

A TC's AF is always taking a performance hit in anything less than brighter conditions, unless you've got a pro level body (ie. very $$$) to back it up. I think you've done quite well, and your technique shows improvement - by following the old school mantra of practice, practice....

I'd be quite satisfied with an 8x10 print of that image, no question. I don't think I'd go larger though. Pixel peeping is over-rated anyways!! Ultimately it's what makes you happy, since they are for personal satisfaction. I am only doing it (pixel peeping) to confirm max. printing size, since I'll often print 16x20's for exhibits.

Regards,
Marc

[sajmmiller]

#1: considering the fact that you're using a cheap (but relatively good) zoom lens with the TC, that's not bad!

#2 and #3 are definitely the better ones, and it shows how good your TC really is when using an ultra-sharp prime lens such as a macro lens. The overcast day certainly didn't do you any favors in terms of shutter speed, and I personally prefer that - much nicer, more even light.
Marc

Thanks for the feedback. You're quite right about the light. I prefer the overcast conditions too. But with a handheld shutter speed of 1/125th @ ISO 400 and the shake reduction set for 90mm focal length, I'm not sure how much can really be deduced about the TC's quality from the 100% butterfly crops. What I really need to do is set up a test using the 90mm macro with my tripod, same light and subject, with and without the TC...then compare. Maybe one of these days. :ugh:

[Marc Langille]

Thanks for the feedback. You're quite right about the light. I prefer the overcast conditions too. But with a handheld shutter speed of 1/125th @ ISO 400 and the shake reduction set for 90mm focal length, I'm not sure how much can really be deduced about the TC's quality from the 100% butterfly crops. What I really need to do is set up a test using the 90mm macro with my tripod, same light and subject, with
and without the TC...then compare. Maybe one of these days. :ugh:

Very true about the testing! I still believe they are very nice and I'd be quite happy, especially given the subject... @$*#&... they drive me nuts when I try to use a tripod...

Very nice still life.

[sajmmiller]

very pretty viewing

Thank you Rosemary. I'm glad you liked them.

[sajmmiller]

Very nice still life.

Thanks Gary! Still life photography is somewhat new for me. I had fun playing with different types and angles of lighting.

[sajmmiller]

Very true about the testing! I still believe they are very nice and I'd be quite happy, especially given the subject... @$*#&... they drive me nuts when I try to use a tripod...

Thanks Marc! I think I've only gotten one decent butterfly shot with a tripod by setting up the tripod on what looked to be an active flower and then waiting. It's so hard to sit and wait though when you see the butterflies on other flowers. It's enough to drive anybody crazy!

Regarding the teleconverter. I thought it might be helpful to try a little better comparison test. So, I set up the tripod aimed at a sunflower my wife bought at the farmer's market on Saturday. What follows is two 100% crops, one with the Tamron 90mm macro without the teleconverter, and one with the Tamron 90mm macro + Promaster 1.7x teleconverter. Both were indoors on my kitchen table at F8, manual focus, mirror lockup, using the same natural light from a nearby bay window. To get the same magnification/subject size for 90mm and 153mm I had to adjust the camera to subject distance. The white balance was set to identical settings in my Raw converter. Still an imperfect test, but an improvement.

So, which 100% crop is the one with the teleconverter? Feel free everybody to see if you can guess which is which.

1.


2.

[cupic]

The close up butterfly amazing

cheers

[maxwell1295]

The close up butterfly amazing

Absolutely! Amazing shot...

[sajmmiller]

The close up butterfly amazing

cheers

Thank you cupic! I'm in the process of going through and processing a few more from the same day. I'll post more within the next few days. I appreciate your comment.

[LaRee]

Impressive images Scott. It looks like this combination is going to work very well for you. Thanks for sharing. I need the inspiration to do more work with the tcs I own.
Oh, and just a wild guess on your comparison shots...is the second one the shot with the tc? They look just about identical to me though.