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by mlgray12 on Tue May 18, 2021 11:57 am
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I have made switch to Z7 from D850 - surrendering some of my action focus capabilities but like most of the other improvements that mirrorless brings
I have the 70-200mm Z f/2.8 and have zero problems or issues with the Z 1.4 TC - Just wondering if anyone has used the 2x version - would push my z-line lens up to 400mm but I still have the 500mm f/5.6 PF for most bird photography
Thanks for any help
Mike
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by flygirl on Wed May 19, 2021 8:29 am
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I have been told by two wildlife photographers that on their Nikon telephoto lens and using the Z7II, the Nikon 2x works like a dream. They would never had said that before using the mirrorless. My Z7II is on its way to me, so I will be testing out what they said, but they were a big reason I decided to go on the Z7II. But, I am not selling my D850 or D500 yet. I have no Z mount lens, so will be using it mostly with my Nikon 500 f/5.6 PF and Nikon 500 f/4E, FL.
 

by mlgray12 on Wed May 19, 2021 1:12 pm
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flygirl wrote:I have been told by two wildlife photographers that on their Nikon telephoto lens and using the Z7II, the Nikon 2x works like a dream.  They would never had said that before using the mirrorless.  My Z7II is on its way to me, so I will be testing out what they said, but they were a big reason I decided to go on the Z7II.  But, I am not selling my D850 or D500 yet.  I have no Z mount lens, so will be using it mostly with my Nikon 500 f/5.6 PF and Nikon 500 f/4E, FL.

I have been using my 1.4x and I have used my 1.7x some on my 500mm PF lens with the adapter on my Z7 - I also have the 1.4TC Z-mount that I use with my 70-200MM f/2.8 z-mount - I need to do more using the 1.7 f-mount TC 
But my real question is on the z-mount 2x TC - I am considering that to push my 70-200  to a 140-400mm lens for upcoming trip to Africa.
I too like the performance of all the TC's better on my Z7 than my former D850's but know they could have been better with more work on fixing focus - just lazy because I have the tools to do it.
PS - my new Z7II shipped today
Not having to mess with calibrating the focus on the mirrorless camera's is a great benefit 
I got rid of my old f-mount 2x years ago - even with calibration it lost to much resolution - Nikon's 2x TC's have never had very good recommendations
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by Anthony Medici on Wed May 19, 2021 1:50 pm
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Michael,

I'm confused about parts of what you are saying. The 1.7x f-mount converter doesn't work with the 70-200 s-line lens. So the 1.7x doesn't help your mid-range focal lengths unless you have another lens you haven't yet mentioned. (Like the 70-200 AFS or 70-300 AFS or 300 PF)

You have the Z 1.4x converter and so you already have 70-200 at F2.8 available and 98-280 at F4.0 available. This leaves a 220mm gap between the long end of the zoom and your 500 PF. I often shoot in Africa with a 200 F2, 300 PF and 500 PF and I rarely find that I need to fill the gap between the last two. Though I admit that I do carry a 1.4x f-mount converter that I could put on the 300 PF if I did need to shoot some extended time between 300 and 500. I personally stopped using the f-mount 1.7x and 2.0x at least 5 years ago due to the issues with those converters.

The only thing ByThom has said so far about the 70-200 s-line and the Z 2.0x converter is found here: https://www.zsystemuser.com/z-mount-len ... -lens.html where he states that "provides a very close focusing, seriously good 140-400mm f/5.6 lens". He does mention that Nikon's lens plan already has a lens in this range so it will only be a matter of which is better once the 100-400 is finally released.

So do you have any other lenses available that you haven't mentioned? And, if you have made previous trips to Africa, did you find that you needed to shoot between 280mm and 500mm a lot?
Tony
 

by mlgray12 on Wed May 19, 2021 6:28 pm
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Anthony Medici wrote:Michael,

I'm confused about parts of what you are saying. The 1.7x f-mount converter doesn't work with the 70-200 s-line lens. So the 1.7x doesn't help your mid-range focal lengths unless you have another lens you haven't yet mentioned. (Like the 70-200 AFS or 70-300 AFS or 300 PF)

You have the Z 1.4x converter and so you already have 70-200 at F2.8 available and 98-280 at F4.0 available. This leaves a 220mm gap between the long end of the zoom and your 500 PF. I often shoot in Africa with a 200 F2, 300 PF and 500 PF and I rarely find that I need to fill the gap between the last two. Though I admit that I do carry a 1.4x f-mount converter that I could put on the 300 PF if I did need to shoot some extended time between 300 and 500. I personally stopped using the f-mount 1.7x and 2.0x at least 5 years ago due to the issues with those converters.

The only thing ByThom has said so far about the 70-200 s-line and the Z 2.0x converter is found here: https://www.zsystemuser.com/z-mount-len ... -lens.html where he states that "provides a very close focusing, seriously good 140-400mm f/5.6 lens". He does mention that Nikon's lens plan already has a lens in this range so it will only be a matter of which is better once the 100-400 is finally released.

So do you have any other lenses available that you haven't mentioned? And, if you have made previous trips to Africa, did you find that you needed to shoot between 280mm and 500mm a lot?
Sorry about confussion Tony - I am using the f-mount TC's 1.4 & 1.7 with my 500mm f/5.6 PF with adapter on a Z7. I also have the Z-mount 1.4 TC that I use with a z-mount 70-200mm f/2.8 - I am lookingh at getting the z-mount 2.0x TC for the z-mount 70-200mm f/2.8. I am down to basically only two f-mount lens I use in field 500mm f/5.6 PF and 105mm f/2.8 micro.
I have never done Africa but one difference for me is that I will do as much bird photography as the trip allows - our guide is very experienced on birds of Kenya but I also plan on doing evrything else time allows including landscapes and of course the big game stuff
I plan on carrying two bodies - Z7 and Z7II that will be here next week. I have same experience as you and got rid of 2x and basically quit using the 1.7x with my former DSLR bodies. I have only started useing the 1.7x with the 500 PF due to the imporvement I have seen with the f-mount 1.4x with the Z7 but 1.7 needs nore testing
I have all 3  of the f2.8 s-line Z- mount lens from from 14mm to 200mm and 1.4 TC to push that range up to 280mm. Was going to use Z7II with 500mm PF and setup the Z7 with the 70-200 w/ or w/o TC. In some cases if a 2x TC works really well with 70-200 that could almost be used with out going to 500. Really love shooting with versility of the s-line lens with 3rd ring and faster focusiing-
But not interested if the new z-mount 2x TC is similar to the old f-mounts 2x's
And thanks for the info - I will check out Thorm and love any more insights you have on shooting Africa
I doubt I will get any more glass before trip in September since never joined NPS and anything really good came along before then would be to hard to get.
I do alot of insect butterfly work so the 2x sounds interesting based on what you said about Thorm article
Thanks
Mike
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by Anthony Medici on Wed May 19, 2021 9:07 pm
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In terms of your long lenses, I'd start with the 1.4x on the 70-200 s-line on the Z7 and the 500 PF using the FTZ on the Z7 II. I also don't think you need to fill the gap between the two with anything since with the 45mp cameras using a 280mm focal length and adding a 1.5x crop. Even with the crop you'll still have about a 19mp image which is just slightly less than if you'd used the same focal length on the D500. As for the 500, it's usage is based on the angle of view you need for various distant subjects where you add the appropriate converter at the last minute.

The usage between the two always starts with the straight 500mm. After taking a few images, make a decision about whether your composition is good, too loose or too tight. If the composition is good, shoot more. If the composition is too tight at 500mm, switch bodies, making sure the focal length is set to 280mm. If at that point the composition is now a bit too loose, plan to crop in post or set the body to DX mode. If the composition is too loose at 500mm, use one of the teleconverters. Remember you can apply a 1.5x crop and still have an effective 19mp image.

First, by not adding the 2x Z converter to the mix means one less piece of equipment that you need to juggle. Second that means you won't forget to remove the 2x once you zoom out pasted 280mm or 200mm potentially softening what could have been much sharper images.

My feeling is that the 14-24 and the 24-70 s-line lenses will get very little use compared to the other two lenses. Putting them in the bag is based on how likely it is that you'll use it and not over stuffing the bag to such a degree that the equipment starts to hinder you rather than help you. When Thom and I go on trips to Botswana, we generally recommend certain lenses/focal lengths to our participants based on our experience based at the locations we're going to. And then we remind them that less can be more when it comes to equipment. After all, the less there is to carry each day, the less tired you will be. And the less tired you are the less likely a mistake will be made in the heat of the moment.

I advise asking the guides what to expect to happen there and what equipment they recommend bring if you were packing a minimum bag and then a more fully equipped bag. Then, if it was me, I'd lean toward the minimum equipment route.

When I do bring more equipment it tends to be spare equipment, I will bring light overlapping gear that I could use if the main gear broke down. That might include bringing lenses like the 300 PF or 70-300 AFS, which a both light and small enough not to take up much room, yet could be used in an emergency. Teleconverters don't count as overlapping gear since, in your case, if the 70-200 s-line had issues, having another TC won't help it where having the 70-300 AFS would help. (You'd need a second FTZ to use an f-mount lens as a spare.) I should also note that since I lead trips to Botswana, I put overlapping gear in the bag if there is room for it since a participant might also be able to use it in a pinch. I tend to carry a third body, even if that body is less capable, so that I have overlap there too. Thom has been known to have a small pocket camera with a 24-70 effective focal length in his bag rather than bringing a bulky 24-70 lens.
Tony
 

by flygirl on Thu May 20, 2021 9:58 am
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Hi Michael

I am headed to Kenya in August. I will be taking my D500, Z7II, Nikon 500 f/5.6 PF, Nikon 300 f/4 PF, Nikon 70-200 f/4 and Nikon 24-85 f/3.5-4.5 plus Nikon 1.4EIII and Nikon 2.0III TC. You have so much cropability with the 45 MP Z, that I would not worry about the in between distances. Sorry, not really helping you with the original question but thought I would pop back in with my Africa equipment , since you mentioned you were headed there. I would mostly use my 2x on the Z with the 500mm for some of the very small birds like the malachite kingfishers, and such. Africa is an amazing place!!! I have been to Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana and Namibia, but many years ago, so cannot wait to head back with digital gear!!!
 

by mlgray12 on Tue May 25, 2021 5:59 pm
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Thanks for all the great input on lens options for my Africa trip - Tony I will use your experience to help minimize my bag.
Nancy - hope your trip goes well. I will be carrying both my 1.4 and 1.7 TC for use with my 500 PF on the Z7II with adapter- I got rid of my 2x years ago.
Trick now is how I setup my Z7 with my assortment of Z lens. probably mostly use the 70-200 with or w/o my z 1.4 TC
Understand probably don't really need the Z 2x TC but still would like to see how it works in real world - In some situations not necessarily Africa it would be handy to have use the 70-200 lens and have 2x when traveling super light that I van push to a 400mm for birds etc. - Also intriguing on using as a macro system because I do a lot of butterfly and insect photography and being able not to have to get as close as with my 105mm macro would help a lot
Again Thanks for all the input
Michael L. Gray
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by E.J. Peiker on Wed May 26, 2021 9:46 am
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Michael, Nikon does not list the Z teleconverters as being compatible with any lens except the Z 70-200.
 

by mlgray12 on Tue Jun 01, 2021 10:37 am
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Thanks EJ - I have the Z 70-200mm f/2.8 and the z-mount 1.4 TC works great with that lens - Never liked any Nikon 2x on any of my DSLRs even with fine tuning just trying to see if worth my while to get the z mount 2x so I can basically have a fairly lightweight kit that marginally lets me do some bird photography at 400mm without carrying my 500mm PF and have some zoom capability for other types of photography.- also would work as a backup if something happened to the 500PF
Michael L. Gray
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by E.J. Peiker on Tue Jun 01, 2021 2:13 pm
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mlgray12 wrote:Thanks EJ - I have the Z 70-200mm f/2.8 and the z-mount 1.4 TC works great with that lens - Never liked any Nikon 2x on any of my DSLRs even with fine tuning just trying to see if worth my while to get the z mount 2x so I can basically have a fairly lightweight kit that marginally lets me do some bird photography at 400mm without carrying my 500mm PF and have some zoom capability for other types of photography.- also would work as a backup if something happened to the 500PF
I misread your earlier post about Macro thinking that you wanted to use the TC with a macro lens but what you were actually saying is to press the 70-200 with TC into macro service.  My mistake.
 

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