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1.4x Teleconvertor, Canon vs Kenko

Started Mar 13, 2014 | Discussions thread
Steve Balcombe Forum Pro • Posts: 15,582
Re: 1.4x Teleconvertor, Canon vs Kenko

MisterBG wrote:

I'm considering a 1.4x teleconvertor and I was looking for opinions and comments on the Canon EF 1.4 MkIII against the Kenko 300 DGX.

Most use will be for wildlife, including BIF, and principally with the 70-200 F4L and 100-400 F4.5-F5.6L lenses on my 6D body.

What are the Pros and Cons of the two convertors please?

I have both. The Canon is the right choice for the MkII big whites - it's more solidly constructed which matters when you are handling all that weight, and it's the right diameter (the Kenko is smaller). Plus it includes electronic cleverness which (apparently) cooperates with those lenses for better AF performance. I honestly don't know how much difference that actually makes, but I know that both the MkIIIs perform superbly with my 300/2.8L II.

The Kenko on the other hand comes into its own when you want to put a TC on a lens which wasn't necessarily designed for it. It fits any lens with an EF mount (but NB not EF-S) so it's incredibly versatile. I've used mine on, for example, the 70-300L and the Sigma 150 macro.

But your lenses fall between those two situations, and you could make a case for either teleconverter. Do you have any other uses, or future upgrades, in mind?

Remember that with the 100-400L you will have an f/8 lens and AF performance will be reduced with a TC. Not necessarily a recommended combination for BIF! It might be wiser to use the bare lens and just crop those beautiful clean 6D images.

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