RF Extender 1.4x - first impression

I'm not going to call this a review, just a quick first impression. I thought I'd decided not to get one of these - they don't represent very good value at £550 to fit just one lens (in my bag) for the foreseeable future. And the RF 100-500 is constrained to 300-500 with the TC fitted, so a combined focal length of 420-700 mm which could obviously be limiting. Last but not least, at 700 mm it's an f/10 combination so it's pretty slow.

Actually the 420-700 mm limitation is not so bad really - after all a 500/4L IS II plus 1.4x is constrained to 500 or 700 mm with nothing in between, with the added inconvenience of having to physically add/remove the EF Extender to switch between the two focal lengths. But the other consequence is that the RF 100-500 cannot be fully collapsed for stowing in a bag with the Extender fitted, and it's a pretty long combination.

So with all these grumbles, why on earth did I buy one? Well, I wanted to increase the reach of the 100-500 on my R5 so that it would more often be enough to allow me to leave the huge and frankly PITA 600/4L IS III at home. Also it would be much lighter in use, which should allow me to react faster and track better especially as I would be able to dispense with the tripod/monopod. And well, reviews have been favourable, so a couple of days ago I took the plunge.

To say I'm impressed is a major understatement. Image quality is outstanding, and focusing on the R5 proceeds apparently unaffected (though bear in mind this is just a first impression). This is a 100% crop of one the first frames I shot on a quick walk when we had a sunny spell (view 'original size' to see it properly):

This is as near as possible an unprocessed image (you can see that it needs noise reduction). The feather detail - 100% crop on a 45 MP sensor remember - is pin sharp. The moiré, by the way, is not a sensor artefact, it's the actual moiré pattern caused by overlapping feather barbs which the camera has faithfully recorded. And this is a hand-held shot taken standing with no elbow support or other form of cheating!

Here's another shot taken a little further along the walk, this time a more processed shot but still a fairly heavy crop, and taken in less favourable light:

The background is only a few yards away, but even at f/10 there is enough blur for a satisfactory shot.

So yes I am well pleased. We're not talking about a replacement for the 600 plus TC, which still has more reach and much more aperture, but I do now have a very satisfactory small and light alternative.

Agree with your impressions.  The 1.4x has hardly been off my 100-500 ever.  A fine-performing combo!  Enjoy!

R2

I've been seeing good things out of this combo -- i'tll be mine one day!  Nice shots!  Thanks for sharing the info.