AF-S Teleconverter TC-20E III 2x + Nikon AF-s 70-200mm f/2.8D G ED-IF VR

AFS-TC-20E-III

Lens Elements: 7

Lens Groups: 5

Optical Conversion Factor: 2.0x

Maximum Reproduction Ratio:  Double That of a Prime Lens

Closest focusing distance: Same as that of a prime lens

Weight: Approx. 11.06 oz. (330g)

The TC-20E III is the biggest and the longest teleconverter manufactured by Nikon. This teleconverter offers a new optical design, adding an aspherical element, which virtually eliminates coma and other aberrations, especially at wide apertures.  Due to the considerable number of additional glass elements, the lens sharpness performance can suffer significantly, depending on the quality of the lens but in my opinion the new Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G VR II works beautifully with the Nikon TC-20E III when stopped down a little. There is some loss of sharpness, but it retains detail far more than I was expecting.

I use them mounted on a D700, I can actually hand-hold and get a tack sharp shot. but when you use a TC, you are increasing focal length and also add some extra weight  so… extra care must be taken to stabilize your lens to get sharp shots. AF-S means Auto Focus – Silent, meaning that this converter only autofocuses with AF-S and AF-I lenses. Like other teleconverters, the Nikon TC-20E III has fixed lens elements that do not move when focus ring or zoom ring are touched on the lens. This means that the lens is protected very well against dust and moisture. Nikon TC-20E III has a rugged all-metal exterior and a metal mount that is built to last a lifetime. The solid construction, along with a whopping 7 elements make it one heavy teleconverter, weighing a total of 330 grams without a lens attached.

As a conclusion I can say that adding this teleconverter to 70-200mm f/2.8G VR  II get a new target of “140-400mm f/5.6″ a little heavier and longer, you lose two stops of aperture and a bit of sharpness .

In pictures posted below I have included one picture with VR on – active mode and VR on normal mode and a series with the same subject using different focal lengths at  apertures f5, 6 and f8. Images posted are at a resolution of 1024 pixels, NEF’s were edited in Adobe Lightroom, the only changes made ​​were sharpness (amount 60 radius 1) and the camera calibration profiles from changed from adobe standard to camera standard.

A zip file containing images at full resolution is available here:  http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2951138/publish%20%20full%20res.rar.