1.4 Teleconverter trial
 

Took my 400mm f5.6 non IS lens with a Canon 1.4 tc attached out on Saturday to see how this combo faired handheld. The light was good but I bumped up the ISO to 800 to ensure fast shutter speeds. The attached shots had speeds of between 1/1000 and 1/3200 with the exception of the Sparrow which was 1/500 sec.
Remember this lens has not got IS and all shots are handheld - focal length of 560mm with a FOV of 896 mm. Must say I was fairly pleased with the results.

birds, sheep and blokes look good to me. I don't think it is the right approach to flowers or particularly successful and especially as they don't fly or run away you can get close anyhow and concentrate on the best DOF and lighting combo.

Thanks for the comments Chris - I would never use this combo to snap flowers normally (I find my 70-200 very good for this), nor am I in the habit of snapping the rear of cyclist - I was on a trial to see if I could hand hold the combo and was shooting anything in sight. What I hoped I have proved is that the Non IS 400mm f5.6 and 1.4 tc is handholdable and you can get sharp shots in good light.

I'd be well pleased..must admit, I'd looked at a converter being part of my kit at some future point but was worried whether it would be a workable item. I shall worry no more! Good thread.
Al.

I have had similar success with my Canon 400 mm f5.6. I normally use a mono pod which is not too much trouble to carry about. It is also quite useful for getting back on ones feet after kneeling down for a while.

John.

Hard to notice any side effect of TC.

I think you have found how good it can be with the converter Roy. The photos speak for themselves. I was amazed at the clarity without the expense of a 500mm prime. increasing the ISO gets you round a lot of the problems with the limitations of the cheaper alternative (noise). With todays technology of the better sensors who needs to spend thousands.

A teleconverter is high on my wish list but, like Al Tee, i wasn't sure that it would work well enough. Your tests are reassuring although I would be using mine with a 75-300 mm zoom.

Snowyowl, this was taken on my Canon 100/400 mm, with a Canon 1.4 x extender fitted and hand held with the aid of a mono pod. The crop occupies about 60% of the original picture area. 1/320 s @ f6.3 (8.9), IS on.

John

Just a word of caution Dan - A tc does not work well on all lens and in particular some zoom lenses (the 100-400 being an exception) Also a Canon tc will only fit a limited number of Canon lenses. So you need to do your homework before buying.