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Nikon's 200-400 f/4 and the TC-17e

Discussion

2 replies
Posted by Paul Di Biase on October 8, 2006 at 6:58 PM
I am wondering if anybody has used this combination in the field and what they think of it. I keep hearing conflicting stories about the speed of autofocus. The image quality does not seem the issue, only the autofocus speed. If you have field experience I would appreciate hearing from you.

Thanks.
Posted by IngeW on October 9, 2006 at 9:24 AM
I have used this combo. The autofocus slows a bit, but it is still usable for most things. I have a hard time chasing birds, but things like marmot and elk are no problem. I tend to try to stick with the TC14e with this lens.
Posted by Randy Hanna on October 9, 2006 at 6:37 PM
I have used this combination for everything from jets (thunderbirds) to and have found that if I do my part in good solid tracking (good pod, and ball head with panning mount (Kirk) and have predictive focus ON; I can usually do just fine. Somtimes I will limit the focus zone if I can predict what is going to happen (air show). I like the 17e best on the 300 f2.8, but what a heavy animal (don't own yet, just rented a few times for special needs) and the 14e for the 200-400. In this combination, things just seem to click a little better, PLUS you don't drop much in f-stop. Let me know if you want to see some results.