Is it viable? Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L IS II USM with Canon 2x extender III.

B

Budgieboots

Well-known member
Hello,

I am interested in combining a Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L IS II USM with the Canon 2x extender III to get a 400mm F/5.6 lens.

Is the image reasonably sharp? How is the auto-focus? I have read conflicting reports online. Some are saying it's as good as the Canon 100-400 ii, others not so much.

My intended use would be for casual bird photography in urban settings, so I don’t think I would need the massive range of something like a 150-600. The birds would already be somewhat tame so I would be able to get closer.
 
Best way to answer these questions would be to rent a combo from your local rental house and test the results yourself. I know most companies allow you to reduce the cost of the rental off the purchase of new gear if you like the results.
 
For photos, the extender and 70-200 do not quite match the Canon 100-400 II. For video on a DSLR, there is no loss in quality. Of course, the 100-400 is a beautiful lens that matches quality of the 70-200 II. With the extender, the 70-200 loses a small amount of fine detail and shows a hint of CA. The image is certainly good, though.
 
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/ISO-12233-Sample-Crops.aspx?Lens=687

You can compare it to other lenses on test charts. It has samples at 70, 100, 135, 200 and 280(1.4x) and 400(2x)

I don't have a 2xIII, so I can't comment directly, but I do have the 20-200 2.8 II and the 100-400 II and they are both top-notch lenses. I just picked up the 100-400 last fall, because I had a big discount voucher from Canon and it is a beautiful lens. Sharp, fast AF(if using it as a still lens) and VERY close focus.
 
I just got the 70-200 2.8 USM II last month, and flirted with the idea of the 100-400. I do have situations where I'm shooting a concert and I'm way back in the control booth and a 100-400 would come in handy. I thought I would just get the extender too so I looked into it a bit. Tony Northrop has a comparison video with and without the extender and says there is no image loss with the extender...... for what it's worth.
 
I use the 70-200 f2.8 L IS II USM with the EF 2xIII TC all the time. I only use the EF 2XIII TC on the 70-200 f2.8 L IS II USM lens and the 400 mm f2.8 IS lens. Results with other lenses with 2xII or 2xIII TC is not good.

Also, I use the autofocus with the combo. It works fine. Remember, when you use a TC with any lens, the speed of autofocus comes down a bit. Not much with this combo and it works for me for shooting stills as well as video.

PS: I do a lot of wildlife. Prefer the canons to the 150-600
 
Excellent, thank you for that information indiawilds.

I was wondering about the Sigma/Tamron 150-600's as well -- but one thing that kept coming up in the reviews is that they would eventually "upgrade" to the Canon's later on.
 
I've owned that combo for some years... saw no issue in it at all, in fact it would produce some nice bokeh... Haven't used it for video, but I can't imagine it being any worse.

Are you sure it's only 5.6 with extender on? Could have sworn it was f8...
 
UPDATE:

I've been enjoying the combo of 70-200 f2.8 L IS II USM with the EF 2xIII TC to bring me to 400mm.

It makes something like a very small backyard robin or sparrow fill about 25% of the frame if your 4-5 meters away from it.

In response to legrevedotcom, my camera body is indicating it's F5.6 when I put the TC on.
 
Very MArginally heavier not as good as the 100-400II. In general very usable. Quality is better than the 150-600. if you already own a 70-200 buy the extender, else buy the 100-400Lii directly.

If 70-200 is better for portrait or low light shooting. 100-400 is good for day time shooting
 
legrevedotcom said:
I've owned that combo for some years... saw no issue in it at all, in fact it would produce some nice bokeh... Haven't used it for video, but I can't imagine it being any worse.

Are you sure it's only 5.6 with extender on? Could have sworn it was f8...
Click to expand...

Sure is 5.6 use it all the time
 
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