Well, I changed my mind. I ordered a 80-400VR to be delivered and the next day after I placed the order I got an e-mail to call the company and confirm. I called to confirm and at the last minute changed to a 70-200VR. I've been looking at everyones lens kits and this one seems to be a must have. It will be my first "pro glass". I would like to use a teleconverter with it at some point. I do realize it will make it slower, but will it change the quality of the shots I get with this lens? If so, will the change in quality be drastic? Since I'd like to get some bird shots I think I need a 2X. If I had my druthers I would get the 200-400VR along with the 70-200VR but since I'm just a hard working poor girl I've got to make do with what I can! Alot of ya'll suggested the 300 f/4 and I would love to have that too, but I decided to start with a good base lens and work with it. I hope I made a good decision. I do plan to shoot more than just birds. Everyone at the cafe has been great with their advice. Thanks ya'll!
Kim : Great lens, and it works well with TCs, but... ... some TCs are better than others. I shoot with the TC14EII and the TC17E on this with solid results. I've tested the TC20E and been disappointed with the results. I've used the Kenkos, and I didn't like them as much as the Nikon TCs. That's a very personal finding. The upside of the Kenkos is that they can be used with a wider variety of lenses. Have a look at Janet Zinn's shots and you can see the Kenkos can be made to shine quite brightly in service (but you'll need to learn to shoot like Janet - one of the best "teeney-tiny bird shooters" you can find anywhere !). Sad to say, but if you're going to get serious about bird shooting, you'll either get your close-up stalking skills improved, or you'll eventually get longer glass. I had to do both ! And I'm still working on getting to be a passable bird photographer. One word of warning on your next lens choice, however. Now that you're going with a very snappy AFS lens, you'll be a bit chagrined about the speed of a non-AFS lens for birding. I ended up getting the 200-400mm AFS/VR, myself. This is an addictive and expensive thing ! Hope this helps. John P.
Kim, There is minimal image quality difference when using the 1.4...I have never used the 1.7...and there is some softness when using the 2.0 Obviously, the TCs slow the lens down as well, if you are shooting in low light situations...you will have to shoot at slower shutter speeds depending on the ambient lighting.
Kim, You sure made a great purchase on your first pro lens. I use a TC14EII with my 70-200 VR and it works great. Like Frank said you should see very little quality difference with the TC14 on your lens.
Great pic for your first lens!!! you wont be disappointed...............highly recommend the TC14eII , great combo and will help you with your bigger tele down the road ;-) Congrats onyour new purchase!
Kim - Great lens you've acquired! Congrats! I have the TC14EII and the TC20EII, both of which I've used on the 70-200 VR and the 300 f4. With the TC14, it's almost like you haven't added anything other than some distance to the lens. Very little difference, if any, in focusing speed or sharpness. Quite a different story with the TC20. I only use that now when I can shoot rather stationary subjects and need the extra focal length. The focus is just too slow for birds in flight and I do notice some loss of sharpness. I have no experience with the TC17 (other than having it high on my LLD list!), but I have seen some nice shots others have taken with it.
A TC20E on the 70-200mm f/2.8 will take you down 2 stops and introduce softness. That's a lot slower for AF and the quality will be worse. The problem is not really the TC itself, but the 70-200mm isn't sharp enough to maintain high quality on the TC. That isn't to say the 70-200mm isn't sharp. In fact, it probably is the fastest and sharpest zoom there is. It's just that the TC20E tends to work better on the 200mm f/2.0. I suppose it might not be too bad as a stop gap to hold you over. However, the ideal scenario would be the 70-200mm f/2.8 VR that you just purchased with a TC14E. Later on, buy a AF-S 300mm f/4 prime and use that same TC14E on it.
I'd suggest holding off on the TC for a while after getting your lens. When you crop your pictures at 200mm, take note how much you crop, then get the TC that will accomplish that much magnification. I agree that the less magnification you take from a TC the better your image will look.
Thanks for all the info. I was really leaning on getting the TC20E but after reading about others experience with it I won't. Maybe I'll do like Chris suggested and hold off till I can decide between the 1.4 or 1.7. Thanks for saving me $500 and disappointment. kim
