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Extender EF 1.4x II
This tele extender can be used with fixed focal length lenses 135mm and longer (except the 135mm f/2.8 Softfocus lens), and the EF 70-200 f/2.8L, 70-200 f/2.8L IS, 70-200 f/4.0L, 70-200 f/4.0L IS USM, and 100-400 f/4.5-5.6L IS zoom lenses. Superb optically, it preserves the image quality of the lens it's mounted to and multiplies its focal length 1.4x. Effective aperture is reduced by one f-stop; autofocus is possible on any EOS camera when combined with a lens having an f/4 or faster maximum aperture. The new version II maintains the outstanding optics of the previous version, and adds enhanced weather-resistant construction, and improved anti-reflective surfaces in the barrel.
Average Customer Rating:
4.6
out of 5
8 out of 8(100%)customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Extender EF 1.4x II
Review 1 for Extender EF 1.4x II
Overall Rating
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Features
4
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Performance
4
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Price/Value
4
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Quality
4
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Satisfaction
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Nickname: Steve
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
My disapointment
Date: October 26, 2009
Cons: Semi-sharp images, no auto focus
My only disappointment is that the 2x and 1.4x extenders will not work on autofocus with the EF 800mm f/5.6 IS USM super telephoto. The viewfinder does not have the resolution to get a sharp focus (except, perhaps by luck). If it is a technical problem with the design of the extender, then having a split ring focus would be very helpful. -- and, according to the specs, the 1.4x should work on auto focus with the 800 mm lens, but it does not!
4 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for Extender EF 1.4x II
Overall Rating
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5
Features
5
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5
Performance
5
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Price/Value
5
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5
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5
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Nickname: scooter
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: No
not just for long telephotos
Date: September 5, 2009
Pros: Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus, good contrast, preserves sharpness, usable with t/s lens
I mostly use the EF 1.4x II with the EF 500/4 IS on a 5D, where it preserves most of the contrast while magnifying the image so that details invisible with the prime lens alone are resolved - but that might be less noticeable with chrome or a 1DsIII. Degradation of lens AF speed is not noticeable with the 5D. One unusual use I've found for it is with the 24mm T/S-E.
Yep, it works beautifully with the wide-angle to give a 34mm T/S lens where it retains all the detail from the prime lens, but doesn't show much detail that was previously unresolved. More importantly, it retains contrast well and doesn't interfere with tilt and shift movements. The camera doesn't register the lens/TC combination or f/stop in the display or EXIF data, but metering is unaffected. Remember to compensate the DOF scale by a stop wider (f/8 in display, f/11 with TC, f/5.6 on DOF). When you stop to think about it, the mechanical construction of the TS lenses, with the rear elements far forward as in a telephoto, force the optical behavior to be similar too, so I suspect the 1.4x will work with all the T/S lenses, except possibly the new 17mm.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for Extender EF 1.4x II
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
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5
Performance
5
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5
Price/Value
5
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Quality
5
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Satisfaction
5
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Nickname: EOS4me
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: Yes
New and improved?
Date: August 7, 2009
Pros: Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus, minimal image degradation
Sold my old EF 1.4X and replaced with the newest version. No detectible image improvements that I can find using EF 70-200 2.8L IS, EF 300 2.8L USM, EF 300 2.8L IS USM, EF 400 2.8L USM IS lenses on EOS 1D, EOS 1Ds, EOS 1Ds mkII bodies even when bolted to my heavy studio tripod. Well at least it didn't hurt my image quality and it is not ratty looking as my old one was really old and used a lot.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for Extender EF 1.4x II
Overall Rating
out of
5
Nickname: jab
AF in Live View
Date: April 1, 2009
I just discovered that, even though Canon states that AF does not work with the 1.4x on a lens slower than f/4 (without the pin taping trick - which I have not tried), AF does indeed work when shooting with Live View in Live mode (at least it does on the Xsi with an EF 100-400 + EF 1.4x).
19 of 20 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for Extender EF 1.4x II
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
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5
Performance
5
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Price/Value
5
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Quality
5
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Satisfaction
5
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Nickname: Tominadel
Location: Iowa
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: No
Great choice for bird photography!
Date: March 14, 2009
Pros: Super-sharp images, Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus, does not fog
When combined with the EF 100-400 f 4.5 - 5.6 IS lens, this lets you get better shots of skitish birds with ease. I find it versatile, from passerine canopy shots and raptors on the wing, to waterfowl and gulls this is a relatively inexpensive way to give you that little extra "umph" which turns mediocre shots into excellent ones. I find the quality and sharpness of the image to be fine and am really quite happy with it. That it is stackable is a plus, I only have one but it is nice to know this is available.
15 of 15 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for Extender EF 1.4x II
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
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5
Performance
5
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Price/Value
5
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Quality
5
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Satisfaction
5
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Nickname: Nimrod
Location: Texas
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: No
1340 mm!
Date: February 22, 2009
Pros: Super-sharp images, Superior build quality, reasonable price
I have been using a 1.4X with my 600 f:4 for a number of years and it is an excellent solution for getting frame filling images of small birds. Using it with the 600 on a 30D (telephoto factor 1.6X) actually gives me a 1340 mm f:5.6. Have you priced the 1200 f:5.6 (if you can find one)? A great piece of equipment, at least when combined with the fast prime telephotos.
7 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for Extender EF 1.4x II
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
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Quality
5
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Satisfaction
5
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Nickname: TJ
Location: Michigan
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: No
Good value!
Date: February 1, 2009
Pros: Superior build quality, Fast auto-focus
Cons: Semi-sharp images
I have a canon 50D and use a 70-200 2.8/f IS lense and shoot sports. I use the 1.4x and get good results. I only use when I have to. It certainly is no replacement for a 300 or 400 lens. Sometimes it is better to get a distant shot and zoom in photoshop. I believe this is the Best extender available on the market. I hardly ever use my 2x because of th deteriation in picture quality. If you have a 70-200 F/2.8 IS then I would pick up the 1.4x to compliment the lens. The auto focus shoul be used with this lens and you will experience fast relativly clean photos. If you can not aford a 300 or 400 then this is super!
49 of 49 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for Extender EF 1.4x II
Overall Rating
out of
5
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
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Quality
5
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Satisfaction
5
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Nickname: Blake
Location: Washington, DC
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
Great tool to have in the toolbox
Date: November 8, 2008
Pros: Superior build quality, like having two lenses in one, especially useful on primes, weathersealed
Though it's no substitute for a zoom lens (just try putting one on in a moving land rover on a bumpy dirt road!), owning a 1.4x TC is like having two lenses in one. With stabilized lenses and modern DSLRs that make fine images at ISO1600 and above, the lost stop of brightness is not a big deal and a worthy compromise when the extra reach is needed. I find that image quality is affected about as much as using an uncoated UV filter: there's an extremely slight loss of contrast and sharpness, but it's barely noticable. It's really not worth worrying about when having the TC makes the difference between getting a mediocre shot and getting the shot you want, and it can mostly be compensated for in post-processing afterwards. I've read that the 1.4x is much better than the 2x in this regard, but I don't own a 2x so I can't speak from experience. Apparently some folks even stack several TCs together for astrophotography.
If you can afford any of the lenses that fit the 1.4x TC, getting one is a no-brainer as it's a fraction of the price of any of them (other than the 70-200 f/4L, which is an excellent value itself if you don't need IS). It especially adds versatility and value to prime lenses. If you have two or more L telephotos (I've got the 70-200 f/4L and the 135 f/2L), it's an even better investment.
83 of 91 people found this review helpful.
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