10 replies to this topic

[nick smith]

Hi all,
       can anyone tell me for sure if the nikon 60mm af-s will AUTO FOCUS with the kenko 1.4 pro 300 dxg teleconverter or for that matter any 3rd party 1.4 telecon
as reading many conflicting reports. with thanks, Nick

[JimSwims]

Hi Nick,

the Nikon 60mm AF-S will NOT Auto Focus with the Kenko TC's. I have both the DGX TC and the
AF-S lens and when put together the auto focus will just jitter as it tries and fails to focus.

The confusion may be because the older 60mm D lens will work with 3rd party TC's.


Cheers,
Jim.

[KirkD]

I have the AF-S 60mm Nikon and the Kenko 1.4 pro 300 teleconvertor. I just went outside and shot some images with it. It does work on my Nikon D90. However, sometimes I noticed that the focusing kind of jerk in and out before settling down. I really don't use this combo because I have a Nikon 105mm. I got the teleconvertor to use with the Tokina 10-17.

Kirk

[nick smith]

Hi all,
can anyone tell me for sure if the nikon 60mm af-s will AUTO FOCUS with the kenko 1.4 pro 300 dxg teleconverter or for that matter any 3rd party 1.4 telecon
as reading many conflicting reports. with thanks, Nick

thanks for the replys, I went to my local camera shop/store with my d90 and nikon 60mm af-s and did the try before you buy with a kenko 1.4 dgx pro 300 and it worked so I also tried the kenko mc4 af 1.4 dgx (non pro) and it worked, so tried both in my housing (sea&sea dx d80) and they both worked, only 1 slight problem
the sadle that holds the camera in the housing has to be removed to mount the teleconverter but once in place you just put sadle back on and your away, so anyway I went for the mc4 1.4 dgx and so far everythings fine.
cheers Nick

[Alex_Mustard]

Works. I have an occasional problem with my 1.4x - that the aperture sticks on the first image of a series.

Alex

[JimSwims]

Very interesting I better give mine another go then, not sure what I was doing wrong previously.

Left my camera at work so will have to give it another try tomorrow.

Cheers,
Jim

[os65]

Very interesting I better give mine another go then, not sure what I was doing wrong previously.

Left my camera at work so will have to give it another try tomorrow.

Cheers,
Jim

Just tested mine with nikon D300. Same phenomenon you mentioned earlier. Tries and jitter and occasionally locks focus but most of the time fails.

[JimSwims]

Ok, just to clarify again, I'm using a Nikkor AF-S 60mm G ED lens with a Kenko 1.4x Pro 300 DGX Teleconverter on a Nikon D90.

It most certainly does struggle with Auto Focus and in low or indoor light situations just jitters in and out trying to get a lock without
being able to release the shutter. I previously had similar result and wrote it of as useless. I just now gave it a go with a powerful focus
light (Sola 600) something I did not have to use previously. This assisted greatly and allows me to shoot some frames off however it does
still struggle and not get a lock speedily or reliably. Despite this I think its worth my time taking it for a dive and seeing how good or bad
it performs in the field with awareness of its limitations. May work somewhat better behind the Flat Port with the Woody's Diopter?

Could be fun for some dives dedicated to tiny Nudis and/or assorted Sessile Invertebrates. As I have these items in hand its worth a
try instead of forking out for anything new. Sure though it won't be long before I just end up getting a Nikon 105mm VR and some FIT
diopters.

Cheers,
Jim.

[Alex_Tattersall]

Mine works too, and with the Tokina 10-17mm

[sasdasdaf]

For those of you who the combination of AF-S 60 mm works with 1.4x TC, does it work in fits and starts or does it really work well? Does it work well enough that you are able to use it for supermacro shots and shots of skittish subjects? Or is the AF jerky and unreliable?

[JimSwims]

Mine works too, and with the Tokina 10-17mm

Hi Alex both you and Alex.M reported it works but didn't mention on what cameras. Mine also works without AF issues on the 10-17 with my D90. I
feel that the camera body is part of the equation here. Either that or I've got a dud TC or Lens?

Just gave the 60mm combo a go UW yesterday and while it was incredibly frustrating and difficult to use it will remain an option to me until I decide
to do further equipment upgrades. As I reported from my topside tests AF was very unreliable and required strong light. Subjects needed a lot of
patience and so did I which was a struggle in the 10°C water. I got some nice images and was happy with the IQ, so it will be getting some more use
in the coming Spring months as the Nudi's repopulate.

AF was(sometimes) just good enough to get the focus in the ball park then I would switch to manual focus and rock back and forth to get focus crisp
before releasing shutter. A focus ring would help further but as I don't have it I couldn't use one.

Conclusion for me is that this combo on the D90 is at best a stop gap and way too unreliable slow to use for quick moving subjects. I guess the superior
Pro camera bodies with better AF should yield better results.


Cheers,
Jim.