Crop Camera Or Full Frame Camera With A 1.4 Teleconverter?

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I'm not a wildlife photographer at all, just the same, all of your videos help me tremendously. I'm a surf photographer... talk about erratic movement! Those guys/girls are all over the map... in mere seconds. Great ebook, a constant reference, many thanks!

Should do this again with the D850 since it has the same pixel density as the D500. Without the TC they should be equal and with a TC I'm interested to know if the lenses can even resolve more detail than simply cropping.

Good videos Steve Doesn't matter what system the photographer has landed himself in, you give very good information for all. You don't play bias, which is very refreshing.

Steve has to be one of the best youtubers out there. Thanks for all the videos you make, they are all super helpful.

There is one factor not really discussed here and that is that a TC is optical and actually increases the focal length of your lens! A crop sensor camera is simply, well a crop and always only a crop. So it does not actually increase the actual focal length of the lens like a TC does. Just saying that you might want to consider this?

Steve, Steve, Steve. I am a subscriber to your channel. Have watched more YouTube videos than I care to admit. Props Brother. I really appreciate your well thought out, to the point, fairly well controlled videos on topics like this. I didn't need a video like this until now when this issue arose. I appreciate you taking the time to control the experiment and variables in the mix, to make it real world as well, and to anticipate natural comments and suggestions for comparisons. Your type are few and far between and for that, this beginner, has to give you props and a shout out. WELL DONE!So if you have the time, I'm going to ask a quick question (and I believe the answer is now obvious). My first camera was a D850 (I know, I know...but it met the needs I was going to have and I've never regretted making that choice). I love sports and have found myself shooting BIF/etc for the better part of 5 months. I have the 200-500mm f.5.6 zoom and bought the teleconverter 14TC III used for a great price (still can return it and probably will). The issue was exactly what you bring up here with multiple possibilities (one of which did not exist when you made this video).  1. Cheapest route: 14 TC III for needed reach. 2. Slightly more expensive (buy a D500), or 3. Save for years and buy both the 400mm f2.8 and/or 600mm f/4 (assuming a 6t00mm f5.6 isn't available this summer). I realize with the D500 there is a fall off in resolution, but an increase in fps, buffering, a second fall back camera body. If I understand your points correctly, using the 200-500 mm f5.6 (would be f/8 with TC14 II) is not likely to suite the needs of someone shooting BIF/fast autofocus etc. If used, it would be more for static subjects, in bright light, and with faster lenses. And then there is the 4th possibility: Use the D850 with stronger battery (fps up to 9, and crop) (I realize the buffer isn't as good, and pixel density isn't as high on D850) or go with the D500? Stronger batter + charger etc $600, D500 with vertical grip now $1900 new). Aside from buying the really expensive glass, what is your recommendation D850 w/stronger battery, D500, or TC?  Thanks for your patience with my question. Appreciate your videos. Keep them coming.

Great video and a big reason why I added a D7200. Fast forward and I sold that and a D750 to get the D850. Since the D850 has about a 20 mp crop, does that render about as well as the D500, especially since it has no AA filter.

That thumbs up to thumbs down ratio should easily tell you how fantastic this video is. Great work! I absolutely love your videos, the quality is amazing, and you articulate everything well. Looking forward to the next video!

This is a very interesting and useful comparison - thank you very much for going to the trouble of doing it for us. Your production quality, testing and flawless logic always impresses me. Thanks for making these videos Steve!

Steve, it can't get any better than this. Man - I have alot of viewing & reading to do in your site & channel

Hi Steve. I’m a hobbyist photographer and enjoy your videos on various photography issues. I’ve been doing nature & wildlife photography for the last thirteen years for my own pleasure. I’m a Canon user. After a lot of thoughts and calculations; I bought the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM tele lens. Always use it with teleconverters both on full frame and APS-C bodies. I frequently make it 600mm with a 2x converter and use it both with full-frame and APS-C bodies. I understand a 600mm f/4 would certainly yield better results however, I can carry my own rig in the field for considerable amount of time and sometimes shoot handheld. With the 600mm mounted on the camera; just forget it. That’s the tradeoff I’ve accepted. Moreover, the IQ loss is so minimal; common viewers are unable to distinguish between the images. Thank you for your great videos. Keep up the good work.

Great Video Steve ! Thanks again. I had my heart set on the the 300mm prime f/4 PF ED lens to match with my d810 and after spending a couple hours at the store comparing it with the 200-500 f/5.6 ( which was very slow to focus in my opinion ) and the 80-400 f/4.5-5.6 VR I decided on the 80-400. The speed of focus acquisition was almost as fast as the 300mm prime but also afforded me the added reach of 400mm without fumbling around with a teleconverter. The focusing speed and sharpness added up to it being a great lens.

Awesome video! As an amateur photographer this was really easier to understand. Always wondered why some pros use crop sensors still, and this answered it. Thanks for the hard work making this, much appreciated.

opinion based on pure practice, while other reviewers talk nonsense.. thumbs up

Your content is always top-notch, you are one of the best for sure! I'm starting out with mirrorless cameras (mainly for video, but photography is also surprisingly pleasing, it's been a long time since it was this fun!) and shooting with full-frame cameras is perhaps somewhere down in the line, no hurry whatsoever in my usage. Even so, for the longest of time, i've been wondering how teleconverters effect. Now i'm much better informed! And as you mentioned, that's even one of the best you have there, many others will degrade even more. Still, it's a piece of equipment that adds versatility to the kit. One just has invest on good quality and even then, not expect exactly miracles. Thanks a lot!

Very interesting video, and your wildlife shots are bloody excellent! Thanks for sharing :)

I've had both the TC-14E and TC-17E converters for use with my Nikon 400mm 2.8 and ended selling them both for the reasons in this video. The 1.7x was definitely worse than the 1.4x and was only barely acceptable when stopped down 1.5 stops. I ended up just adding a D500 to my kit, and now I shoot with a D4s and D500. I had a Nikon D850, but found myself almost always using it in DX crop mode so I sold it to buy the D500 and some glass.

Steve, thank you for this video as it showed me why, I don't need the teleconverter that I was considering, since I have both full frame D750 and the D500. I was considering the tc17eII.

Just bought a D780. Looks like I’ll be keeping my D7500... great video, thank you for tackling this tricky subject.