• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

400mm f5.6 with 1.4x tc (1 Viewer)

M

midlandbirder

Well-known member
hi i am thinking of getting the 400mm f5.6 and using it with a 1.4x tc. Will i have to tape the pins to retain the use of the auto focus?
Thanks in advance for any info
 
Unless you use a cheap non reporting tc (not recommended) you will need to tape the pins as Paul says. I have been out with my 400 f5.6 and taped tc today and got some nice images.
 
Yes you will have to tape the pins with the 300D, 350D, 400D, 20D, 30D and 40D.

Mind you I use a Kenko 1.5 MC teleconverter which is non-reporting which is auto but doesn't need pins taping. I prefer it over my Canon 1.4x.
 
Just finished looking at some of your images with that setup ian, the results look great any idea where i can purchase one of thoose converters at a good price?
 
You can get the Kenko Pro 300 for £50 (ish) + P&P from Hong Kong. I paid a total of £69 for mine and it arrived in 5 days. (£149 at Warehouse Express).
 
mike from ebbw said:
If you get it off Ebay shop "UR Galaxy" they will mark it as a gift to avoid import duty.The turnaround for mine was 6 days from paying to delivery.
Click to expand...

I think you'll find C&E are wise to this ploy - some may still get through but it's a big risk as you'll likely still have to pay duty, rightly so too!
 
midlandbirder said:
has anybody had any problems with autofoucs hunting or being generally slow when using 1.4 x with taped pins?
Click to expand...

Always I'm afraid. It seems to be a fact of life when taping the pins. Not so much being slow as hunting sometimes. If the focus is pretty near anyway it can be lightning fast.
 
mike from ebbw said:
If you get it off Ebay shop "UR Galaxy" they will mark it as a gift to avoid import duty.The turnaround for mine was 6 days from paying to delivery.
Click to expand...

This may or may not work, but, as Ian says, you are responsible for paying the duty and VAT...failure to do so is an offence and can lead to criminal prosecution.

Here is a quote from the HM Revenue & Customs website, specifically about Internet purchasing, I have highlighted a few key bits:

"Some unscrupulous overseas suppliers openly advertise on the internet, or on their websites that they will deliberately either misdescribe items or underdeclare their value in order to evade customs charges that are legally due on importation. You should be aware that although the foreign sender may have completed the customs declaration form on the parcel you are regarded (in law) as the importer of the goods and responsible for the information on the declaration, and any customs charges that may be due. This means that if you purchase goods from these suppliers and the declaration is found to be false or misleading you may be liable to financial penalties or criminal prosecution. Furthermore the goods themselves will be liable to forfeiture. It is in your own interests to ensure Customs declarations are completed properly."

So, maybe people shouldn't be so quick to offer advice on how to break the law, or admit the same on a public forum... ;)
 
Last edited:
I wouldnt have had any problems paying the duty/tax if this was made clear to me at the start, but when my new bit of kit turned up and i was all excited to see the delivery van outside it was just a kick in the nuts to hand over a cheque for £40 that i wasnt warned about!!
 
midlandbirder said:
has anybody had any problems with autofoucs hunting or being generally slow when using 1.4 x with taped pins?
Click to expand...

I occasionally use a Canon 1.4x TC, with a 350D and 100-400mm, i've found that the image stabiliser is okay, but autofocus is lost, unless of course, you tape the pins. This results in quite a lot of hunting, so i prefer to use manual focusing.
Hope this helps.

Al.
 
midlandbirder said:
has anybody had any problems with autofoucs hunting or being generally slow when using 1.4 x with taped pins?
Click to expand...
I have used a taped tc and the 400mm f5.6 with 3 different cameras and the AF speed and hunting has been different on each.

350D A lot of hunting and so slow AF speed - gave up with it in the end

30D Worked very well and only hunted in poor light or poor contrast

40D Does not work well on centre focus point only unless very good light and contrast.

In general I reckon that with a taped tc the Kenko Pro works a bit better than a Canon tc (have not got a clue why).
 
Last edited:
Ian, I wonder if you could clarify a couple of points relating to the Kenko 1.5x MC? I assume it's non-reporting hence non need to tape pins. Can you say why you prefer it to the other options?
 
Re Tim's point above :I have always assumed (correct me if I am wrong) That if you take a reporting tc and stick a piece of tape over the three pins then you have a non reporting tc that should act the same as a cheap non reporting one (only difference being that the taped one has better glass).

If this is so then 30 seconds of your time to stick a piece of cello tape on the pins is very worthwhile if you are going to get a better quality end result.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 15 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

M
Sigma 150-600 Lens Alternatives
Replies
4
Views
1K
mike nesbitt
M
B
Canon EF 400/f5.6 L USM + EOS 7D Mk II combo anyone???
Replies
2
Views
969
BoldenEagle
B
MrYama
Fuji 70-300mm +1.4 TC vs +Cropping (w/ X-T4)
Replies
2
Views
343
Ignatius
Ignatius
C
I've got a Canon R7 and need to update my lenses
Replies
15
Views
1K
Barred Wobbler
Barred Wobbler
BenjiS
Budget Canon lens
Replies
8
Views
1K
nikitasius
N

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top