Review 5 of 5
Summary: The front element and element housing protrudes, making this teleconverter work only with lenses with recessed rear elements - and not all of those at that. For example, the Tamron 70-300/4-5.6 LD has a deeply recessed rear element, but it won't mount. The Sigma teleconverter works well with the Nikkor 300/4 and 80-200/2.8D, providing a superb autofocusing 420/5.6 and 112-280/4. It provides visibly better optical performance than the older model Tamron 1.4x AF-D teleconverter with both of these lenses, and marginally faster AF as well. This is not saying much - AF with the 300/4 + 1.4 EX is leisurely. AF with the 80-200/2.8D + 1.4 EX is adequate for slow-moving subjects and adequate for tracking medium-fast-moving subjects, but not up to finding and locking onto fast-moving subjects. If you need fast AF, you need to pair this teleconverter with the AF-S versions of these lenses. Build quality and optical quality are first-rate; the Nikon 80-200/2.8 + 1.4 EX is sharper (but more-cumbersome) than the very competent Tamron 70-300/4-5.6 LD; the 300/4 + 1.4 EX is shaper than most 400/5.6 primes.
Strengths: Superb optical quality (with Nikon 80-200/2.8D and 300/4), tack sharp edge-to-edge.
Quicker AF speed, even with my older non-AF-S lenses, than the older Tamron AF-D 1.4x teleconverter.
Build quality appears very good.
Flare control is very good too; sometimes when you add a tc (with its additional glass surfaces) you can create or compund problems with stray light. Not so with this one. Weaknesses: Not so much a weakness as something to be aware of: this tc is designed for telphoto lenses. So, while it is optimized to deliver outstanding results with big glass, it will not mate with most other lenses, including many telephoto zooms. Similar Products Used: Tamron .4x AF-D tc (fits any lens, not up to the quality of the Sigma .4x EX with the longer glass).
Nikon TC-14b (no AF but *the* standard for optical quality - I think the Sigma 1.4x EX comes very close, though, and adds the convenience of AF). Customer Service: Emailed query was answered quickly.
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