Canon EF 1.4X III Telephoto Extender for Canon Super Telephoto Lenses

I upgraded from my 1.4x II to use on my 70-200 f/2.8 II lens and have been impressed with it, minus one optical flaw... At 70mm, it actually shows more CA/fringing than the previous model. However, at 200mm it performs better in that regard with less CA/Fringing. I actually returned the first one Amazon sent to me because I thought it was damaged somehow. The replacement performed exactly the same. I am thinking because these Mark III converters were designed for use with the super-teles that the optical construction was developed to maximize IQ at those focal lengths. On the wider end, it may not correct these aberrations as well, even though it does offer higher resolution all around (see below). Sharpness wise, the 1.4x III is better. I compared carefully doing side by side test shots... Tripod, mirror lockup, live-view focus, etc... The 1.4x III always had finer detail and more contrast. It was actually quite noticeable, although not as much in real-world shooting. AF performance is the same (with this lens), but I do like the build quality better. More mounting screws, better switch to release the lens, etc... I think it was worth the upgrade after seeing the additional resolution it offers. I am very happy with it.

Show more

This Canon 1.4x III does the job of extending the range of any Canon lens 40% and thats why Im giving it four stars. Im taking off a star because it affected the background blur/bokeh to a degree that I ultimately returned the item. I purchased it because I was looking for a something to extend the range of my 5dMK2 and 70-200mm IS2 (used the extender primarily when shooting youth soccer) and it did extend the range to a max of 280mm and allow me to get good photos on more of the field. I shoot soccer on manual at 2.8 and have always loved the subject separation and bokeh I get from my 70-200mm. Visually, a slight change in the quality of the background was enough for me to return the item to Amazon and instead buy a used Canon crop sensor body as a backup body for shooting sports. The only way I can describe the background change is that it went from a very creamy bokeh to slightly "disk-shaped" bokeh. Its not just the fstop that you lose, it slightly changes the quality of the image and I just thought Id share my experience for others considering the purchase for a similar use.

Show more

Update: after having used it for over a year, I can say I am still pretty happy with the sharpness. However, it DOES slow down the AF speed of my lens (100-400mm II) pretty significantly. WOW! I looked at the photos with and w/o the extender, and couldnt see any difference! So there is no reduction of image quality, which is awesome. Of course, with the 7D ii, adding it means reducing the focus to only center and surrounding four AF points, but I dont see a reduction of AF speed either. Love it!

Show more

I use this 1.4x adapter for my 100-400 MK2. The image quality is pretty good and dont see any degradation. However, its a bit pricey compares to 1.4x MKII. The image quality is not a quantum leap from MK2, but the price is almost double.

Show more

After considering it for months I finally purchased the Canon 1.4x III. My primary reason was for extra reach on the Canon 100-400L II. I found autofocus to work very well on the 7d II with center point focus. When pixel peeping you will notice a slight loss in sharpness as expected. I’m satisfied with the performance coupled with this very sharp lens. I’m anxiously waiting for better weather conditions so I can get out on brighter days to give the combination more thorough testing.

Show more