Nikon TC-14E III 1.4x AF-S Teleconverter

I bought this teleconverter primarily to use with my 500mm F/5.6 PF but also with my 70-200mm F/2.8. I have a TC-17 and while I do occasionally use it, I've never been totally satisfied with the reduction in sharpness and slower focusing. The 500 PF is my sharpest Nikon lens and I didn't want to do anything to compromise it. With the TC-14 and the 500 PF on my Z9 I am seeing no reduction in sharpness or contrast. The AF might be a little slower, but not enough to matter. I get consistently sharp shots of birds in flight. I waited a year for B&H to get this teleconverter in stock and I can. honestly say it was worth the wait. The shot of the moon was hand held. The one of the Heron was also hand held, 15 shots at 20 fps, all except one in razor sharp focus.

In the spring, Nikon announced a new 1.4x Teleconverter, the third revision of its TC-14E. The AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III features revised optics, with a 7 element, 4 group construction. The barrel has also been redesigned for increased moisture and dust resistance. Here are my findings comparing it to its predecessor, the TC-14E II: I have done a resolution test on the D7100 with the 500mm f/4VR lens. The D7100 is Nikon's current highest pixel density sensor and it does not have an anti-aliasing filter making it the best camera to evaluate center resolution. There is a very small increase in resolution and a very slight decrease in Chromatic aberration. Both are very near the limit of sample to sample measurement error but it is repeatable so there is a very ... MoreIn the spring, Nikon announced a new 1.4x Teleconverter, the third revision of its TC-14E. The AF-S Teleconverter TC-14E III features revised optics, with a 7 element, 4 group construction. The barrel has also been redesigned for increased moisture and dust resistance. Here are my findings comparing it to its predecessor, the TC-14E II: I have done a resolution test on the D7100 with the 500mm f/4VR lens. The D7100 is Nikon's current highest pixel density sensor and it does not have an anti-aliasing filter making it the best camera to evaluate center resolution. There is a very small increase in resolution and a very slight decrease in Chromatic aberration. Both are very near the limit of sample to sample measurement error but it is repeatable so there is a very minor resolution increase with the new 1.4x teleconverter. I used the D810 to evaluate corner sharpness and resolution as it is the highest resolution full frame sensor available. Again I compared the new vs. old 1.4x using the 500mm f/4 VR lens. There is a significant difference between these two samples in corner resolution. On this full frame camera, using the new TC, the corners resolve almost 1000 more lines per frame than the old TC does when shooting wide open at the combination's largest aperture of f/5.6. You have to stop the old TC down 1 2/3 stops before getting the same corner resolution on the old TC that you get on the new. Of course stopping the new one down also increases it's resolution but even at equivalent f/8 apertures, the new TC resolves about 500 more lines per frame than the old teleconverter. On the D7100, the AF Fine Tune calibration offset is less than it is with the old TC. With the D810, the AF fine tune compensation with the old teleconverter was +13 and this dropped to +8 with the new converter. The old TC is notorious for requiring extreme amounts of offset specifically with the AF-S 500mm f/4 VR lens, in many cases not within the user adjustable range. In my case, the old TC requires a +15 offset (which is on the low end of the range for this combination) and the new TC requires a +9 offset for maximum sharpness. The new TC-14E III does not function with the Nikon AF-S 300mm f/4D lens. The new model does not have the moving tab at the edge of the TC barrel on the lens side that couples the manual aperture ring to the camera. As a result, the camera returns an FE error on the top LCD just as if you had the lens aperture ring set at some aperture other than minimum aperture. This TC is not compatible with manual aperture ring lenses and manual aperture ring lenses are not listed on the compatibility list in the owner's manual for the TC-14E III. I noticed no difference in AF speed but these sorts of things, unless there is a gross difference, usually don't reveal themselves until one has done extensive shooting in various conditions. This seems like a nit, but Nikon has moved the TC to lens alignment dot from the lens side edge of the TC to the middle of the barrel which is a very odd place since visual alignment is not as precise when placed a small distance away than it is when placed right next to where the lens is going to mount. While this is something that a user will quickly get used to, it is odd at first and the last thing the Nikon mount needs is anything that makes it harder to mount things. Nikon already is by far the hardest mount to repeatably engage, especially in low light where visibility is poor. My conclusion is that if you are shooting a DX body, don't upgrade as you will see very little difference. If you use the 300mm f/4 lens, don't upgrade as the new TC will not work with that lens. If you are shooting an FX body and want corner to corner sharpness even wide open, then this is an excellent upgrade. I will have no hesitation using this TC wide open when needed which is something I never did with the old one or any other teleconverter.

If you're reading this then you are probably considering buying this teleconverter to extend the reach of your telephoto lens in a reasonably economical way, at least compared to purchasing a longer lens. You may or may not know that this, as any teleconverter, will rob some light, change the maximum aperture of your lens, slightly degrade image quality and somewhat slow focusing. If you can accept that compromise as I have, then this teleconverter will not disappoint. I upgraded to the TC-14E III from the TC-14E II, primarily due to the weather sealing of the newer model. I do a lot of surfing and wildlife photography and wanted my system, which is composed of the Nikon D500, the Nikon 300mm f/4 E PF VR AF-S lens, and the 14E III teleconverter, to be able to ... MoreIf you're reading this then you are probably considering buying this teleconverter to extend the reach of your telephoto lens in a reasonably economical way, at least compared to purchasing a longer lens. You may or may not know that this, as any teleconverter, will rob some light, change the maximum aperture of your lens, slightly degrade image quality and somewhat slow focusing. If you can accept that compromise as I have, then this teleconverter will not disappoint. I upgraded to the TC-14E III from the TC-14E II, primarily due to the weather sealing of the newer model. I do a lot of surfing and wildlife photography and wanted my system, which is composed of the Nikon D500, the Nikon 300mm f/4 E PF VR AF-S lens, and the 14E III teleconverter, to be able to withstand the elements in the outdoor environments I shoot in. The addition of the teleconverter gives me the extra reach I need to capture the surfing action at the outer breaks and birds without having to get so close as to influence behavior. I am extremely happy with the image quality I am getting and this teleconverter is pretty much a standard fixture now on my setup. If you are using Nikon gear and want more reach, then this teleconverter is definitely worth considering. Is it worth upgrading if you already own the older model 14E II? For me the answer was yes because of the weather resistance, and while the optics on the older model are very good, I think that there is also a slight enhancement in image quality with the newer model. But if you don't shoot much in wet or dusty conditions, then you can get some great deals on the older model and will likely be quite satisfied if it works with the lens you are using.