ZOOMING OUT

These are 100% crops of jpeg "FINE" photos, right out of the camera with no changes in Photoshop. "Optimize Image"=Normal. They are pictures of an insulator on power lines.

Nikon D70 with 70-200 VR + TC17EII.

With the lens wide open at F/4.8, zoomed all the way in at 340mm, the image is pretty bad. Once we get out to about 260-270mm (about here on the zoom ring), the ghosting is gone and we have great images.

F/4.8, the fastest possible with the TC17. Again, ghosting and softness. Taken at 340mm. (note small photo of where that is on the zoom dial (practicality is important!).

F/4.8, zoomed out to 290-300mm. Again, note photo of where on the zoom dial this is. Ghosting is sill apparent, yet not as bad.

F/4.8, zoomed out to 260-270mm. Ghosting is gone, image looks good.

So if you absolutely need the speed of F/4.8, just keep off the long end of the zoom. Safety comes as you have the zoom ring between the "200" and "135" marks.

HOME | STOP DOWN THE LENS | ZOOM OUT A BIT | COMBINE THESE METHODS | CONCLUSIONS