A single focal length 300mm telephoto lens already gives the extra reach for most distant subjects to appear larger in the viewfinder and the subsequent image that will be recorded on film. Add the Extender EF 2x to the 300mm lens, especially the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM and you will get an even larger image in the viewfinder since the effective focal length has been increased to a whopping 600mm! The two photos of this lovely model below were shot with the EF 300mm IS. For the first, it was shot with the lens alone. I was actually quite a distance away from the rest of the other EOS photo enthusiasts who have shown up for the Malaysian launch of the four IS USM telephoto lenses. There happened to be a slight gap between the enthusiasts and I seized that opportunity to use the EF 300mm IS lens for a quick shot of the model in question. It so happened that she made that split-second squinting expression due to the long exposure to the hot sunlight and I pressed the shutter button on my EOS-1N RS camera to record that spontaneous moment. Minutes later, the enthusiastic crowd managed to block out the gap and I was forced to shift slightly to my right for another angle of the model. The new angle only allowed me an unobtrusive view of a head-and-shoulder length portrait - as the crowd had blocked the rest of her body. This called for the use of the Extender EF 2x. Spontaneous moment shot at 300mm Added with Extender EF 2x (600mm)) Yes, I could have moved closer to the model but chose to attach the EF 2x to the 300mm telephoto lens and shoot the portrait from the same position. I was also subjected to the blazing hot sunlight, with a 1.3 kg SLR camera attached to a 2.55 kg lens, any other method to achieve the same rendition on film under such conditions, was welcomed. Back to motorcycling action, the Extender EF 2x is one of the most valuable components for anyone shooting such photos. In the 2000 season of the FIM World Championship, I used the EF 2x with three lenses, the EF 70-200mm f/4L/f/2.8L USM zooms and the EF 300mm f/2.8l IS USM. The photos of reigning 125cc world champion, Spaniard Emilio Alzamora (below), was shot with the f/4 L-series zoom lens, with and without the EF 2x. Alzamora was shot at 200mm without EF 2x Alzamora, shot at 270mm (w/EF 2x)     Alex Criville was recorded at 400mm (w/EF 2x) This was shot at 300mm with EF 2x (600mm) Defending 500cc world champion, Alex Criville, was recorded with the f/2.8 L-series zoom lens set at 200mm (400mm) for the first photo with the EF 2x attached. The second was shot much later (note the different colors of the No: 1 plate) with the EF 2x attached to the EF 300mm lens, increasing the effective focal length to a handheld 600mm f/5.6 with the IS mode 2 switched on. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .