| Field-test of the Canon Extender
EF 1.4x. In issue No: 41, the Canon Extender EF 2x was reviewed. Here, the results with the Extender EF 1.4x are shown. Personally speaking, I prefer the EF 2x version to the EF 1.4x, and seldom use the latter in most of my assignments. I did use the EF 1.4x occasionally in conjunction with the 2x type but very often, the latter was utilized more frequently and the former ended up inside the vest or lens pouch. Having said that, many EOS users prefer the EF 1.4x version over the EF 2x, believing that the former to have better image quality than the latter. The price difference between the two (the 1.4x costs more) fuels this misconception among EOS users. The reason for this is that the EF 1.4x is actually more difficult to design, correct for aberrations and produce than the EF 2x version. The main aspect of any teleconverter or extender is to multiply the focal length of the prime lens in use, in the case of the EF 1.4x and EF 2x, by 1.4 and 2 times respectively. They are basically color-corrected magnifiers employing multi-coated glass elements despite the heavy-duty constructions used, which are similar to the L-series EF telephoto lenses. What both the EF 1.4x and EF 2x do is magnifying the central part of the prime lens in use, by their respective multiplying factors. They do not really "increase" the focal length of the prime lens, which is usually the term used by many when describing the usage of teleconverters/extenders. They magnify the image seen through the prime lens to resemble that of a longer focal length's angle-of-view.
As the EF 2x multiplies the image seen by the prime lens by two times, it is not unusual to see that the final quality may be slightly off in certain conditions as compared to those captured with the same prime lens fitted with the EF 1.4x, which only magnifies it by a factor of 1.4 times. Any of these so-called deteriorations of image quality is similar to enlarging a central part of a 35mm negative to a 101x12 inch print and then compare it with another 10x12 print from the same film that shows the whole frame intact. I am sure we will find the cropped print to have slightly less definition as well as more evidence of the grainier pattern of the film used, right? Well, that is basically what an extender or teleconverter does to the prime lens, giving you the magnified viewpoint of the prime lens that it is fitted into. << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 . |
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