TC-20 III and the 70-200mm f/2,8 VRII

Arctic Tern, Norway
D3s, 70-200mm f/2,8 + TC-20III (focal 400mm), 1/4000sek @ f/5,6, ISO800, handheld

After my post yesterday on my experience on the TC-20 III, I was asked how it performed with the new 70-200mm f/2,8 VRII. Well, it sure was a legitimate question since this is one of the lenses that the TC-20 III was intended for - whilst the 500mm f/4 in my previous post was not. As usual I like to experience how the gear works in the field and not in some clinical lab test, after all that is what matters in the end for most of us... One of the more challenging species to work with is the Terns. I set out to photograph some at my local colony of Common and Arctic Terns, armed with the D3s, 70-200mm f/2,8 VRIII and the TC-20 III. In addition I brought a test specimen of the brand new 200-400mm f/4G ED VR II. This lens will be out in stores on the 28th of May, and I have got the opportunity to try one out for a week. I will post my review later on this week. As a teaser I would like to mention it works well with the TC-20 III.

Now, back to the 70-200mm x TC-20 III combo. I spent approximately one hour with the birds, and shooting about 250 frames under very shifting light conditions. All images were shot handheld, and the VR was on at all time, set to Active mode. I was working with fast flying subjects, which is a challenge even with fast lenses like the 300mm f/2,8 and the 70-200mm f/2,8 straight. That is why I was rather surprised how well the autofocus performed with the TC-20 III attached, both with centre point and other focus points chosen. Sharpness was also good. Of course, compared with the 70-200mm straight it is not as crisp, but is works very well, and would not hesitate to put it on whenever needed. I will let the images below speak for themselves.

I did not try it with the 300mm f/2,8, but I expect it to perform just as well. I can only imagine how it will work with the 400mm f/2,8 - that should be a killer combination!

Arctic Tern, Norway
D3s, 70-200mm f/2,8 + TC-20III (focal 380mm), 1/2500sek @ f/8, ISO800, handheld

Arctic Tern, Norway
D3s, 70-200mm f/2,8 + TC-20III (focal 360mm), 1/8000sek @ f/5,6, ISO800, handheld

100 % crop of the file above - no work has been done to this file