A-Mount Teleconverters Guide

A-Mount Teleconverters Guide Updated May 19 2014

Introduction Most A-Mount users will be looking at a teleconverter to extend the reach of their lenses. Since there are quite a few teleconverters in the market and not many user are aware of the compatibility issue between the teleconverter and their lens, the following is an attempt to use as a quick reference guide until Dyxum website is updated with lens and teleconverter cross reference functionality. Note: Please let me know if you have any question or found error in the guide and I'll continue to update it with latest information.

Common Information When adding a teleconverter to your lens, the effective aperture will be reduced by 1, 1.5, 2 or 3 stops and the resulting focal length will be muliplted by the factor of the teleconverter. The following list the factor, F stop loss and the resulting focal length using a 100/2 lens. 1.4X     1 stop     140/2.8 1.5X     1 stop      150/2.8 1.7X     1.5 stop   170/3.5 2X       2 stops     200/4 3X       3 stops     300/5.6 Minolta AF system requires a minimum aperture of F6.3 (except 500/8 AF) to function effecitely. If you have a lens with variable aperture such as F3.5-4.5, F4-5.6, if the smallest F stop is not faster than the minimum required aperture, AF will not function. You can always use manual focus if AF does not work. The following chart lists the aperture you should have on your original lens to get AF working in the resulting combination: F4.5     1.4X or 1.5X TC F4.5     1.7X TC F4        2X TC F2.8     3X TC Examples: 1.4X teleconverter + 24-105/3.5-4.5: AF works because minimum aperture F4.5 1.4X teleconverter + 75-300/4.5-5.6: AF does not work because minimum aperture F5.6 is smaller than F4.5 ~ Most 1.4X, 1.5X or 1.7X teleconverter has only 4 elements or 5 elements. While some 2X teleconverter has either 4 or 7 elements. 7 elements model is supposed to have better image quality than the 4 or 5 elements version. ~ Most A-Mount Teleconverters will either have 5 pins or 8 pins. Both 5 pins or 8 pins teleconverter will work with all Minolta Sony AF screw drive lenses. Based on my observation, the number of pin does not affect AF operation (including AS/SSS (Antishake/SuperSteadyShot). ADI flash function may be affected if you need to use flash with your lens with a teleconverter. If you have a powerzoom, xi, SAM, SSM, HSM or USD lenses you should get a teleconverter with 8 pins to maintain compatibility.   If you use a 5 pins teleconverter with (xi, SAM, SSM, HSM, USD) lenses you will only get - - on the LCD aperture display (lens not recognized) and you can only shoot wide open in MF (Manual Focus) mode.    5 Pin vs 8 Pin Comparison:

Types of Teleconverters There are 2 types of AF Teleconverters. 1. Generic 2. Matched (dedicated) Generic teleconverters are compatible with all lenses. Matched teleconverters might be limited to a group of lenses, please read on.

Generic Teleconverters Generic teleconverter can be used with any lenses (from fisheye 16/2.8 to 600/4 and include any lens in between). Usually a generic teleconverter has the first element flushed to lens assembly and has about 8-9mm of clearance (from the glass to the lens mount). This is good enough to physically mated with any lens. Generic TC brands: Bower, CPC, Kalimar, Kenko, Phoneix, Promaster, Quantary, Magnicon, Rokunar, Sakar, Soligor, Tamron, Tokina, Vivitar etc. Common focal length multipliers: 1.4X, 1.5X, 1.7X, 2X, 3X Vivitar 1.4X AF TC Sakar 1.7X AF TC Vivitar 2X AF TC

Dedicated or Matched Teleconverters Dedicated or matched teleconverters are specially design for certain lenses to achieve optimum performance. There are only 3 dedicated/matched teleconverters for Minolta AF: 1. Minolta APO / Sony APO 2. Kenko Pro 300 (Pro 300 DG) / Tamron SP 3. Sigma EX / EX DG / EX DG HSM Compatible Dedicated/Matched teleconverters are only for specific lens because the distance between the first element and the mount is much shorter than 8-9mm therefore it will not physically fit with all lenses. Minolta APO Teleconverter (1.4X or 2X) There are 3 versions APO, APO-II and APO (D), there are lots of information regarding the Minolta APO TC on Dyxum and Minolta own website. 1) Minolta APO Original -- has 5 contact pin (for non-HS APO lenses) 2) Minolta APO II -- has 5 contact pin (for HS APO lenses) 3) Minolta APO (D) -- has 8 contact pin, will AF with SSM lenses and (D) lenses compatible. Minolta APO teleconverters are designed specifically for certain Minolta lenses only, all of the Minolta AF Telephoto G lenses such as 135/2.8 STF, 200/2.8, 300/2.8, 300/2.8 SSM, 300/4, 400/4.5, 600/4, 200/4, 70-200/2.8 SSM etc. Minolta APO Teleconverter has the first element almost flushed to the lens mount, the clearance is only 1mm therefore it is not possible to use Minolta APO teleconverter with other lenses. Picture of Minolta APO 1.4X Teleconveter - II Sony Teleconverter (1.4X and 2X) Sony has two teleconverters, SAL-14TC and SAL-20 Both of them are similar to the Minolta APO (D) version. Sony teleconverters also have 8 pins and are SSM and (D) compatible. Sony webite has listed the following Sony lenses to be compatible with Sony 1.4X and 2X teleconverters: Sony 135mm F2.8 Sony 70-200mm F2.8 Sony 70-200mm F2.8 ver II Sony 300mm F2.8 Sony 300mm F2.8 ver II Sony 500mm F4 Sony 70-400mm F4-5.6 Sony 70-400mm F4.-5.6 ver II Sony teleconverters can also be used with with older Minolta lenses such as 135/2.8 STF, 200/2.8, 300/2.8, 300/2.8 SSM, 300/4, 400/4.5, 600/4, 200/4, 70-200/2.8 SSM Kenko Pro 300 / Tamron SP (Same teleconverter, different name) or Kenko Pro 300 DG (Black color only) Kenko Pro 300 teleconverter comes in 1.4X, 2X and 3X http://www.thkphoto.com/products/kenko/slrc-01.html Kenko Pro 300 DG teleconverters comes in 1.4X, 2X and 3X. Major difference is the DG version has digital coating applied and the teleconverter is now in black color. More information for Kenko Pro 300 DG The latest Kenko pro Pro 300 DGX version is not available in Sony mount. Tamron SP teleconverters comes in 1.4X and 2X only. http://www.tamron.com/lenses/prod/teleconverters.asp Kenko Pro 300/Pro 300 DG/Tamron SP are also designed for certain Minolta lenses as well as Tokina ATX and Tamron SP lenses. Again the front element of the Kenk Pro 300/Pro 300 DG/Tamron SP teleconverter sticks out about 2mm outside the lens tube therefore the total clearance from the element to the mount is only about 5mm. Tamron SP 1.4X Teleconverter According to Kenko website, the following lenses are officially supported: Minolta AF lenses: AF85mm F1.4G AF100mm F2.8 Macro AF100mm F2.8 Softfocus STF135mm F2.8 [T4.5] AF 200mm F2.8G AF 300mm F2.8G AF 300mm F4G AF 400mm F4.5G AF 600mm F4G AF 200mm F4G Macro Tokina AF lenses: AT-X M100 AF100mm F2.8 MACRO (IF) EMZ M100 AF100mm F3.5 MACRO AT-X300 AF PRO 300mm F2.8 AT-X304 AF300mm F4 EMZ 282 AF28-210mm F4.2-6.5 AF 353 AF35-300mm F4.5-6.7 AT-X828 AF PRO 80-200mm F2.8 EMZ 130 AF II AF100-300mm F5.6-6.7 AT-X340 AF II AF100-300mm F4(IF) AT-X242 AF AF24-200mm F3.5-5.6(IF) I have tried the following lenses and they are compatible with Kenko Pro 300/Tamron SP Teleconverters: AF 50mm F2.8 Macro AF 100mm F2 AF 135mm F2.8 AF 28-70mm F2.8 AF 35-70mm F3.5-4.5 AF 35-105mm F3.5-4.5 restyled AF 35-70mm F4 AF 70-210mm F4 AF 75-300mm F4.5-5.6 (First model with limit switch) Tokina AF SD 400mm F5.6 Tokina ATX 24-200mm F3.5-5.6 Tokina AF SD 70-210mm F4-5.6 Tamron SP 24-135mm F3.5-5.6 Tamron SP 35-105mm F2.8 Tamron XR 28-200mm F3.5-5.6 Tamron XR 28-300mm F3.5-6.3 Sigma 18-125mm F3.5-5.6 DC Sigma 24mm F2.8 Sigma 180mm F3.5 Macro Sigma 300mm F4 APO TELE MACRO Sigma 400mm F5.6 Sigma 400mm F5.6 APO Sigma 400mm F5.6 APO TELE MACRO Note: There has been report of AF hunting issue when using Pro 300 1.4X and 2X TC with Minolta/Sony 70-200/2.8 SSM When using the 70-200/2.8 SSM lenses and 1.4X, AF will hunt for a while and eventually lock focus. This is probably due to the fact that there is no ROM/Chip inside the 1.4X TC and the camera has difficulty determining the actually focusing point based on the focal length reported by the lens. For the 2X TC AF also hunts but it will not lock focus. MF (Manual focus) is probably a better option if your Pro 300 does not work properly. For the best SAM/SSM compatibility get the Kenko DGX series 1.4X or 2X Teleconveter. These teleconverter will work properly with SAM/SSM lenses and report correct EXIF information so AS/SSS is more effective. Sigma APO EX Teleconverter Sigma APO EX teleconverter or APO EX DG is a dedicated teleconverter designed for Sigma EX series telephoto and telephoto lenses: http://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/lenses_tele.asp#minolta Like other dedicated/matched teleconverter, it's front element also stick out of the lens tube. I have received some pictures of the Sigma APO EX DG teleconverters and it appears that the lens element actually stick out between 2-3mm beyond the lens mount (Special thanks to Nikola for supplying the detail Sigma TC pictures) and therefore it will not fit all lenses. Sigma now has HSM lenses for Sony and you can use older EX or DG EX teleconverter with HSM lenses but only in MF mode. Ie older Sigma APO EX EX DG teleconverters are not compatible with HSM lenses. If you have a Sigma HSM lenses make sure you purchase the HSM compatible teleconverter. Ie Serial number on the teleconverter is higher than 5000001 For more information regarding Sigma teleconverter compatibliy please see . http://www.sigmaphoto.com/teleconverter-compatibility

Correct F Stop and Focal Length Information With A Teleconverter If a teleconverter has an IC chip (ROM) inside, it should display the correct F stop and focal length information to the camera body and EXIF data. Example: 50mm F1.4 + 1.4X TC = 75mm F2 50mm F1.4 + 2X TC = 100mm F2.8 50mm F1.4 + 3X TC = 150mm F4 Based on my observation, most 2X teleconveters (except Sigma EX and EX DG) report the correct F stop and focal length information. For 1.4X and 1.7X teleconverter, it depends on the particular make and model. Minolta APO 1.4X, Sony 1.4X and Vivitar 1.4X TC report the correct information while some other 1.4X TC does not. Apparently some manufacturer has decided to design their TC without any IC Chip. This has resulted in incorrect information being displayed in the viewfinder and EXIF data. Other than the incorrect information, there is no issue of using the teleconverter except AS/SSS may not be as effective. The following 1.4X, 1.7X and 2X teleconverters (partial list) do not have chip inside therefore it will not report the correct F stop or focal length information to the camera. Kenko Pro 300 1.4X (dedicated) Kenko Pro 300 DG 1.4X (dedicated) Promaster Spectrum 7 1.7X (generic) Soligor 1.4X Pro (Probably a rebadged Kenko Pro 300) Soligor 1.7X C/D4 AF (generic) Sakar MC4 1.7X (generic) Tamron SP 1.4X (dedicated) Tamron MC4 1.4X (generic) Sigma APO EX 1.4X (dedicated) Sigma APO EX DG 1.4X (dedicated) Sigma APO EX 2X (dedicated) Sigma APO EX DG 2X (dedicated) The camera just ignores the presence of the teleconverter although you still have correct exposure since exposure is based on actual amount of light passing through the lens. You'll also notice the viewfinder is dimmer and the focusing is slower because of the reduction of light to the camera. One side benefit of using non-chip passthrough TC is the camera will attempt to AF with a slower lens previously not possible. Example: 75-300mm or 100-300mm F4.5-5.6 with a 1.4X TC will normally not AF, but with a non-chip 1.4X or even 1.7X TC, it will try to AF but whether it can lock focus is another story :)

Q&A Section My camera has CIZ (Clear Image Zoom) do I still need a teleconverter? If you are a RAW shooter, CIZ will not work so to get closer (other than using your feet) you will need a teleconverter.   If you shoot JPG, CIZ may provide similar teleconverter effect but whether the final image quality is comparable or better than using a teleconverter is subject to debate. Remember CIZ uses software to interpolate and therefore there will be some quality loss compare to the original image. If you are not picky about image quality CIZ can be an alternative to a physical teleconverter. However if you are serious about image quality I would still recommend using a teleconverter especially if you have fast telephoto prime/fast telephoto zoom lenses 200/2.8, 300/2.8, 400/4.5, 500/4, 600/4 or 70-200/2.8 etc. Which teleconverter should I buy for my lens? All generic 1.4X, 1.5X, 1.7X or 2X teleconverter will fit ANY lenses. Majority of teleconverter owner will use it with their telephoto or telephoto zoom lenses to extend the reach. It doesn't make sense to use a teleconverter with a wide angle lens. If your lens has a dedicated/matched teleconverter, use it, it will give you the best image quality. As a general guide get 8 pin teleconverter for best compatiblity and get 5pin teleconverter if it has a chip and therefore AS/SSS will be more effective with older 5 pin prime/zoom lenses. Example: Minolta APO teleconverter for Minolta G telephoto lenses, (D) teleconveter for 70-200/2.8 SSM G D zoom and Sony TC for Sony prime telephoto SSM lenses, 70-200/2.8 or 70-400 SSM lenses. Kenko Pro 300/Tamron SP if you have one of the supported lenses listed above. Kenko DGX 1.4X or 2X if you have SAM or SSM lenses Sigma EX or EX DG teleconverter for your Sigma EX lenses. Sigma EX DG HSM compatible teleconverter for your Sigma HSM lenses Vivitar 1.4X TC (5 Pin with chip) if you have a prime/zoom with 5 pin that is faster than F5.6 (Tokina 300/4, 400/5.6. 100-300/4 etc.) How about teleconverter for Minolta AF 50/1.7, 50/1.4? Only generic will fit. How about teleconverter for Minolta 80-200/2.8 APO G? Generic or Kenko Pro 300/Tamron SP will fit. How about teleconverter for Minolta 70-210/4 or 75-300/4.5-5.6 (Original with limit switch)? Generic or Kenko Pro 300/Tamron SP will fit. 1.4X, 1.7X or 2X will AF with 70-210/4 but 75-300/4.5-5.6 will not AF with either 1.4X or 2X teleconverter, manual focus only. 1.7X teleconverter will AF with 75-300/4.5-5.6 lens. How about teleconverter for Minolta 70-210/3.5-4.5, 100-300/4.5-5.6 APO, 100-400/4.5-6.7 APO? Only generic will fit. 1.4X AF will function with 70-210/3.5-4.5 2X is manual focus only. 100-300APO and 100-400APO will not AF with either 1.4X or 2X due to slower minimum aperture at 300mm/400mm. 100-300APO or 100-400APO will attempt to AF with a non-chip 1.4X or 1.7X TC but AF accuracy depends on lighting situation. How about teleconverter for Minolta 24-85/3.5-4.5, 24-105/3.5-4.5? Only generic will fit. How about teleconverter for Minolta 28-135mm F4-4.5? Only generic will fit. How about teleconverter for Minolta 500mm F8 reflex, mirror lens? Only generic will fit. How about teleconverter for Sony SAM 50/1.8, SAM 85/2.8 lenses? Only generic with 8 pin will fit. Get Kenko DGX for best results. How about teleconverter for Sony 18-70mm, SAM 18-55mm, 55-200mm, 55-300mm or SSM 70-300G, 70-400G lenses? Only generic with 8 pin will fit. For SAM or SSM lenses use Kenko Pro 300 or Kenko DGX for best results. If you are using a 1.4X teleconverter, AF may work at 55mm/70mm if aperture is faster than F4.5 When using a 2X teleconverter it will straightly be MF only unless the lens is faster than F4 How about teleconverter for Tamron USD lenses (18-270, 24-70, 70-200 etc. ? Only generic with 8 pin will fit. For best results use Kenko Pro 300 or Kenko DGX. AF may not function if your lens is slower than 5.6 for 1.4X teleconverter or slower than F4 for 2X teleconverter Can I stack multiple teleconverter to increase the magnification? Yes, generic and Kenko Pro 300/Tamron SP can be stacked together. Minolta APO cannot be stacked. If you need to stack a 1.4X and a 2X it is better to get a 3X as it is lighter and yield better image quality.

Manual Focus Lens Section I have a Sony NEX or Alpha ILCE E mount camera can I use a teleconverter? In order to use Alpha lenses on NEX or E mount body, you will need a Sony LA-EA1, LA-EA2, LA-EA3 or LA-EA4 A mount to E adapter. Sony said teleconverter is not supported with any of the LA-EA adapter. When you try a lens with a chipped teleconverter with any of the LA-EAx adapter the camera will just report - - on the aperture display indicating lens not recognized. If you are using a teleconveter with no IC (chip) inside (example: Kenko Pro 300 1.4X, most 1.7X, Sigma 1.4X or 2X EX, EX DG etc.) the camera will still AF with the lens (provided there is enough light to AF). Note: In most cases, unless you are using a lens with F4 or faster aperture, using any of the LA-EAx adapter with a 1.4X or 2X teleconverter will result in MF manual focus only. If you are using SAM or SSM lenses with F4 or faster (example: 35mm F1.8, 50mm F1.8, 95mm F2.8 SAM lenses etc.) you can get AF with LA-EA1 or LA-EA3 however AF will be slower than using LA-EA2 or LA-EA4 Can I use manual focus lenses on my 5D/7D or Sony Alpha or Sony SLT DSLR? There are 2 official Minolta MD->AF adapter: 2X M/A teleconverter L and 2X M/A teleconverter S. These adapter allows you to use a Minolta MC MD mount lens on a Minolta AF body or Sony A mount body. 2X M/A S is for lenses shorter than 300mm and 2X M/A L is for lenses longer than 300mm Minolta 2X M/A Converter S and L Front Minolta 2X M/A Converter S and L Back Note that only stop down metering is possible and you must disable your camera lens lock. There are also generic brand MD->AF adapter: Generic brand MD/AF 9000 adapter This has an optical element inside the adapter and allow the lens to focus to infinity. Magnification is around 1.2X so the total magnification factor will be around 1.2X + 1.5X = 1.8X so a 50mm lens become 135mm It can be used with most Minolta manual focus lenses (as long as they can be fit together physically). Note: There are now chipped MD-AF adapter that provide focus confirmation and also allow A200, A300, A350 and A900 to operate in A mode. Ther are also 2 rare MD-AF adapters from Sigma that allows autofocus of MD lenses or Nikon F/AI lenses on certain Minolta AF body. Sigma 1.6X MD/MAF adapter and Sigma 1.6X Nikon/MAF adapter. These adapter will only AF with lenses faster than F3.5 These 2 adapters achieve autofocusing by moving the lens element inside the adapter similar to the early Nikon AF TC-16A. It has 5 contact pins on the back and support full metering. These 2 adapters were designed for the Maxxum 5000/7000/9000 camera and will not function on new AF body such as 5D/7D. How about using other brand manual focus lens on Minolta AF body? Generic brand adapter is available in the following mount: Canon FD Nikon F Olympus OM Pentax K Pentax M42 screw (Universal) Tamron adaptall T mount Yashica/Contax Hasselbad C F adapter Kiev/Pentacon adapter Generic brand Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax -> Minolta AF adapters More information click here. The Canon FD, Nikon F, Olympus OM, Pentax K adapters are similar to the Minolta MD-AF adapter, it has an optic in it to allow for infinity focusing. The magnification factor is around 1.2X Note that you must use a lens that has an aperture ring othewise you'll not be able to adjust the aperture. (Example Nikon F/AI not G) Pentax M42 screw (Universal) adapter This M42 adpater will allow any M42 screw mount lenses to be used on a Minolta AF body. Stop down metering and manual focus only. Note there are different versions of M42-AF adapter and there were some report of infinity focusing problem or physical compatiblity issue. I am using a Made in Japan M42-MAF adapter on both 5D and 7D without any problem. Pentax M42 screw chipped adapter This adapter is the same as a regular M42-Minolta AF adapter but with the addition of a chip. This adapter will provide AF confirmation and also allow A200, A300, A350 and A900 to use M42 lenses in A mode. (Chipless lenses can only be operate in M mode on A200, A300, A350 and A900). There are 2 version of chipped adapter 1) Fixed focal length and aperture (example: 50mm F1.7) 2) Multiple focal length and aperture (Pre-programmed and user selectable, example: 28mm, 50mm, 135mm all in one chip) More information on chipped adapter can be found in the M42 section of Dyxum. Tamron adaptall to Minolta AF adapter: This Tamron adaptall will allow all Tamron adaptall lenses to be used on Minolta AF body, there is no optic inside the adapter and it support stop down metering and manual focus only. T mount adapter This adapter allows you to use any T adapter lens on the Minolta AF body, there is no optic inside the adapter. Stop down metering and manual focus only. Hasselblad C F adapter This adapter allows you to use any Hasselblad C or F medium format lens on the Minolta AF body, there is no optic inside the adapter. Stop down metering and manual focus only. Kiev/Pentacon adapter This adapter allows Pentacon 6, Exakta 66, Kiev 60, Kiev 88CM medium format lenses to be used on a Minolta AF body. There is no optic inside the adapter. Stop down metering and manual focus only.

Edited by pegelli - 09 March 2015 at 20:29

OK -- one little question -- where does the Teleplus SHQ 1.7x M-AF fit in? (Is it a Kenko generic?)

Great work

You come with a very big knowledge, and we are happy you share with us.

I will read it slowly this evening.

I have the chance of buying an almost new Tamron 2x, 7 elements, for a good price (50€). I suppose it can be used with my macro 100 2.8, and with 50 f1.7. And according of your text, with 100-300 APO, only Manual Focus.

Regards

Edited by gsaronni - 05 February 2006 at 11:40

brettania wrote: OK -- one little question -- where does the Teleplus SHQ 1.7x M-AF fit in? (Is it a Kenko generic?)

Yes, this is a Kenko generic. Easiest way to find out is look at the distance between first element and lens mount, if it is more than 8-9mm it can be considered as a generic.

Coltrin wrote: I'm embarrassed to ask one further question, re: the best TC for my KM AF100-300 4.5-5.6 (D) APO lens. You indicated that with a D lens, the teleconverter must have 8 pins for the AF to work properly. Auto focus is important to me, and I want to buy a 1.4X or 1.5X TC, but how can I be sure - when the specs are often unavailable - whether a particular converter has 8 pins? Could you mention one or two names/models that have 8 pins?

No. AF will function with either 5 pins or 8 pins. 8 pins is only required to keep the D function for (ADI) flash only.

Of all the 1.4X generic TC that I have used (CPC, Vivitar, Tamron etc.) they all have 5 pin. I'm not aware of any 1.4X TC (generic) one that has 8 pins.

The only generic I have tried with a 100-300APO and AF successfully is a Sakar 1.7X which has 8 pins. The reason it works is because there is no IC inside the teleconverter and it just passes through the information to the lens (same as the Kenko Pro 300/Tamron SP 1.4X). The camera thinks that there is no TC present and the effective aperture is still brighter than F6.3 therefore AF works. The EXIF data will not display the correct F stop or focal length.

If you must have AF with your 100-300 APO (D) with a teleconverter, get a Sakar 1.7X TC.

Hope this help.
eccl

Thank you ECCL for sharing your knowledge, excellent job.
I was following your TC advise on dpreview, but here you put everything together in very clear way and I can very easily determine which TC will work with my lenses.
Thanks again.

P.S. Now when we know which TC fits to particular lens,next question should be about image quality -how much difference between Minolta, Tamron and Kenko TC's.
Are Tamron and Kenko much worse than Minolta?

Edited by X-R-M - 05 February 2006 at 19:50

I've got the Tokina AT-X 400mm f5.6, I see that you'd done a check for compatibility with the Kenko Pro 300/Tamron SP. Was this a fit check only? If not, do you have a subjective opinion or even objective results of how well it seems to work optically?

I've also got the 100-300 APO (D) but with the 400 am now less inclined to worry about a TC for it.