Customer Reviews

Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG for Canon Mount Lenses

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Optically outstanding when combined with the Sigma 70-200 f2.8 EX DG. This new Sigma EX DG lens and converter is super sharp and great color that stacks up to the famed Canon L series at about 60% of the cost. I see incredible clarity at 800% magnification doing touch ups in Photoshop.

I've used both and wouldn't hesitate a second buying the Sigma DG series again.

Advanced amateur who loves Canon.

I get the Sigma Teleconverter 1.4X especially for outdor sport games. I have Nikon D700 & D90 and Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 HSM. I feel that 70-200mm f/2.8 is too short on D700 (full frame) and D90 (1.5x crop), therefore i get this teleconverter. It is a good alternative because it is much cheaper than buying 300mm f/2.8 or 100-300mm f4 lens.
Build quality

Build quality is the same as typical Sigma EX (professional line lens) and very well match with Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 HSM.

COMPATIBILITY

Sigma teleconverter 1.4 only works with Sigma lenses. There are about a dozen compatible lens, but only a few retain auto focus function. There are: Sigma 180mm macro f/3.5 EX HSM, Sigma 300mm f/2.8 EX HSM, and Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX HSM.

AUTO FOCUS PERFORMANCE

I don't feel any difference in auto focus performance, so it remain excellent.

IMAGE QUALITY

It loses a bit of contrast and sharpness, but generally still very good. Check out sample images from my web blog. You can get the address from my Amazon profile.

CONCLUSION

Sigma teleconverter 1.4x is a great affordable alternative for Sigma telephoto lens' user, especially for those who need extra reach. It does not sacrifice auto focus performance and only degrade a little bit of image quality. But remember that the maximum aperture will be smaller by one stop. So it might not be very good alternative if you shooting in low light like night sports.

For the past year I have used mine on a regular basis with my Sigma 150 macro lens. This creates a 210 F4 macro that is amazing. It is not possible to tell, by looking at the pictures, which were taken with or without this TC. Buying this gives you a second lens of equal quality for a little bit of money.

I have used this with a Sigma 150-500mm lens. Since the Sigma lens is relatively slow I lose autofocus -- but shots I haven't had this long but shots that I have taken of squirrels and birds in the back yard remain sharp. This is a good purchase for those with compatible Sigma lenses looking for more reach.

I have both a Sigma 50-500 (aka Bigma) and a Sigma 100-300 f/4. Prior to getting the latter, I was able to use the Bigma with my Kenko Pro 300 1.4X TC DG on my Nikon D70. However, the Kenko refuses to work with the 100-300 so I have to buy this Sigma TC which works extremely well with the 100-300. However, unlike the Kenko, I cannot retract the Bigma all the way with the Sigma TC which is why I only give the Sigma TC 4 stars.

The 100-300 f/4 focuses as fast with or without the TC and I don't seem to lose image quality with the Sigma TC either. The EXIF info also correctly shows 420 mm was used. [...].

I've been using this converter for a couple of years now, on my sigma 100-300mm f4, 120-400mm 4.5/5.6, and recently on my new Nikon AF-S 300mm f4. Works great on all of them. Fast auto focus (maunal on the 400mm sigma) sharp as the original lens.
The only downside is on the Nikon AF-s the readout says f4 when it should say 5.6 and the data says 300mm focal length instead of 420mm.(its not designed for this lens but produces shots as sharp as the 300mm without the converter) It auto focuses accurately and light meters correctly . Considering you can pick these up for less than half the price of a nikon tc its a steal, Just make sure you get the DG model which is optimized for long telephotos.

I bought this teleconverter for use with the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro. Using it bumps me up to a 210mm. It performs nicely, gives me a little more reach and with the f/2.8 of the lens I'm using it with the loss of a stop is not really that bad. It seems so far to be a solid piece of equipment that functions as advertised. I have no complaints.

After well over a year of use I am still very happy with the teleconverter. It seems so far to be none the worse for wear and still performs very nicely with my 150mm f/2.8. I am very happy with the purchase.

Great addition to the 50-500mm sigma. Manual focus only, but really gets close to your subject from a distance. Very well built, solid.

This teleconverter fulfills all claims except the AF compatibility.

image quality stays good. my only harp is that for the price AF could be maintained a little better. I have used it with a Sigma 300F4 lens and the AF really hunts.

Be sure to check Sigma's web site for lens compatibility. Amazon shows a "buy it with a Sigma 150-500", which I already own. However the auto focus does not work with this lens. The mount is not as tight as the Nikon TC and there is also a pronounced internal rattle on the Sigma TC. I'm seriously considering returning this for a refund. I already got a replacement and it's no better than the first. Now the good things I've seen about the Sigma TC. Comparatively cheap, relatively sharp, small in size, if the auto focus worked on the Sigma 150-500 I would not hesitate to keep it. So... how important is auto focusing??? I'm still debating! Double the price and buy the Nikon??
On Amazon's returns. AWSOME. I ordered and replacement and it was here in 2 days, no problem. And as for return shipping their postage was less than what I ended up paying at USPS.


Sigam's lens compatibility chart;

LENS Converter Effective
Focal length Effective
Aperture Maximum
Macro
Ratio for SIGMA for SONY Serial Numbers lower than 5000001 for SONY Serial Numbers higher than 5000001 for NIKON for PENTAX for CANON
150mm F2.8 EX DG Macro 1.4X 210mm f/4 1:4.1 AF*2 - - AF*2 - AF*2
150mm F2.8 EX DG Macro 2.0X 300mm f/5.6 2:1 MF - - MF - MF
180mm f/3.5 Macro *4 1.4X 252mm f/4.9 1.4:1 AF*3 MF MF AF*3 AF*3 AF*3
180mm f/3.5 Macro *4 2.0X 360mm f/7 2:1 MF MF MF MF MF MF
300mm f/2.8 EX 1.4X 420mm f/4 1:5.4 AF AF MF AF AF AF
300mm f/2.8 EX 2.0X 600mm f/5.6 1:3.8 AF AF MF AF AF AF
500mm f/4.5 EX *5 1.4X 700mm f/6.3 1:5.5 MF MF MF MF MF MF
500mm f/4.5 EX *5 2.0X 1000mm f/9 1:3.9 MF MF MF MF MF MF
800mm f/5.6 EX 1.4X 1120mm f/8 1:6.3 MF MF MF MF MF MF
800mm f/5.6 EX 2.0X 1600mm f/11 1:4.4 MF MF MF MF MF MF
50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM 1.4X 70-210mm f/4 1:3.8 AF MF AF AF - AF
50-150mm F2.8 II EX DC HSM 2.0X 100-300mm f/5.6 1:2.7 AF MF AF AF - AF
50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX *6 1.4X 140-700mm f/7.3-8.8 1:3.7 MF*1 MF*1 MF*1 MF*1 MF MF*1
50-500mm f/4-6.3 EX *6 2.0X 200-1000mm f/10.4-12.6 1:2.6 MF*1 MF*1 MF*1 MF*1 MF MF*1
50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM 1.4x 140-700mm f/6.3-8.8 MF MF MF MF - MF
50-500mm f/4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM 2.0x 200-1000m f/9-11 MF MF MF MF - MF
70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM 1.4X 98-280mm f/4 1:5.6 AF MF AF AF - AF
70-200mm F2.8 II EX DG MACRO HSM 2.0X 140-400mm f/5.6 1:3.9 AF MF AF AF - AF
70-200mm F2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM 1.4x 98-280mm f/4 AF MF AF AF - AF
70-200mm F2.8 EX DG APO OS HSM 2.0x 140-400mm f5.6 AF MF AF AF - AF
80-400mm f4.5-5.6 EX OS 1.4X 112-560mm f/6.3-7.84 1:3.6
80-400mm f4.5-5.6 EX OS 2.0X 160-800mm f/9-11.2 1:2.5
100-300mm f/4 EX DG/ HSM *5 1.4X 140-420mm f/5.6 1:3.6 AF AF MF AF AF AF
100-300mm f/4 EX DG/ HSM *5 2.0X 200-600mm f/8 1:2.5 MF MF MF MF MF MF
120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM 1.4X 168-420mm f/4 1:6.1 AF - - AF - AF
120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM 2.0X 240-600mm f/5.6 1:4.3 AF - - AF - AF
120-400mm f4.5-5.6 DG OS 1.4X 168-560mm f/6.3-8 1:3 MF MF MF MF - MF
120-400mm f4.5-5.6 DG OS 2.0X 240-800mm f/9-11 1:2.1 MF MF MF MF - MF
150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS 1.4X 210-700mm f/7-8.8 1:3.7 MF MF MF MF - MF
150-500mm F5-6.3 DG OS 2.0X 300-1000mm f/10-11 1:2.6 MF MF MF MF - MF
300-800mm f/5.6 EX 1.4X 420-1120mm f/7.8 1:4.9 MF - - MF - MF
300-800mm f/5.6 EX 2.0X 600-1600mm f/11.2 1:3.5 MF - - MF - MF
*4 For Canon, Nikon and Sigma AF cameras, Autofocus operates from 47" to Infinity, Manual focus must be used from 47" to 18"; for Minolta and Pentax AF cameras, Manual focus only can be used.

*5 MF for all cameras, except Canon EOS 3 and EOS 1v, which can autofocus with this combination.

*6 Zoom control range is limited to 100-500mm, when the teleconverters are used with this lens.

Corrected effective aperture will be displayed on the camera's digital display, and TTL exposure will be normal, when these teleconverters are used with the lenses listed above.

USABLE LENS AND COMBINATIONS

Sigma APO Tele Converter 1.4x and 2x are dedicated to Tele Converter lenses, which should be used with only listed lenses.
AF function of Pentax mounts cannot be used with SFX/SF7 cameras.
Do not use the APO Tele Converter EX on top of another APO Tele Converter, or any other kinds of converters.
ATTACHING THE TELECONVERTER TO THE LENS

First, attach the APO Tele Converter EX to the master lens. Then, attach the lens and the Tele Converter to the camera body. If you attach the Tele Converter to the camera body first it may cause a malfunction.
For Sony mount, when attaching the APO TELE CONVERTER with a serial number lower than 5000001 to the camera body, it will prevent the AF mechanism from working.
Exposure

Using the APO Tele Converter EX decreases the effective aperture by one F-stop (with 1.4x Tele Converter) or by two F-stops (with 2x Tele Converter).Regardless of exposure mode, correct exposure can be obtained.
If using a lens which has in the list, the camera's display will indicate the converted exposure information. If using a lens which does not have in the list while using a hand-held exposure meter, you should increase the exposure reading by 1-stop for the APO 1.4x Tele Converter EX or by 2-stops for the APO 2x Tele Converter EX.
Focusing

On the lists, the lenses marked "AF" will retain auto focus operation when used with a Tele Converter. The lenses marked "MF can only be used for manual focus.
Some lenses will be operated AF even the list of SONY AF, NIKON, PENTAX mentioned "MF", however, be aware that these lenses cannot focus precisely by auto focusing. Therefore, please use such lenses in MF mode when teleconverter is attached.
*1 With 1.4x APO Tele Converter, AF can operate between infinity and 1.2m. If the subject is closer than 1.2m, only MF is available.
*2 With 1.4x APO Tele Converter, AF can operate between infinity and 0.52m. If the subject is closer than 0.52m, only MF is available.
*3 When the Tele Converter is attached, the zoom range will be restricted to between 100mm to 500mm.