Photographylife.com is reviewing Nikon’s first teleconverters for the Z mirrorless system: the Z TELECONVERTER TC-1.4x and Z TELECONVERTER TC-2.0x. These two teleconverters multiply your focal length by 1.4× and 2.0× respectively, with the usual loss of light. How do they hold up in practice?
Nikon Z TELECONVERTER TC-1.4x and Z TELECONVERTER TC-2.0x reduce the amount of light
If you’ve been around the block, I’m sure you’ve heard that teleconverters come with tradeoffs. The most obvious issue is that they reduce the amount of light a lens can gather. The Nikon Z 1.4x TC loses one stop of light (AKA cutting the amount of light in half), while the Nikon Z 2.0x TC loses two stops of light (cutting the light in fourth).
For obvious reasons, this is a problem in low-light conditions. For example, a popular wildlife photography lens like the Nikon Z 400mm f/4.5 VR S would turn into a 560mm f/6.3 with the 1.4x teleconverter – and into an 800mm f/9 with the 2x teleconverter.
