2x telephoto lens

gmac

What is a good 2x lenses for my D3200? I have been using a coolpix point and shoot, and decided to upgrade to a slr. The learning curve is slowing me down now. Going on vacation in about a month and I've got to get on the ball. I have a 18-50mm and a 70-300mm zoom. What other lenses will help me get great pictures at an affordable cost? Thank you for your help. I have downloaded Moose's cheat tips for my 18-50mm lens.

bruto

I would hesitate to put an extender on the relatively slow zoom, as it reduces brightness to the point where you might find autofocusing difficult or even inoperative in poor light. On the D3200, a 300mm lens gives pretty good reach, and there's some room to crop as well. A good teleconverter that auto focuses and meters correctly can be pretty expensive too.

It's not clear which 70-300mm zoom you have, as there have been several of different sorts, with and without vibration reduction. The older non VR ones work well, but require quite a steady hand and high shutter speeds for hand holding at full length, and would require more with an extender. Without VR, you can expect to need something around 1/500 or better shutter speed at 300mm to avoid camera shake.

If you can, I'd practice going deep with the 70-300mm, and see how well you can capture birds in trees and the like with it.

If you're looking for extreme reach, there are a few super zooms but they're not exactly cheap. Tamron makes a 150-600mm that's decent but not superb at 600, which you can get under $1000. Sigma makes a couple in the same range that are said to be very good, especially the more expensive one. Nikon makes a 200-500mm f/5.6 that is very sharp and has phenomenally good VR making it useable hand held even at 500mm without heroic measures, but it comes in at $1400.

But for the moment, I'd concentrate on getting the most out of 300mm. That's really a pretty good reach, and between the 18-55mm and the 70-300mm you have good coverage, and a good kit for traveling.

gmac

Thanks for your input. Sounds like I just need to practice with my I have. Appreciate your time.

Haggis

Kenko 2x teleplus MC7 DGX

This one works, has good optics and no lens problems.
What do I mean no lens problems? Sigma and Nikon 2x converters can smash certain lenses if mounted focusing crunch. Correct! Also, if you use a Sigma 2x on a Nikon lens, the readings for exposure might be incorrect.
The Kenko 2x just works. I would point out that the recommendation is to use on a lens with f/4 or faster. I have used this on an f/5.6 without issues. Also tried it on an f/8 mirror 500mm, and it worked.

gmac

Thanks for your input.

bruto

Kenko has earned a reputation over the years for making good teleconverters, and in many cases for making things that are unavailable in Nikon form. There have been a few gaps in the Nikon line, in which one could not get anything at all, or if one did, it had to be filed down or modified, or did not function 100 percent, and yet Kenko seemed able to make them work. If you're shopping for a teleconverter, they're definitely worth a look.

Galan

I know this is quite a leap considering the fact that you already made your investment, but consider getting yourself a P900 (also by Nikon) as a reasonable priced 83x optical zoom camera with image stabilization. I have used this on some wildlife that was out of reasonable range for the price of a suitable slr lenses (used 600mm f/4 D was $7400) with remarkable success.

I know this doesn't address your question, but given the fact that you plan to travel, the P900 is compact, sealed (no dust gets in from changing lenses) and in the $500 price range. It's optical range is 24-2000mm.

Check it out on dp review:
https://www.dpreview.com/products/nikon/compacts/nikon_cpp900