get it used here

Introduction

This is a 2x manual focus teleconverter. It works on all auto and manual focus cameras with all auto and manual focus lenses. The combination acts like a manual focus lens, which means different things on different cameras.

The TC200 and TC201 are the same converter. The TC201 adds an extra coupling for the maximum absolute aperture lug read by the FA, EM and F4 to give additional exposure functions like matrix metering on the F4 and FA and automatic flash control on the EM. If you don't have an FA, EM or F4 than these are the same for you. Otherwise and with AF cameras the two are the same.

Nikon makes no AF teleconverters, with the exception of the TC-20E and TC-14E that only work with exotic AF-I and AF-S lenses.

To retain AF ability with AF lenses one must slum it with a discount brand teleconverter. Nikon makes NO teleconverters that work with anything other than the $1,000 plus AF-S lenses.

Specifications

It has seven elements in five groups.

It couples with lenses as fast as f/2, providing T/4. Using faster lenses does not gain any more speed.

Performance

The TC-200 magnifies any problems with the main lens. When use with a superb lens, one gets great results. When used with a lens that's only so-so one may get poor results.

Luckily all of Nikon's telephoto lenses are very very good, so I get great results with this teleconverter.

Recommendations

This is a manual focus teleconverter. It can be used with AF lenses as well. It makes whatever lens you attach to it behave as a manual focus lens when used on an AF camera.

All the TC200 does is make every AF camera think that it now has a manual focus lens on it. That means no S or P exposure modes, no matrix metering, and no f/stops indicated in the camera. Heck, the N55, N65 and N80 won't even meter any exposure whatsoever.

A trick is to use this on macro lenses, too. It turns a 55mm macro in to a 110mm macro, and a 105mm macro into a 210mm macro. I use it often on my F100 with my 105mm AF Micro, and since I focus that contraption manually anyway I'm AOK. It turns your f/2.8 macro into an f/5.6 macro, and doubles the magnification to life size with the manual focussing macro lenses, and to twice lifesize with the AF micros.

These manual focus teleconverters are the only Nikon brand teleconverters that can be used with ordinary AF cameras or lenses. The exotic TC-E series of teleconverters do NOT allow one to mount any ordinary AF or manual lenses to them. This is a hole in the Nikon system, but then again teleconvertewrs are usually a recipe for crummy images anyway.

It's silly to use this convertor with normal or wide angle lenses. It works fine, but you're far better off to carry a second lens like a 105mm f/2.5 than this convertor, for example. The point of this convertor is to allow you to leave your 400mm at home and just pop it on your 200mm in a pinch.

It works great on lenses to 200mm, although I've cheated and used it on my 300/4.5 ED-IF with great results. It vignettes with the 600/5.6, which serves you right because you ought to be using the TC-300 for those lenses.

I've heard it also works well with the 400/3.5 ED-IF. I've never tried this.

It works well with the Nikon Lens Scope Converter to double the magnification.

It can be attached to the backs of other teleconverters, even the TC-20E and TC-14E, to provide pretty useless 4x or 2.8x teleconversion of AF-I and AF-S lenses, making them of course manual focus.