After I saw some impressive pictures of the Sigma 150-600 using a 2x teleconverter, I wanted to see whether using a crop camera with a telezoom should be used for long range or whether a FX with teleconverter does the trick. I bought the Sigma TC-1401 which was introduced last year and where the 2x version does also work on a Sigma 150-600. Of course not guaranteed that AF will work properly as the f-stop of f9 will be out of specs even for a D4 or the D800 and other newer models which all support f8.

After some disappointing testshots using my testchart where nearly no AF was working with any of my camera/teleconverter versions, I gave it another try in some brighter sunshine weather. Well, it works like a charm. AF very rarely misses the point starts pumping. That’s what I was looking for.

Test

Using the D3 with Sigma 150-600 and TC-1401 mounted on Berlebach UNI-16 with Wimberley WH200 would result in 850mm focal length versus the D2x with Tamron 150-600 mounted on Feisol CT3442 and Arca Swiss D4. The crop camera gets slightly better focal length by compared 900mm but that shouldn’t be a big deal.

Under “normal” circumstances one would say that a pretty decent lens like the Tamron should perform better than using a “cheap” telezoom with a converter. Well, let’s see…

First test using the Anemometer of my weather station. First picture is the D2x, second picture the D3. Crops in the same order.

Second test using the bird feeder in my tree. First picture is the D2x, second picture the D3. Crops in the same order.

D2x using Tamron 150-600
Anemometer with D3 using Sigma 150-600 with TC-1401
D2x using Tamron 150-600 Crop
D3 using Sigma 150-600 with TC-1401 Crop

Conclusion

Quite simple answer… If light conditions support it, it does the trick! Impressive performance for a telezoom. And still having the option to use the whole setup on the D2x (yes, it does focus as well) which results in 1275mm equivalent.

Some real life shots are here.