Canon 300 2.8 + 2x III teleconverter questions

[Sambuca1]

Hello All,

This year i have left my lens rental a little late for RIAT, So instead of my usual choices i have gone with a 300 2.8, Teamed with a 2xIII teleconverter.
I will be using this on my 5DMII.
Im looking for opinions/feedback on this combination from people who have used it for general aviation photography/airshows etc
I was initially concerned at the known loss of quality+autofocus speed but having done a little research online it seems thats a pretty mixed opinion.
So how well does the 300 2.8 and teleconverter do with aviation?

If anyone has any example shots i would be most grateful
many thanks

[DamienB]

I've used that combo a lot. It's very good - not fantastic as the focus accuracy does suffer a little - but very useable and I was generally happy shooting that way. The lens is still sharp as anything with the 1.4 TC instead though.

[Sambuca1]

thats good news, thanks damien

[shaggie]

When i've used my non is 300 F2.8 with the X2 on it has worked well ,i found best to use above F8 and to raise the iso a little to keep above F8 !!

[neville]

My son used to use a 400/2.8 with either 1.4 and 2X Tc's and his airshow photographs were superb.

The converters are best used with Canon's prime lenses where they really come into their own, i personally wouldn't recommend them for use
with zoom lenses.

I would think that the 300/2.8 plus either converter would be an awesome combination for flying shots.

[Sambuca1]

Many thanks for the replies chaps!
looks like il be in for an interesting Riat, Its always nice to use different lenses as you more often than not get a completely different take on the same angles/shots you get year in year out.

[k_z]

I used it twice in this combination recently (300 2.8 IS L version I + TC 2x version III). Noticeable worse contrast than bare lens or with TC 1.4, AF works better than I expected (but had low expectations ). Anyway - it was worth trying, probably won't be using TC 2x too much in the future...

[Sambuca1]

Well as luck would have it i tried the 300 2.8 + 2xIII at legends, A nice chap very kindly lent it to me to have a play with. Got to say, the autofocus wasnt as slow as i had expected

I picked up my lens for riat yesterday and was happy to see it was the mark two 300 2.8, the autofocus under teleconverter is greatly improved, it truly is an amazing piece of glass!

very much looking for to using it in anger from 13:00 today

[Sambuca1]

Should anyone like to see the results i got with this lens i have posted in airshow photos