Every now and then I try out a new gizmo that so surprises or impresses me that I've just GOT to write about it. This time it's the Nikon TC-20 E II teleconverter, which I'd played with a few years ago and promptly forgot about.

At that time I used it some, but never felt fully confident that the images were as sharp as I wanted. And that's always the issue with teleconverters. If you could really put a converter on a lens and get the same performance as a larger (often more expensive lens), why would you ever buy that larger lens?

Now some of you may be asking, "what's a teleconverter?" Simply explained, it's a small barrel with lens elements that you mount between the lens and the camera to gain additional "reach" with the lens. A 2X converter, like the TC-20, means it doubles the focal length of the lens, and reduces the maximum aperture by two stops. Used on my 70-200mm f/2.8 lens makes it perform like a 140-400mm f/5.6 lens.

I've had a long and happy relationship with smaller teleconverters. Both Nikon and Canon sell a 1.4 converter that's as sharp on the supported lenses as without. I've used the Nikon TC-14 for about two decades now with great results. It adds .4X to the length (a 300mm becomes a 420mm) and you lose one stop (an f/2.8 lens becomes f/4.0). The downside to teleconverters is that they're not always sharp with the lens wide open (or even worse, with the lens closed down). That becomes more of a problem with longer converters and third-party ones.

Last year I took a group of people on a photo safari to Africa and two of them brought TC-20 E II converters (I'm doing another trip in early 2007 if you're interested). They had great results using them on their 70-200mm lenses, and made me re-think my previous opinion of that converter.

I recently led a photo trek to Tucson, and decided to take the TC-20 along to use with my own 70-200mm lens. There weren't going to be many places we'd need long lenses, so I thought I'd try this rather than carry a big lens. I was pleasantly surprised at the results, and learned a few things about using it. The first two shots on this page are from that trip.

First, the converter did a great job with subjects that were relatively close to me. For some reason, when subjects are far away, there's a slight softness to the image. However, if they're within 100 feet or so of me, the results were excellent. There was an additional benefit to this setup. The 70-200 focuses very close, to about 4.5 feet, and does so even with the converter attached! That's like shooting close-ups with a 400mm lens. It turned out to be a great combination for making candids of people and reaching out in places where you can't physically get closer, such as a zoo.

Just the other day I used it while photographing the Youth Symphony of Kansas City, something I do for them every year. Since I'd lit the stage they were performing on, I could move around edges of the orchestra during the rehearsal, and using the TC-20 get close-up shots of even the musicians in the center of the orchestra. Needless to say, this converter will be a regular part of my photo kit from now on.

If you're considering a purchase, keep a few things in mind. First, double-check to be sure it will work with your lens. Due to differences in lens designs, even within the same manufacturer, converters will only work with certain lenses. And if at all possible, try it on your lens and shoot some tests to be sure you'll be happy with the results.