Bald Eagles and Teleconverter Magnification

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I’ve often wondered how the image quality would be if Dyeyo and I were to stack our teleconverters. I got the opportunity to do an experiment yesterday at the Circle B Bar Reserve. We had seen an adult Bald Eagle flying over the marsh several times, and it finally settled in a treetop all the way across the marsh. I used Live View to refine the focus on my tripod-mounted Canon 7D with 400mm lens. Then I added my 1.4x teleconverter, then I added Dyeyo’s as well. Here’s the result (all cropped, but to the same scale):

Bald Eagle (400mm lens alone, effective 640mm)

Bald Eagle (400mm lens alone, effective 640mm)

Bald Eagle (400mm lens + 1.4x teleconverter, effective 896mm)

Bald Eagle (400mm lens + 1.4x teleconverter, effective 896mm)

Bald Eagle (400mm lens + 2 stacked 1.4x teleconverters, effective 1254mm)

Bald Eagle (400mm lens + 2 stacked 1.4x teleconverters, effective 1254mm)

I was pleasantly surprised by the image quality. Now if only I could turn my 400 f/5.6 lens into a 400 f/2.8 lens so that I could retain autofocus while magnifying…oh well… :)

Want to learn more about nature photography at Circle B Bar Reserve?

Check out my Circle B Bar Reserve page with more information about the location, map, website, photography tips, etc. It is archived by date so you can see my images from previous visits. Maybe you'll be inspired for your own trip!

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