Canon EF 1.4X II Extender Telephoto Accessory

Let's start with some words of warning:

This extender will only fit certain L-class lenses (see canon website for a list) and it will reduce the maximum f-stop of your lens, so any lens not f/4 or faster to begin with will not work in AF mode (or rather, the camera will not be able to use AF). But you know all that, because you did some research before you considered buying the extender, right?

I bought this extender as an economic (ie cheaper) alternative to a longer lens - I own a 70-200 f/4 and as I only occaionally need a longer lens, I was prepared to make amends with regard to max f-stop and picture quality, trading them for (a lot) less money spent and (even more) less weight to carry.

I used the extender on a recent trip through southern France and I haven't been disappointed. Yes, the pictures with the extender have a slightly degraded quality, but you really have to look very close. Losing one f-stop to f/5.6 has not been much of an issue for me, as there was light aplenty.

The only drawback that was not clear from the beginning - the extender is a bit fiddly to get off the lens again, which you can entirely blame on my lack of dexterity. So not quite 5 stars, but very close.

A friend of mine always advises to limit the amount of glass between you and the subject when taking digital photographs, but there are times when you need the added distance a teleconverter can provide in lieu of owning a $5000+ extra long telephoto lens. Since I agree with my friend, I opted to buy the highest quality teleconverter available for my Canon and this was it. I have used this more successfully on My Canon "L" 75-200mm 2.8 lens than on my "L" 100-400mm lens. When using it on the shorter of my telephoto lenses, the autofocus does not "catch" the subject as quickly as using my 100-400mm without a teleconverter, but it does keep me from having to carry around two heavy long lenses. For those that would use a teleconverter (and be sure you are going to actually use it because it is expensive) for a Canon digital camera this is THE one to have.

Remember you lose a stop of light when you use this, and this does not fit all canon EF lenses. The only lens that it fits properly(in my experience) are the "white" lenses (I did not realize this before I purchased and thought I would get to use it on my primes but the black part that sticks out has to be able to fit in the lens).

This is my first purchase in Amazon.

The 1.4X II tele converter is a update to Canon's earlier 1.4X TC. The mark II allows this extender to be stacked with another of Canon's extenders without having to separate the two with an extension tube.


The 1.4X II is a great way to extend the reach of compatible lenses.

I have used it with Canon 300mm f4 IS, which turns it into a 420mm.
The extra reach it adds is not tremendous, but it's very welcome when I just need a little more than what the lens alone can give me.

Using the tele converter decreases your lens' widest aperture 'capability' by one stop. I have heard this TC when used with canon 400mm f5.6 L, will loose auto focus capability. Yet to try this combo.

The 1.4X build quality is very good.

If you've already invested on telephoto lenses, the 1.4X II is Highly recommended.

Very nice addtion to your setup!

Only thing I'm not happy with is, it should allow auto mode for what ever F stop your using!

Auto ONLY works with F4 and less.

Other then that, I'm still very happy with Canon and its quality of this extender.