Tamron SP AF 2x Pro Teleconverter for Canon Mount Lenses Review

I realize now that I probably would have been fine with the non-PRO version of the teleconverter -- I'm not certain whether the differences between the PRO and standard actually justify the extra cost (unless you use Canon L lenses perhaps). But that is neither here nor there.

The Tamron SP Autofocus 2x Pro Teleconverter doubles your lens' focal length and adds two f-stops (meaning you'll be getting 1/4 the light with the teleconverter). This is the same for all 2X teleconverters. The addition 2 f-stops will make it difficult to use autofocus unless you have a fast lens and lots of light to work with. You'll also want to use the teleconverter with a long telephoto lens.

The Tamron SP Autofocus 2x Pro Teleconverter works as advertised with 35mm and digital cameras. I've had no problems using a Tamron 70-300mm lens with this teleconverter on a Rebel XT aside from the expected auto-focus issues. There are a few issues I noticed though beyond the typical problems found with any 2X teleconverter:

(1) The teleconverter causes autofocus to misbehave with some lenses. The only lens I've ever had this happen with is a Sigma High Speed 28-70mm f2.8-4 zoom. It wasn't just that the autofocus couldn't achieve a lock but seemed to be more of an incompatibility issue with the lens focusing in and out nonstop.

(2) The Canon Rebel XT kit lens - and probably all EF-S lenses - will not phyically FIT into this teleconverter. The EOS digital-only EF-S mount lenses won't physically fit in standard 35mm cameras either so this isn't a total surprise.

(3) Using this teleconverter with a non-auto-focus manual-only lens (or a telescope) will stop the shutter release button from functioning. I understand this is a fairly common problem with teleconverters. The solution is, when attaching the teleconverter to the camera, to avoid rotating the teleconverter completely so that it does not lock in place. This ensures that the camera and teleconverter electrical contacts are not engaged.

I find the Tamron SP Autofocus 2x Pro Teleconverter quite useful though perhaps a bit overpriced for those of us without premium lenses.

Buy it here now!