3X teleconverter

Jeff Kubach

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A number of years ago a friend of mine died of a heartattack, my father bought some of his camera and accessories from his son.
One of the acessories was a 3X(!) teleconverter. A vivater, from what I heard 2X are not the greatest optics so I wonder if I use once or twice to see how it works. What sould I except?

Jeff
 

Christopher Walrath

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Other than the obvious 4-stop loss of light and the need for a tripod, nothing really comes to mind. But being able to pick a pimple off a fleas but at three miles is always that should be in one's gadget bag. Just sayin'.
 

Dr Croubie

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Expect it to be 3x longer, 3x darker, and 3x more aberrations like purple colour-fringing etc. And because of the smaller aperture even 'wide open' it'll be in the realms of where diffraction is already kicking in.
I've used some good TCs on digital (where problems show up the worst) with no problems.
I haven't used a 3x, but I've stacked two 2x converters (kiev brand) which will probably be worse than a single 3x.
I've had marginally useful shots on digital with two 2x (see here and here are mine, effective 1000mm f/14).

Colour film is a little more forgiving because it's less resolution than digital, and on B+W film I've used stacked TCs occasionally with no major problems, plus you don't have to worry about the colour-fringing at all.
 

Christopher Walrath

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Actually I have never seen a 3x teleconverter. And I find that designation strange as the lesser ones are usually 1.4X and 2X which is geometric in series as are f/stops. Just find it curious, that's all.

Just asking. Sure it's not an extension ring?
 

Sirius Glass

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The 3x teleconverters were popular in the 1960's and 1970's, but the optical loses were so great that the market disappeared.
 

Dr Croubie

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I've heard of them, seen either on fleabay, garage sale, or an 'antique' shop that sells junk for a few times more than it's worth. But never used or played around with them...
 

Sirius Glass

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Jeff Kubach said:
No it is not a extension ring. I never heard of one until now.

Jeff
Click to expand...

Correct an extension ring is for close ups or macro photography and has nothing to do with 2x or 3x teleconverters.
 

MattKing

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Even if a 3X teleconverter is of the highest optical quality, it is still magnifying just 1/3 of the frame transmitted by the lens it is attached to.

It will give you 3x the magnification though, with no change in subject distance at all.
 

Gerald C Koch

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Even the very best quality teleconverters still degrade the image. The greater the magnification the worse the degradation. This probably explains why they fell out of favor. They do make serviceable paperweights.
 

Tom1956

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I had one as a teenager in the early 70's. A Vivitar 3x that I played with on my trustu Mamiya/Sekor 1000 DTL. The camera and lens alone was great. The 3x turned out to be a waste of money.
 

eddie

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Tom1956 said:
I had one as a teenager in the early 70's. A Vivitar 3x that I played with on my trustu Mamiya/Sekor 1000 DTL. The camera and lens alone was great. The 3x turned out to be a waste of money.
Click to expand...

Me, too. Same time, same brand, but it was a 2X, on a Pentax. Same results as Tom. I remember being disappointed because, as a 14 year old, I couldn't afford a telephoto.
 

eddie

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elekm said:
I say, shoot the damn thing, and you'll know.
Click to expand...

Definitely... Don't take our words for it. Give it a try. Even after my early 70's experience, if one fell in my lap, I'd give it a go. What I now consider a successful image is a lot different than it was then.
 

CanonShot

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Jeff Kubach said:
One of the acessories was a 3X(!) teleconverter. A vivater, from what I heard 2X are not the greatest optics so I wonder if I use once or twice to see how it works. What sould I except?
Click to expand...

Sometimes when your feet can't get the camera close enough for the shot that you want, a teleconverter is a way to leverage a long lens. I have and use a Vivitar 3X with a Vivitar 75-300 mm. zoom on my Canon cameras. That combination will produce acceptable photos if held rock steady with a tripod or braced in some fashion. I try to use a fast film (ASA 400) to get a couple of the lost stops back.

You won't know until you try for yourself, so go for it.

Don
 

Nige

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Sirius Glass said:
Correct an extension ring is for close ups or macro photography and has nothing to do with 2x or 3x teleconverters.
Click to expand...

I have a 2X convertor that the glass screws out (as a feature, not just the way it's built) and turns it into an extension ring!
 

jwd722

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When I purchased my Spotmatic SP ll included along with 3 flashes, a dozen filters and several other items were 2 Kenko Auto Teleplus converters in 2X and 3X. The instructions claimed "even at open aperture there is no softening of focus or deterioration in resolving power so that two TELEPLUS units can be used in combination." A mighty bold statement I think. I never tested their theory, instead I got a small screwdriver, disassembled the innards of the 3X and now I have a 55mm meter coupled extension tube.
Just a thought.
 

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Dr Croubie

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Nige said:
I have a 2X convertor that the glass screws out (as a feature, not just the way it's built) and turns it into an extension ring!
Click to expand...

Yep, the Kiev 60/88 TCs do that too. I saw one on fleabay once being sold as a TC, but thankfully i noticed that the glass was clearly missing in the photos...
 

Sirius Glass

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VaryaV

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Hi Jeff - How are you?

Looks like I have the same Vivitar 3x teleconverter. There is also a 2x in the stash I inherited from my dad. Never used either of them, but I know they are also used in close-up/macro work. (I use primarily a macro bellows) You've got my curiosity sparked though so I might play with it over the holidays to see what it does. He had it epoxied from a screw mount to a smaller screw mount (step-down?) god only knows what he was doing with it. That's the way he flew with things! Let me know how it works out for you. CHEERS!
 

pen s

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Not withstanding the optical loss there is the problem of holding 1200mm steady. That is 24X a 50mm lens so each tiny vibration is magnifed 24X and it is a bear to try to hold steady even on a heavy duty tripod. What in the world is anyone shooting with such a rig. Perhaps small birds at moderate distances but I think applications for that long a focal length would be very limited.

In the 70's aftermarket 2X and 3X were plentiful and even then, cheap. Mostly they were bought, used one or two times, and then banished to the bottom of the gaget bag. That is why so many old ones look like they haven't been used.
 
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Jeff Kubach

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I haven't heard from you in a while. I hope your works ok.

Jeff
 
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