Go-Buy: Canon 2x Extender

So, as you know, I finally got my paws on a beloved Canon 2x Extender on Friday. I've been longing for this piece of gear for a while now, and have finally worked enough jobs to justify it's purchase.The Canon 2x Extender essentially doubles the focal length, or "zoom", of a camera lens. So, my Canon 70-200mm, when combined with the Extender, becomes a 140-400. It is a common misconception that the baseline focal length stays constant. For instance, that my lens would become a 70-400mm. This is incorrect, if you get double the length on one end, you've gotta take it on the other.

The only drawback of this lens attachment is that you lose a few f/stops. Now, I understand that the majority of the readers of this blog, all three of you, are not photographers. So, we'll keep it simple. What this means is you loose your lenses' ability to function as well in low light. With my lens becoming an f/5.6 instead of it's typical f/2.8, most indoor shooting is out the window. This attachment is great, but impractical for anything but the great outdoors.So, it's all settled. I now have a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens, that, when combined with my new extender, becomes a 140-400mm f/5.6L IS lens. Pretty sweet, considering the extender runs under $300, and I still have the option of simply removing it, to gain my original lens back.

Note: a Canon 400mm f/5.6L lens, not Image Stabilized, by itself, is over $1000. Also, this lens is a "prime" lens, meaning that it does not zoom at all. So, by going this route, I really get two lenses, for only adding $300, and both lenses can zoom, Image Stabilized.

I understand that this probably means nothing to most of you. But, it's really important to me, and it's a really big deal that I finally got it.

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it.