Using the Fujinon Teleconverters for Motor Sport

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no30 ESM Ligier-Nissan (Giedo Van der Garde) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/250s @ f8 ISO400
The Fujinon XF100-400mm f4.5/5.6 (150-600mm equivalent) is the longest focal length lens in the Fujifilm X-Series arsenal and is more than adequate for most purposes when shooting sport and wildlife.  

 When shooting motor sport I am able to get 90% of my images using the standard lens but most of the circuits the FIA World Endurance Championship visits have the latest safety standards, which means the run off areas are quite large and the trackside locations can be a fair distance away.  This is the case at the Bahrain International Circuit, which hosted the season finale last Saturday.

 Luckily Fujifilm have produced two high quality teleconverters which increase the focal length of the 100-400mm at the expense of making the effective maximum aperture smaller. 

 The 1.4x converter increases the focal length range from 100-400mm to 140mm-560mm, while making the maximum aperture f8.  The quality of this converter is such that there is no drop off in the quality of the final image and the speed of the autofocus is similarly unaffected.  The equivalent maximum focal length of the lens increases from 600mm to 840mm, which for most situations is more than enough. 
no26 G-Drive Racing Oreca-Nissan (Alex Brundle) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 2x conv (800mm) - 1/1000s @ f11 ISO800
The Fujinon 2x converter increases the focal length to 200-800mm but drops the maximum aperture to f11.  The quality of the final image is slightly affected, but not to massive degree, but the AF performance is and can be sluggish when tracking fast moving objects.  The equivalent maximum focal length is 1200mm.  It is difficult to get a consistant result when using the 100-400mm with the 2x converter, but as the examples below show, it is possible.

 The good news is that both converters are weather resistant like the two Fujinon zooms that can take them, so in the dry and dusty desert conditions it was good to know that the lenses were sealed (it is not just about getting caught in a rain storm!)

no8 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 (Oliver Jarvis) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 2x conv (800mm) - 1/1000s @ f11 ISO800
In the field I prefer to use the 100-400mm lens with the 1.4x converter and use the X-T2s large 6000 x 4000 pixel image area to crop in post production.    

 The image above of the race winning Audi Sport R18 was taken on the XF100-400mm lens with the 2x converter fitted. The image is not cropped so the full size image is still 6000 x 4000 pixels.

 The image below was taken on the XF100-400mm lens with the 1.4x converter fitted. The image was cropped to give a similar field of view as the image taken with the 2x converter.  

 The image below is 'cleaner' than the shot taken with the 2x converter.  The cropped image is 4800 pixels on the long edge, which is the same as a full size image from a Fujifilm X-T1 (16mp).  Bearing in mind the standard size for images made available for editorial purposes is 3500 pixels, the image below is still far larger than it needs to be.

no43 RGR Sport Ligier-Nissan (Bruno Senna) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/250s @ f16 ISO400

 All of the following images are taken with the X-T2 fitted with the XF100-400mm and the Fujinon 1.4x converter.  

 As I said earlier, I prefer to shoot without teleconverters if possible but I know that if needed the 1.4x converter on the XF100-400mm will give me the extra pulling power if needed. I also have the 2x converter in my camera bag which I will use when necessary.

no97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage (Darren Turner) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/250s @ f16 ISO400

no83 AF Corse Ferrari F458 Italia (Pedro Lamy) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/250s @ f16 ISO400

no5 Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050 Hybrid (Sebatien Buemi) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/250s @ f16 ISO400

no35 Baxi DC Racing Alpine A460-Nissan (Paul Loup Chatin) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/1600s @ f8 ISO400

no78 KCMG Porsche 911 RSR (Joel Camathias) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/640s @ f8 ISO640

no51 AF Corse Ferrari F488 (Gianmaria Bruni) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/320s @ f8 ISO640

no36 Signatech Alpine Alpine A460-Nissan (Gustavo Menezes) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/400s @ f8 ISO640

no8 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18 (Lucas Di Grassi) - Fujifilm X-T2 + XF100-400mm + 1.4x conv (560mm) - 1/500s @ f8 ISO640

CLICK HERE for more information on the Fujinon 1.4x TC WR

 CLICK HERE for more information on the Fujinon 2x TC WR
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MacLean Photographic run Tours and Workshops in East Lothian and the Borders of Scotland.  CLICK HERE for more details and availability

Jeff Carter is an Official Fujifilm X Photographer and was named as a Fujifilm brand ambassador in June 2015. In 2016 he worked with the company on the launches of the Fujifilm X-Pro2 in Tokyo and the Fujifilm X-T2 in Paris in July 2016.  You can view his profile and gallery on the Fujifilm website HERE


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