Nikon D40 lense compatability with teleconverter

[The Drake]

I just recently purchased my first large digital camera,a Nikon D40 kit with an extra 55-200mm lense for using mainly to shoot in the field shots of waterfowl and other birds while out hunting.I have been very happy so far with the performance of this kit,but wanted to add a tele converter to the mix,for any longer shot in the field that I could come across,I wanted to be prepared.I talked with Nikon about what tele converter would fit this camera,and was told that a TC-16A AF would fit and work with this camera and the AF lenses.So I purchased one and it does fit the camera body lense attachment,and the lenses I have fit the converter,but I cant take any shots with it because the camera says that the lense is not attached and will not operate unless I remove the converter.I noticed that the camera has 7 pin contacts and the converter only has 5 pins,is this the reason that it will not work with this camera?

My question is what tele converter do I need to get that will be compatible with the Nikon DX AF-S 55-200mm lense?

Any and all help is very much appreciated.Thanks

 

[compuwar]

I just recently purchased my first large digital camera,a Nikon D40 kit with an extra 55-200mm lense for using mainly to shoot in the field shots of waterfowl and other birds while out hunting.I have been very happy so far with the performance of this kit,but wanted to add a tele converter to the mix,for any longer shot in the field that I could come across,I wanted to be prepared.I talked with Nikon about what tele converter would fit this camera,and was told that a TC-16A AF would fit and work with this camera and the AF lenses.So I purchased one and it does fit the camera body lense attachment,and the lenses I have fit the converter,but I cant take any shots with it because the camera says that the lense is not attached and will not operate unless I remove the converter.I noticed that the camera has 7 pin contacts and the converter only has 5 pins,is this the reason that it will not work with this camera?

My question is what tele converter do I need to get that will be compatible with the Nikon DX AF-S 55-200mm lense?

Any and all help is very much appreciated.Thanks

First of all, Nikon's AF, just like everyone else's is "rated" for f/5.6 as it's narrowest aperture. You won't be able to get reliable AF with *any* TC on the 55-200 because if you lose a stop, you're at f/8 at the long end.

Secondly, Nikon converters are generally spec'd by LENS, not BODY. That is, teleconverters and series of teleconverters are matched to a lens or series of lenses. So a 300/4 EDIF is matched to say a TC-14B while a 400/2.8 AFS-II is matched to the TC-14E II, TC-17E II and TC-20E II series.

The II-E series of converters have a tab that stops them from physically being mated to non-AF-S lenses. Filing off the tab allows them to operate.

While I've occasionally had a Kenko 1.4x that'd grudgingly work at f/8 (actually the re-badged Tamron version) it wasn't reliable enough to make a difference.

The TC-16A is a very old TC, and I'd be wary of trying to use it with anything that wasn't from the same era. Mir.com says it can only be used with AI lenses without potential damage to the converter and lists the following lenses as compatible:

Nikkor/Series E Lens/TC-16A Compatibility Chart: (Published as Nikon Instruction Manual of AF TC-16A indicated)

AF: AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8; AF Nikkor 80mm f/2.8 (could be more AF lenses in this category)
Fisheye Nikkor: Nikkor 6mm f/2.8; Nikkor 8mm f/2.8; Nikkor 16mm f/2.8
Wideangles: Nikkor 24mm f/2; Nikkor 24mm f/2.8; Nikkor 28mm f/2 (No. 540021 or above); Nikkor 28mm f/2.8(No. 500001 or above); Nikkor 35mm fl.4 (Use Ai-S type lens only *); Nikkor 35mm f/2 (No. 931001 or above); Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 (No. 880001 or above);
Normal: Nikkor 50mm f/1.2; Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 (No. 3980001 or above); Nikkor 50mm f/1.8; Nikkor 50mm f/1.8(N); Nikkor 50mm f/2 (No. 3640001 or above); Nikkor 55mm f/1.2
Telephoto: Nikkor 85mm f/1.4; Nikkor 85mm f/2; Nikkor 105mm f/1.8; Nikkor 105mm f/2.5; Nikkor 135mm f/2; Nikkor 135mm f/2.8 [Only infinity (OO) to 1.7m (5.58 ft)]**; Nikkor 180mm f/2.8 ED [Only infinity (oo) to 2.5m**; Nikkor 80mm f/2.8 (Only infinity (OO) to 2.5m (8.2 ft)]**; Nikkor 200mm f/2 IF-ED; Nikkor 300mm f/2 IF-ED ***; Nikkor 300mm f/2.8 IF-ED***; Zoom-Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 ED
Special: Noct-Nikkor 58mm f/1.2; Micro-Nikkor 55mm f/2.8; Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 [Only infinity (OO) to 0.55m (1.8 ft)]**

Series E: 28mm f/2.8; 35mm f/2 5; 50mm f/1.8; 100mm f/2.8; 135mm f/2.8 [Only infinity (OO) to 1.7m (5.58 ft)]**

 

[The Drake]

First of all, Nikon's AF, just like everyone else's is "rated" for f/5.6 as it's narrowest aperture. You won't be able to get reliable AF with *any* TC on the 55-200 because if you lose a stop, you're at f/8 at the long end.

Secondly, Nikon converters are generally spec'd by LENS, not BODY. That is, teleconverters and series of teleconverters are matched to a lens or series of lenses. So a 300/4 EDIF is matched to say a TC-14B while a 400/2.8 AFS-II is matched to the TC-14E II, TC-17E II and TC-20E II series.

The II-E series of converters have a tab that stops them from physically being mated to non-AF-S lenses. Filing off the tab allows them to operate.

While I've occasionally had a Kenko 1.4x that'd grudgingly work at f/8 (actually the re-badged Tamron version) it wasn't reliable enough to make a difference.

The TC-16A is a very old TC, and I'd be wary of trying to use it with anything that wasn't from the same era. Mir.com says it can only be used with AI lenses without potential damage to the converter and lists the following lenses as compatible:

Thanks so much for the enlightenment.