The Best Nikon Teleconverter Tip I Know

If you’re using any of Nikon’s current model teleconverters, either the TC-14E II (1.4x),, the TC-17E II (1.7x), or the TC-20E II (2.0x), you may already have run into this problem: the cap that protects the teleconverter’s female connector can get locked in that end such that it’s VERY difficult to remove. By some unfortunate coincidence of manufacturing, this cap, unlike the lenses and teleconverters themselves, can attach in more than one way. And getting it loose once it’s attached the wrong way can be very difficult.

_T2P8490

This happened to me some months ago and I thought I was going to have to break either the cap or the teleconverter to get them separated from each other. After removing my 1.7X teleconverter from the lens and camera body, I’d casually replaced the cap on the male end and then done the same with the female end, assuming without thinking about it that both caps would fit into place in only one way. But the next time I wanted to use the teleconverter, I found that the grey cap on the female end was stuck. My shoot ground to a halt as I tried to remove the grey cap. Holding down the lock lever had no effect whatsoever. The cap had a fair amount of movement as I jiggled it, but would not turn far enough in either direction to come free of the teleconverter.

I gave up and when I’d returned to the office, Googled the situation to find no mention of anyone else having the same problem. I made sure this would never happen to me again, as I’ll describe below, and assumed this was a freak accident. I ran into another photographer the other morning who’d had the same problem, though, so I decided to share my solution here.

As for separating the grey cap once it was stuck in place, I don’t honestly remember what I did to free it, other than accept that I was probably going to break it before turning it with enough force in the counter-clockwise direction to do the trick. I expected a sickening SNAP sound as something inside broke, but I didn’t; the cap just came loose after a long period of increasingly forceful jiggling and working back and forth.

To make sure this never happened again, I have marked my cap with a black Sharpie at the point that must line up with the white dot on the teleconverter. The other cap you can put on with your eyes closed as it truly does lock down from only one position. But the gray cap I make SURE I only turn to tighten after I’ve lined up the two marks, and there are few other practices related to a shoot about which I’m more disciplined than this. When I want a piece of gear, I want it right away, without a struggle to get the silly cap off. And this is the only piece of Nikon gear with which I’ve had this type of problem.

If your cap is stuck, I hope you’re able to get it loose without breaking it. If this hasn’t happened to you yet, count your blessings, and NEVER put it on without making sure it’s properly lined up.

Scott

Posted on October 19, 2009 in Gear Stories, Photography Tips Share
  • Paul Brewer

    Scott,
    Thank you for taking the time to provide this write up and suggestion. I had the same problem today and after reading your suggestion I got up the courage to exert a little more pressure and the cap popped out. I have just marked both my 1.4 and 1.7 caps with a sharpie. Thank you again.
    Paul Brewer

    • Very glad I could help, Paul!

      • Mandy Swanwick

        Nikon has already mark the grey cap with a small white dot which lines up with the one one the converter they done the job for you

  • Alan Avalon

    Scott,
    I would just like to echo Paul’s thanks. The same happened to me and after finding your write up was encouraged to use a bit more force and out popped the cap! I did try to get some help from the Nikon support page but they were not very helpful! Once again thanks for taking the time and sharing your solution,
    Alan Avalon

  • I’d like to thank both of you, Paul and Alan, for replying with your experience. I was hoping it was a fluke when it happened to me, but it’s good to know I’m not the only one this happened to, and that the potential for this situation lies in the design of Nikon’s cap rather than my own mistake. Of course, it would be better if this had never happened to any of us. But I’m very glad I could help you both.

  • pj

    thanks for your helpful information

  • Peter Geran

    Scott

    I did that ages ago with all my body caps. Put a white dot on the black BF-1A , and a black dot on the grey BF -3A caps for the Tele Convertors.
    I did have the same problem ages ago, and that’s prompted me to mark the caps.

    Of course, years ago, NIKON only had BLACK CAPS for all their bodies and tele-convertors. That was a recipe for confusion.

    I have all three NIKON TC’s , but, I really use the TC14E the most. My TC20E is the MKII model, and even though NIKON have a new model out ( the MKIII), I am not interested in spending lots of $$ to see if it works. Sticking with the TC14E and TC17E for the foreseeable future.

    Keep up the good work..

  • Just had the stuck cap syndrom. For me the cap was slightly loose but didn’t release any way i turned it.
    To get it off I turned the cap all the way clockwise till it stopped, then pulled up on the loosest edge of the cap. It reluctantly came off after quite a bit of force but it didn’t feel like I was damaging anything internally.

    hope this helps anyone else out there

  • Aaron Sivertson

    Here I am, in my studio late on a Saturday night, and that stupid cap is stuck on my TC-20EII. After fiddling…and swearing…a lot…I googled…and here you were. Thanks!

  • Aaron, it’s just for you and others in the same spot that I wrote and posted this advice. Very glad I could help!

  • I had the same problem! Thanks for the tip – my cap finally came off after 30 minutes of fiddling with it like it was a puzzle. I got my sharpie out and marked and put a BIG arrow on the lid.

    Thanks again!

  • Larry Greeson

    I also had the stuck grey cap on my TC-14EII. Unfortunately I did not find this site until after I decided to delicately take some small side cutters to the cap. I got it off without damaging the teleconverter and have ordered a new cap from B&H. I did notice that the cap had been upgraded from a BF-3A to a BF-3B (not sure what that is about). Anyway nice to know that I am not the only dummy! I will also be marking my caps to not make the same mistake again.

  • I’m so relieved to find your comments about this rear cap problem. I have rarely used this teleconverter (relatively I’m a novice shooter) but loved it when I did with another camera. I have a new camera d300s and new lens 18-300 and wanted to see if this worked with them and what the effect looked like. I am still having trouble removing the cap but at least I know others have also and will keep trying to exert more force to do so. Thanks for the marker tip!!!! invaluable!

    • Scott

      Glad to help, Nancy, and thanks for commenting!

    • I finally got it off by turning on it’s side and jiggling one end and the other then popped out. However, further research led me to discover that there is, indeed, an alignment indicator on the top of the cap. It’s a gray dot on the gray background so impossible to see! It’s right above the letter ‘P’ on the word OPEN!

  • Dave

    Thanks for the help. Like everyone else here, I thought I was going to break it until I read your fix. 10 seconds later, all is right with the world again.