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.

This happened to me some time 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.

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