diff --git a/gst/playback/gstplaysinkconvertbin.c b/gst/playback/gstplaysinkconvertbin.c
index afd4b75a02..4648d670f6 100644
--- a/gst/playback/gstplaysinkconvertbin.c
+++ b/gst/playback/gstplaysinkconvertbin.c
@@ -150,6 +150,8 @@ gst_play_sink_convert_bin_set_targets (GstPlaySinkConvertBin * self,
   GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (self, "Setting pad targets with passthrough %d",
       passthrough);
   if (self->conversion_elements == NULL || passthrough) {
+    GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (self, "no conversion elements, using identity (%p) as "
+        "head/tail", self->identity);
     if (!passthrough) {
       GST_WARNING_OBJECT (self,
           "Doing passthrough as no converter elements were added");
@@ -158,8 +160,13 @@ gst_play_sink_convert_bin_set_targets (GstPlaySinkConvertBin * self,
   } else {
     head = GST_ELEMENT (g_list_first (self->conversion_elements)->data);
     tail = GST_ELEMENT (g_list_last (self->conversion_elements)->data);
+    GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (self, "conversion elements in use, picking "
+        "head:%s and tail:%s", GST_OBJECT_NAME (head), GST_OBJECT_NAME (tail));
   }
 
+  g_return_if_fail (head != NULL);
+  g_return_if_fail (tail != NULL);
+
   pad = gst_element_get_static_pad (head, "sink");
   GST_DEBUG_OBJECT (self, "Ghosting bin sink pad to %" GST_PTR_FORMAT, pad);
   gst_ghost_pad_set_target (GST_GHOST_PAD_CAST (self->sinkpad), pad);