Quote Originally Posted by mcdesign View Post
The last is what Andrew has recommended...now to save
The suggestion of the 120-400 is due to the fact that us poor Nikon owners are faced with a definite lack of choices in relatively low priced lenses that go beyond 200mm.

Any half way decent quality telephoto lens has quite a bit of weight to it and if hand holding is needed they become a strain very quickly. An optical stabilisation system then becomes a must have item to supplement high shutter speeds.

As I see it the most viable way to get to 400mm ends up being a compromise between lenses along the lines of the 100-300 F/4 and a 1.4x converter which then gives you a 140-420 lens with a max aperture of 5.6 all the way and no stabilisation but at a weight of around 1550 grams or the 120-400 with stabilisation and a weight of 1750 grams.

The other alternative is the Nikon 300mm F/4 AFS with a 1.4x converter but they are pricey new and fairly thin on the ground secondhand.