Quote Originally Posted by thekingb View Post

I've come close to pulling the trigger on the 400 f/5.6 a few times. The lack of IS has been the issue. It's not 500mm, but it might be the best option....
the 400mm 5.6 is a very good bird/wild life lens to begin with, I have seen a lots of fantastic shots taken with it(including Nate's bird shots)on the internet. is IS that important for you( sounds like a deal breaker)?, you may ask Joel, Nate or other birders how often they use their IS, my self almost never use the IS, I use tripod or just simply choose faster shutter speed or higher ISO, not a big deal without it.
ok, what about 300mm 4.0 IS +1.4TC if you have to have IS and still AF on non 1D body
or, get a 600mm or 800 mm without AF
most important, having fun instead of getting frustrated because of the limitation of your lens( sorry, coz I often get frustrated)