Birding Camera/lens combo??

Alright all you photography experts, I need some input. I am going to be making a purchase soon here and want to know if anyone here has this combo and if so, what your thoughts are? I'm looking at the 7d + canon 400mm 5.6 non-is for birding photography. Now this is a huge upgrade from what I am using now, so quality of photos is not a concern. Does anyone have experience with this setup? Has anyone used a 1.4x tele with this combo as well? This really the only lens within my budget but I'm open to other combo suggestions. Thanks and good birding!!

Spencer

Spencer,

Until 2 weeks ago, 7D/400 had been my setup for a few years. It is an outstanding combination and really shines for birds-in-flight. The major limitation is reach. As a bird photographer, you will always be wanting more (which is why I finally got the 500 f/4). The 7D/400 will not autofocus with a 1.4x.

To give you an idea what that combination is capable of, this burrowing owl image was taken with that combo and a Sigma 2X TC at 800mm (manual focus).

for the money its probably IMPOSSIBLE to find a better combo for birding than a 7d and 400 5.6.

a 1d3 + 400 5.6 would be close but you lose some cropability and some "reach".
go for it!