Doug, sorry for not answering faster but I have been rather busy. I havn't used converters recently but I spoke to a friend who uses them with fixed-length lenses and is v happy with them. They are lighter and cheaper than longer lenses and are much used by travel/nature photographers who have to carry their own gear - lol. the x1.4 converter will nearly give you the equivalent of a 100-300 f4 + add the crop factor of 1.5, you will have a beautifully long lens. With the stabilisation, you should be able to use it without a tripod and give Jim (Nameless_Wildness) some real competition. I just had a look at the Nikon price lists, it sells here for about C$700 - so you might have to start saving again.

Charles