Lens Recommendations Teleconverters and Portraits

[TotallyExposed]

I currently have the 70-200mm 2.8 VR II and the 80-400 4.5-5.6 VR that I use on both a D300 and D700. I like the reach of the 400mm for sports and wildlife, but I'm wondering if I might be better off getting the TC-20E II (or III) teleconverter and using that with my 70-200 and selling the 80-400. I understand that either combination would still have a minimum aperture of 5.6 and the teleconverter on the 70-200 makes it a 140-400 which doesn't covert the full range of the 80-400, but I'm not sure which combination would provide the best focus and sharpness. I love the 70-200 for its constant 2.8, but for the times I want a longer reach the 80-400 serves me well, in spite of its slow focus speed. But it wouldn't make sense to keep the 80-400 if the 70-200 with a teleconverter would give me comparable or even better images. Maybe the teleconverter would ruin the potential of the 70-200 and I should forego the teleconverter and keep the 80-400?

I'm also thinking of getting a lens for doing portraits and I've been looking at the 85mm 1.4D and the 135mm 2.0 DC. Both are within my budget with the 135mm being slightly higher priced. I guess it would depend on what type of portraits I'll be doing (probably a mixture of studio and outdoor shots with an occasional wedding thrown in) so I'm wondering if anyone out there has any recommendations or even other lens choices. I've been thinking of holding out for the 85mm 1.4G as well.

Any thoughts on these subjects is greatly appreciated. Forgive me if these should have been posted as separate threads; this is my first post and I'm still not quite sure about the rules of etiquette and posting.

 

[djacobox372]

Typically 2x teleconversion is not recommended, a 1.4x is more acceptable.

But, the best advice is to try one out and compare... I've found that tele-converter/lens pairings vary a bit from case to case.

As for the 85mm f1.4... almost every photographer that owns one claims it as their favorite lens. I own a 85mm f1.8 and absolutely love it. I've heard that the 1.8 performs as well as the 1.4 so you may want to consider it to save some $$.