Any cheaper alternative to the 100-400 lens?

[Lord Commander]

Been drooling over the 100-400 since I've only got primes and feel like I wanna try my hand at a bit of wildlife photography. But the price is soo much. Is there a cheaper alternative that works with autofocus? So far I've not been able to find anything. Guess my best bet is to look for a used one?

 

[SnappingShark]

55-200 with a 2x tele converter? Will set you back about $1000 new compared to the 1699 for the 100-400

 

[zombiesniper]

300mm F4 or 400mm F5.6 are both excellent sharp options.

55-200 with a 2x tele converter

The above 2 options will make this look very soft.

 

[padrelar]

What 2x adapter is compatible with the 55-200?

 

[jcdeboever]

TC's on zoom lenses are usually not a good idea.

 

[zombiesniper]

What 2x adapter is compatible with the 55-200?

As stated above the TC won't help.

Canon TC's are specifically designed for the top range of lenses.

If you put any TC on on the 55-200 it will just be a softer image.
Sorry to be a downer on this but I've run a few TC's on my 500mm and even then some just make the image worse.