[MTO4Life]

I wish I was in your boat... 'needing' help to spend your money!!!

I'm by no means a pro, or an expert or anything.. I just take pictures.

Here's my take though. If you find a lens is lacking in speed, the d300s or the d700 have great high ISO capabilities (especially the 700) so you can get some speed there, albeit with possibly a touch more noise than at low ISO. However, you can't really go wrong with quality glass.

I don't know if the 85mm is AF-S, so it won't autofocus on your d40. I'm looking at possibly picking it (or the f1.8 version up as a rental to try them out) for a potential next lens.

For action sports, the 70-200 is an awesome lens. I've used it at field trials for dogs and you can really get some great pictures.

It's a tough decision... camera or lens. That being said, quality glass is always quality glass, while cameras are always evolving... JMO.