After the hiatus - more gear!

I decided to do 2 posts today - they're both kind of short but since they're unrelated, I'm doing them separately...

More Gear

I've been ill and it's still continuing, but I was able to get a new lens on order. It hasn't arrived yet but I'm sure I'm going to enjoy it. Maybe.

The Lens

I ordered a wide angle zoom for my Nikon D610. After much research, I decided to get the Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 VRII lens. It will fill in the wide angle spectrum for me, leaving me with a few gaps in my available lenses but I think they're acceptable and insignificant gaps that can be managed by using a different lens. 

I'll have the following coverage: 16-35mm, 50mm, and 70-210mm. Yeah, it'd be nice to have full coverage, but I think this is fine for quite a while. I like the results I get from my telephoto lens so I have no burning desire to upgrade it. In the future, sometime, I may opt for a newer and perhaps longer telephoto with vibration reduction, but since I do so little hand held or wildlife, I think I'm set. I also have the D3200 and 55-300mm lens available if necessary.

The problem with the wide angle is that there haven't been any used lenses or zooms available that make it worth getting over a new lens. They just seem to hold their value. I also wasn't sure which prime to get and since they're not cheap you could easily get a 24mm and find you want a 20mm and you'd have spent as much as the 16-35mm zoom by then and still wouldn't have the same range of lenses available. So I opted for the 16-35mm f/4.

I was originally looking at getting a refurbished copy from B&H or Adorama but when I got the funds together neither of them offered it. They only had the new version. I found that Nikon had the refurbished version online so I decided I'd try buying from them directly. Then, to entice me further, they had a 10% off sale on refurbished items so I bit and ordered it (for this lens, that 10% amounted to $110).

The Conundrum

There was no notice before placing the order, and in my giddiness I didn't notice it until after the order was placed, but Nikon charged me taxes and shipping. I ended up saving only about $150 off of a new lens which has a 5 year warranty vs. the 90 warranty of the refurbished lens. Nikon doesn't offer an extended warranty.

This is my problem now... I may decide to just send this back and get a brand new lens for $150 more in order to have the 5 year warranty. If I got an extended, aftermarket warranty from someone else, for say $40, I am saving even less. On the other hand, it's hard to find complaints about Nikon lenses. If they work when you first get them, especially if they work the first 90 days, they are not likely to fail at all. So is it really worth paying another $150 for a warranty that likely won't be used? I dunno... We'll see. I have a few days before it arrives to make up my mind.