Originally posted by Hound Tooth Actually in a way I did. About 6 months after I bought my 50-135mm, when the apologists who convinced me to buy this lens in the first place started suffering SDM failures of their own, that's when I started to wonder if I'd made a mistake. Those apologists turned into realists. I started advocating against SDM at that time (long before my own failed). My own fears got confirmed just a few months later.
Like I said: history repeats itself over and over again. It's inevitable, any 50-135mm will fail within a short time span. Doesn't matter if it's 1 month or 3 years. And the repaired copy will fail too, within that same span.
Nobody convinced you. You found people who agreed with what you wanted to hear.
If you, me, everyone, did the required research, checked all the facts, & gathered the information to make an intelligent decision, then none of us would have anyone to blame. But, that's what we like to do. It makes us feel better if it's someone else who is at fault.
Unless, someone held a gun to your head, then the buck has returned to it's rightful owner.
Everything in life is a gamble. Everything, sooner or later will fail. I think you've stated your story enough with the way you see it.
However, you speak in absolute certainty about information which at times is dubious. You seem to exasperate yourself with situations which are out of your control.
Here is some of the things which would be great to have the facts about before making a purchase.
1. How many were made?
2. How many failed out of the box?
3. How many failed within 1 month, 2 months, & so on?
4. What is the average cost for repair outside of warranty.
5. How long does the average repair take to replace.
6. Which reseller stands behind the products they sell?
7. What types of added protection are available to extent the warranty?
A. What are the costs of each?
8. Are they still in production?
There are, I'm sure a host of other questions from those who have better knowledge then myself at this point in time. However, in the end, I think it's far better to try and be part of the solution, then to continue to scream about the problem.
Even if I had answers to all of my questions, then I'm still responsible for my decision. If it turns out wrong, then I take it from there.