Originally posted by Ray Vonn Nah, not down here in Australia. Just going into a shop and buying a GR is not a straightforward process.
Absolutely! Thanks.
Good at squeezing indeed. Yeah, that was right around the same price I paid to have my lens assembly replace on my GRDIII. I just did it - I was in that hemi for about 2 years and, as you say, locating a replacement wasn't ever possible locally in any spot I was in, and pricing was far more down there, particularly in NZ where it was astronomical. And that was before the GR (aps-c) which really boosted its popularity and availability. I was living in Wellington for nearly a year and made due with a Canon S90 I bought in Queenstown for a price that still makes angry to this day.
hahaha
But I paid for the GR repair in Sydney simply because I didn't want to be without it for another day and it was cheaper than replacement. The GRDIV was only marginally better and around $700 USD at the time (much more down there) and the announcement of the GR (aps-c) was still 2 years away at the time.
Still don't regret repairing it. But mine wouldn't make images at all.... yours does, clearly. Sticking it out is the right choice.