Bummer

So, we managed to get the whole family together for a Christmas celebration (on 12/26/21).  The wife and I, all 3 kids, 2 spouses and 2 grandkids.  That's the first time in 2+ years that we've had everyone in one spot.  So I made ture to take my camera, and a tripod, so we could do some group photos.

When I pulled them up on my computer screen, I noticed a distinct blurriness on the left side of the screen.  My son in law was out of focus!  Now, as much as I'd like to blame him, it was pretty obviously a problem with the image.

Closer examination revealed that my 18-55mm lens was sitting crooked on the camera.  Bummer Bummer BUMMER.  I was able to confirm that it is the lens, not the mount, and there's no issue with other lenses.  So At least there's that.  I recall a recent outing where I had to make a sudden stop with the camera sitting on the passenger seat, and it launched to the floorboard.  I'm presuming that was when it happened.  The lens is 3 years old, and out of warranty.

 

Turns out Fujifilm only has 2 US repair centers, one in NY and 1 in NJ.  I reached out to one and got a quote for repair.  Which is estimated at about 50% of replacement cost, plus shipping to NJ.  And whatever time is involved in that.  I checked the local camera shop (well, more local that NJ!), and their web site shows they have an upgraded version in stock, for almost double the replacement cost.

So, a week later, I still haven't decided what to do.

1)  Send the lens to NJ for repair, hope it turns out to be less than the estimate, and hope it doesn't take too long.

2)  Buy a direct replacement.  I'd prefer to buy local (or local-ish), but they don't seem to have it in stock (and Amazon says they do).

3)  Turn the problem into an opportunity to upgrade to a higher specced version.  Which I can buy locally (as soon as I can spare a few hours to make the trek to the store).

I guess I need to make a decision and move forward....

Till then I'm stuck with my telephoto or wide angle lens.  Or my iPhone.