So who purchased the 70-200 VRII because it’s on sale?

Ok, first I am not a Pro. Second, after doing a lot of research I was almost sure I was going to buy the Tammy VC after considering the Sigma OS and the f4 VRIII. Then the VRII went on sale and the price diff is less than $600 or more like $500 considering the freebies that Ado bundles with it. So I have til Saturday to make up my mind right? Do I pull the trigger?

What do I shoot? So this will go on a D600 and I was thinking of getting a TC 20E III later on to pair with it for my kids outdoor soccer. Reviews for this pair seem to be extremely positive. For now, it’ll be zoom and crop. I’m currently using a Nik 85 1.8G for indoor mid/HS basketball from the floor but it would be nice to be able to shoot from the top of the bleachers once in a while for a diff perspective. It will also be used for family and individual portraits as I promised my wife that we will have all these wonderful pictures after spending all this money in the past 4 months! LOL!

Some will say its overkill for my application and I wish there were more reviews/comparisons of the VC and VRII. The VRII is supposed to be the fastest focusing among the 3 image stabilized lenses plus I plan to keep it maybe forever. But in case I sell it, hopefully the Nik will retain its value more. Hopefully they don’t release a 2.8 VRIII next year. It should be at least 2 years out right? The other thing that sticks to mind is when Matt G did a comparison with the Siggy OS, non-VC Tammy and the VRII. The VRII was the only one that was able to focus (though it struggled) in a really really dim environment.  There’s this beautiful place in town that we always end up in and have a lot of events with family, friends, and the school. Its really dim that I’ve missed so shots with the 70-300 VR (which I no longer have).

So I’d really like to know who were originally considering a different lens and bought the VRII instead because of the $300 discount. This is a great price for it right? Plus Ado has it bundled with some Tiffen filters and expodisc at no additional cost.

Thx!