It's worth trying secondhand from somewhere like Ffordes, Mifsuds or Camtech.
I recently bought a secondhand Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 lens from Ffordes, and was very impressed with their service. I got it for just over half of what I'd have paid for it new, and had a 10 day trial to see if I liked it or not.
Good luck with the Bigma shopping! I love mine!
