Where are people buying 150 from?

[Justyn]

Just thought I'd see who is buying from where... at what price.. and if there's anyone throwing in anything to sweeten the deal. I want to buy one in November... It's a sweet looking camera and at a great price.

[ilauzirika]

I bought it in England (HMC151E) in creative video (still not recieved yet, they say next week...)
for 3440€ (msrp 3500+VAT), they had it in special so I decided to get it now.

[Spec-Comm]

We have been taking orders with this deal.

http://www.spec-comm.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=788

With this deal, you get to choose between a free 4GB P2 Card and free cover lens.

First shipment isn't in just yet but I think that it is sold out.

*EDIT* 4GB SD Card, NOT P2 card. Sorry, I'm not that nice. :)

Andrew Hoffman
Vice President
Specialized Communications Corp.
20940 Twin Springs Dr.
Smithsburg, MD 21783-1510 USA
800-359-1858 (US)
301-790-0103
Fax: 301-790-0173
andrewh@spec-comm.com
www.spec-comm.com

Please visit our new online store at ( http://www.spec-comm.com/store ). New products being added daily!

[mikkowilson]

I presume you of course mean a 4GB SDHC card.. :)


- Mikko

[Everts]

I bought it in England (HMC151E) in creative video (still not recieved yet, they say next week...)
for 3440€ (msrp 3500+VAT), they had it in special so I decided to get it now.


Do you know if it's pal/ntsc switchable ?

[chanpanzee]

bhphoto

[ilauzirika]

Do you know if it's pal/ntsc switchable ?

I don't know, I'll have to wait till it arrives, cause you can't find any info (manuals of the hmc151e) on the net, I suppose that they'll reveal that information this coming week (the official launching week).

[Justyn]

I don't think it's switchable.. the 170 can be done at Panny at an upgrade price. Would be nice to see if they make that as an option though...


Thanks all and I highly recommend the Transcend SD cards. I use them in my SD9 camera and they are awesome. You can get the series 6- 8 gig cards for 30 bucks and the 16 gig ones for 140 or so. Personally I'm so used to the P2 run times that gettting 40 minutes on an 8 gig card is like heaven.


cheers all

[matt s.]

You can get Transcend 16GB SDHC class 6 cards for under $40 @ newegg.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208410

[Justyn]

Ohhh wow... thanks Matt. They have come down in price a lot then since I bought mine about 4 or 5 months ago. That's awesome! I wonder how much the 32 gigs are going for now?


That's 90 minutes of run-time at full rez.... for 40 bucks! I love the HVX and love P2, but the prices on the media just sucks..


At this price, you could buy 10 of them, have it be 1/3 the price of the 32 gig P2, and shoot for 15 hours instead of 80 minutes or so.

[ilauzirika]

It's a pity they don't ship out of the states.

[chanpanzee]

The transcend SDHC cards can be pretty unreliable. I dont mind spending extra few dollars for the security of my footage.

[Hidef1080]

Just thought I'd see who is buying from where... at what price.. and if there's anyone throwing in anything to sweeten the deal. I want to buy one in November... It's a sweet looking camera and at a great price.

I ordered mine from AValive and they listed at $3495 but I clicked the "Click for better price" link and they e-mailed me $3195 - good for 48 hours. It took me less than 2 minutes. New - in box - never opened - USA warranty...

I got the camera only with no extras at that price but now they are shipping with 8gig [or maybe 16] cards for $3495 before the better price link. I did order a mic and I already have some class 6 cards.

I use to deal with B&H but AValive does not add sales tax outside of N.C. and B&H adds sales tax.

This is my first time buying from AV but everything seem very good.
Next week is when I should receive my camera.

[clarkage]

Is there really that much of a differece in the 150 and the HVX200? Besides the fact that it is all P2?

[chanpanzee]

BH didn't add sales tax to mine. You can't beat BH's coverage plans though.

[Justyn]

The transcend SDHC cards can be pretty unreliable. I dont mind spending extra few dollars for the security of my footage.



I've shot tons of video with the transcend and never had a problem. They have great feedback online too.. check 'em out.

[Spec-Comm]

I presume you of course mean a 4GB SDHC card.. :)


- Mikko

Yes, of course. I'm in P2 mode still. :)

Andrew Hoffman

[chanpanzee]

I've shot tons of video with the transcend and never had a problem. They have great feedback online too.. check 'em out.


I did. Some people said that it failed after a couple of uses. Some said it worked well. You must have one of the good ones :Drogar-Dum(DBG):

[shrigg]

Just thought I'd see who is buying from where... at what price.. and if there's anyone throwing in anything to sweeten the deal. I want to buy one in November... It's a sweet looking camera and at a great price.

Anyone wanting a substantially lower price from an excellent vendor can PM me for a referral.

-Shrigg

[m.t.]

I ordered the shooter's pack from AVAlive. No idea when they are arriving though. Anyone who ordered a shooter's pack from any retailer received it yet, or heard any updates?

[ESTEBEVERDE]

Is AVAlive an authorized vendor?

[m.t.]

Is AVAlive an authorized vendor?

Yup, they are an authorized Panasonic vendor. I checked in with them last week, but so far no go on the shooter's. I noticed that other online retailers have the HMC150 in by itself, but still show the shooter's pack as unavailable...

[ilauzirika]

great, just seen that the place were I bought it has them in stock!!!! great.

[Hidef1080]

I just got an e-mail from AValive....
It should ship today.:)

Why is it that we adults turn into littles kids on Christmas day waiting for Santa at these times????

[AValive]

We have 7 left able to ship today Thanks for all the support.

http://www.avalive.com/Panasonic/AG-HMC150/49328/productDetail.php

[m.t.]

I just got an e-mail from AValive....
It should ship today.:)

Why is it that we adults turn into littles kids on Christmas day waiting for Santa at these times????


Same here. Wish i had picked a quicker shipping method.... oh well....

[Ming]

bhphoto

If you can find a time they're not on holiday.

[Spec-Comm]

We just got a shipment in.

Andrew Hoffman
Vice President
Specialized Communications Corp.
20940 Twin Springs Dr.
Smithsburg, MD 21783-1510 USA
800-359-1858 (US)
301-790-0103
Fax: 301-790-0173
andrewh@spec-comm.com
www.spec-comm.com

Please visit our new online store at ( http://www.spec-comm.com/store ). New products being added daily!

[Alan Bradley]

Does Specc comm charge sales tax outside of maryland? to CA?

[David Saraceno]

I keep observing this for those of you who believe that you can avoid sales tax on these purchasers.

Unless your state has no sales tax, you must pay an home state use tax that is the same percentage.

If you don't, you can get audited, and the penalties are pricey.

Just a heads up because saving a couple of hundred dollars isn't worth the aggravation. Note some states have regulations that affect video production sales taxes.

FWIW.

[Alan Bradley]

good to know.

[tallrd]

I'm glad people are having positive experiences with these cameras through authorized dealers. We also have 17 on hand as of 11:50 am cst today, and dvxuser discounts apply if you contact me directly.

[ESTEBEVERDE]

I keep observing this for those of you who believe that you can avoid sales tax on these purchasers.

Unless your state has no sales tax, you must pay an home state use tax that is the same percentage.

If you don't, you can get audited, and the penalties are pricey.

Just a heads up because saving a couple of hundred dollars isn't worth the aggravation. Note some states have regulations that affect video production sales taxes.

FWIW.

Not true.

You are 100% incorrect and unless you are a Tax Lawyer or Certified Public Accountant in every State and Territory you are giving advice to you are liable not only for your bad Advice but for the Unlicensed Practicing of Law and Accountancy.

Further More. Internet Orders are covered under FEDERAL LAW.

Sales Tax on the Internet
by Attorney Richard Stim
(http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/pg/1/objectId/87F6DD43-E6F2-4DFE-BCDB8E2E85DFF80B/catId/4EE6A6F9-FECA-4AF7-A0E454029D2AEA58/111/277/167/ART/)

Everyone should read and understand their State Law for themselves and if they have questions should seek qualified legal council.

[Spec-Comm]

Does Specc comm charge sales tax outside of maryland? to CA?

We do not charge sales tax if you are outside the state of MD. Use tax is up to you.

Andrew Hoffman

[vavavideo]

BH didn't add sales tax to mine. You can't beat BH's coverage plans though.

I was thinking about B&H due to those plans, well.

But with Panasonic's 3 year warranty on the HMC-150, do you think the extended warranty is as important as it is with some cams?

The 5 year extended warranty from B&H is $685.95, which may be just about a HMC-150 will be worth on ebay in 5 years. (or close, anyhoo) :)

[vavavideo]

By the way, for those of you considering buying anything from B&H, I'll share a tip that's helped me a good deal.

Photoshopuser.com, a membership/magazine type deal, gives you free ground and free 3 day shipping from B&H. Other forms of shipping are also highly discounted.

They also give you discounts from other major players that help with video projects, like one from Apple. I get 8% off of most pro purchases. 6 to 8% on other stuff, even in store. That saved me a heck of a lot of money on a Mac Pro, and easily paid for my magazine subscription (which I think is either $79 or $99 a year)

Discounts aside, the downside to B&H is the lack of any real type of dealer support (they're just a box shop), and sometimes less than exemplary customer service when things go wrong. Most orders I've ever gotten from them came along just fine, but sometimes they don't ship as quickly as you think they would, and there have been two times when relatively little things went wrong that left a bad taste in my mouth due to the way they handled them.

Once, a refurbished camera was sent to me that didn't include everything they said online. It took far too many backs and backs, too many weeks of my time, to get this handled. Promised phonecalls never happened. They ended up fulfilling their promises, but I'd always need to ride 'em to get them to move on anything. That ate up any cost savings right there, and left me annoyed overall.

I also ordered some lights not too long ago, and all of them came crushed to powder because B&H sent 'em UPS without marking them fragile, as most lighting dealers do. (and I imagine B&H usually does this, too, and simply forgot on this shipment) They had me send them back with a return tag they sent, and they promptly forgot about me. Again, too many backs and forths to get any headway on the problem, but this time they never handled it. They lost their return tag info in their system, and just stuck me with the cost of the (not inexpensive) lights. Ick!

To me, B&Hs online experience simply doesn't compare to their store in NY (which far exceeds most expectations). There are some things B&H does that are hard to beat (like Sony Vegas OEM for $129), but when all things are said and done, I'd much rather deal with Full Compass or a smaller company like Spec, when going by mail.

For my HMC purchase, I'm strongly considering Spec, in fact. I had no idea how good small video-related companies could be until I dealt with Coffey Sound in Hollywood for my sound needs. They helped me beyond all measure, compared to some of the big dealers. I'm now a small player with big time movie sound. (or very darn close) Some of the sales assistance, as well as the post-sales supportyou can get from the smaller guys is amazing, to say the least. A lot of the little guys MAKE SURE you are happy. :)

[Hidef1080]

By the way, for those of you considering buying anything from B&H, I'll share a tip that's helped me a good deal.

Photoshopuser.com, a membership/magazine type deal, gives you free ground and free 3 day shipping from B&H. Other forms of shipping are also highly discounted.

They also give you discounts from other major players that help with video projects, like one from Apple. I get 8% off of most pro purchases. 6 to 8% on other stuff, even in store. That saved me a heck of a lot of money on a Mac Pro, and easily paid for my magazine subscription (which I think is either $79 or $99 a year)

Discounts aside, the downside to B&H is the lack of any real type of dealer support (they're just a box shop), and sometimes less than exemplary customer service when things go wrong. Most orders I've ever gotten from them came along just fine, but sometimes they don't ship as quickly as you think they would, and there have been two times when relatively little things went wrong that left a bad taste in my mouth due to the way they handled them.

Once, a refurbished camera was sent to me that didn't include everything they said online. It took far too many backs and backs, too many weeks of my time, to get this handled. Promised phonecalls never happened. They ended up fulfilling their promises, but I'd always need to ride 'em to get them to move on anything. That ate up any cost savings right there, and left me annoyed overall.

I also ordered some lights not too long ago, and all of them came crushed to powder because B&H sent 'em UPS without marking them fragile, as most lighting dealers do. (and I imagine B&H usually does this, too, and simply forgot on this shipment) They had me send them back with a return tag they sent, and they promptly forgot about me. Again, too many backs and forths to get any headway on the problem, but this time they never handled it. They lost their return tag info in their system, and just stuck me with the cost of the (not inexpensive) lights. Ick!

To me, B&Hs online experience simply doesn't compare to their store in NY (which far exceeds most expectations). There are some things B&H does that are hard to beat (like Sony Vegas OEM for $129), but when all things are said and done, I'd much rather deal with Full Compass or a smaller company like Spec, when going by mail.

For my HMC purchase, I'm strongly considering Spec, in fact. I had no idea how good small video-related companies could be until I dealt with Coffey Sound in Hollywood for my sound needs. They helped me beyond all measure, compared to some of the big dealers. I'm now a small player with big time movie sound. (or very darn close) Some of the sales help, and post-sales help you can get from the smaller guys is amazing, to say the least. A lot of the little guys MAKE SURE you are happy. :)


I kinda noticed the same thing about B&H too and that's one reason I “jumped ship” to Avalive but now I'm almost certain I'll be jumping ship yet again.


Is it so hard to have good customer service and to ship an order [complete order] when you say you will? Or at least have an answer to “when”.
When items are listed as “In stock” and have been listed as in stock for a while?


Sorry about the rant...
But really... People order stuff because they need it not because they want “I don't know. We'll send you a e-mail when it ships.”


Okay.

[Sikari-Sakari]

Is it already in Germany? What's the pricetag?

[ilauzirika]

Is it already in Germany? What's the pricetag?

yes it's already selling in europe, I bought it in the UK (creative video) for 2730 pounds around 3440€ (it was a special price). And it'll arrive this friday (hopefully).

[Sikari-Sakari]

Yeah thanks for the info. I checked idealo.de but so far they didn't have any listings of the HMC-151 (or 150) They had the new HPX though...

You ordered it through the internet to Basque country? Hope you'll report how smooth the transaction was as soon as you get your camera.

[vavavideo]

I wonder if the 151 will be available anything other than grey market in the US. That seems like an amazingly versatile version of this camera. I'm kinda jealous. of the countries that get it. :)

[ilauzirika]

Yeah thanks for the info. I checked idealo.de but so far they didn't have any listings of the HMC-151 (or 150) They had the new HPX though...

You ordered it through the internet to Basque country? Hope you'll report how smooth the transaction was as soon as you get your camera.

yes I ordered it online, I'll inform as soon as I get it. But I can tell you that I had a slight problem, the sales rep that handled the order went on holidays and the order was on halt, and I had to call to get another sales rep to fill it and ship it. They told me that they were shipping it monday 6 in a 3-4 courier service. So the maths say that it'll arrive thursday or friday.......

[tallrd]

I'm receiving some inquiries regarding the 151E version, and i wanted to post that we don't sell that model.