Second defective jog dial in one year!

After an astonishingly quick turn around ( I send it in on Friday and it's back with me today) my camera has been repaired with an "... improved jog dial unit" and the firmware has been updated to 1.82 (no idea what the differnce to 1.81 is). Thank heaven anyway for the incredibly efficient Panasonic service here in the UK! :love4:
 
I too am now having problems with my jog wheel for the 2nd time (replaced last November).

On the job yesterday it would only move to next item in menu every 2nd time you wound it.

Why do these things happen when you are in a busy time (midyear dance concerts), and not when you're slack!!!!! (grumble grumble).

Next phone call, Panasonic repair man!

Cheers,

Vaughan
 
Vaughan Wood said:
I too am now having problems with my jog wheel for the 2nd time (replaced last November).

On the job yesterday it would only move to next item in menu every 2nd time you wound it.

Why do these things happen when you are in a busy time (midyear dance concerts), and not when you're slack!!!!! (grumble grumble).

Next phone call, Panasonic repair man!

Cheers,

Vaughan
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Scary. I sure wish Panasonic had a way to get these proactively replaced.
 
Larry Chapman said:
Scary. I sure wish Panasonic had a way to get these proactively replaced.
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I think the only way to get something done proactively is to organize and send in documented requests as a group demanding some form of action. Also note, out of the thousands of cameras sold, is the problem statistically valid and significant to require a group action? I do not use the job dial as much as some people, and have not had any issues. But I am concerned about it. How many people are actually having problems, versus people who are not having problems?

Also note that those having problems, have had the dial replaced twice, with upgraded dials. Is there something in the way they are operating the camera? Or is the upgraded dial also defective? This could be a serious issue or it could be nothing, but I believe Panasonic needs to clarify if there is a problem and to offer a solution. I do not need a camera breaking during a shoot. Also what happens when it is out of warranty? If nothing else, Panasonic needs to cover this items, even when the warranty expires. We need answers.
 
It could be operator error or it could be the jog wheel is so defective, that defect occurs in replacement parts because it is an inherent design flaw. Personally, my experience leads me to believe it's operator error, esp if it occurs more than once. But, you never know. I treat my DVX200 pretty well and the menu jog wheel is fine. I alternate between the dial and the lcd, so who knows what the problem is.
 
JRJ Photo, it may be that it affects us guys who do long format shooting more than the set-up and shoot each shot type, as once the camera is rolling for two hours or so, you really tend to use the menu jog switch to scroll between gain, var WB and even Headphone volume sort of all the time, esp. for dance concert stuff, when digital lights are changing colours all over the place, and those lovely pink tu-tus are turning mauve or orange as the lighting changes, and you are ultra quick at catching the change with a fast WB change.

...well, you get the idea!
Cheers,

Vaughan
 
JRJphoto said:
It could be operator error or it could be the jog wheel is so defective, that defect occurs in replacement parts because it is an inherent design flaw. Personally, my experience leads me to believe it's operator error, esp if it occurs more than once. But, you never know. I treat my DVX200 pretty well and the menu jog wheel is fine. I alternate between the dial and the lcd, so who knows what the problem is.
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The jog dial is very sensitive. Some of these shooters have described their shooting scenario as being very hectic, "dance concert stuff," "digital lights are changing colors," etc. As a firearm instructor I understand what a stressful or dynamic environment does to someone's body. They tend to react. When moving fast, under a dynamic situation, it is easy to apply undue pressure to the jog wheel.

As I stated, it is a sensitive device and does not need a lot of pressure to make it work. So we do have to explore operator error, and not discount it. Since only a few people have been experiencing this, and they have experienced it twice, the stats point to operator error. If a guy applies a gorilla grip to the jog dial if will probably fail. Even though they may believe they are treating their equipment well, they may not be cognizant of their mishandling when they are concentrating on a shoot and attempting to make fast changes.

Of course, there is a possibility that there is a defect in the design. Unless we are able to get a detailed analysis of the repair data from Panasonic, we will only be speculating. I was hoping Barry Green, because of his knowledge and association with Panasonic, would be able to address this issue. We need facts, not complaints. I have now become apprehensive about using the jog dial. That should not be. We need input from Panasonic.
 
Here is the reply I received this morning from our Melbourne technician.

"There is an updated switch block for your camera. It was released shortly after your last repair. From what I can see the original part was replaced last time, hence the reason it has failed again.
ETA on part arrival is 3 weeks. I have asked Panasonic to supply faster than this."

Not sure how you can mistreat a built in rolling switch. I'm 67 and have been handling cameras in my own business for over twenty years without any previous dramas.

Yesterday I got the chance to play with my mate's brand new HC-X1. The first thing I noticed was how much more secure the menu switch felt, with much more friction in the roller. True!

Cheers,

Vaughan
 
Vaughan Wood said:
JRJ Photo, it may be that it affects us guys who do long format shooting more than the set-up and shoot each shot type, as once the camera is rolling for two hours or so, you really tend to use the menu jog switch to scroll between gain, var WB and even Headphone volume sort of all the time, esp. for dance concert stuff, when digital lights are changing colours all over the place, and those lovely pink tu-tus are turning mauve or orange as the lighting changes, and you are ultra quick at catching the change with a fast WB change.

...well, you get the idea!
Cheers,

Vaughan
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Yup, I didn't think of that. I do long shoots, too, but those aren't usually so dramatic: dudes standing behind podiums. It's rare that i cover a live stage performance with conditions changing so much so quickly. But, I'll say this: I shoot beach weddings a lot. Lots of sand and salt air...fingers crossed nothing happens with those little exposed areas where jog dials and other things sit in.
 
Design Media Consultants said:
The jog dial is very sensitive. Some of these shooters have described their shooting scenario as being very hectic, "dance concert stuff," "digital lights are changing colors," etc. As a firearm instructor I understand what a stressful or dynamic environment does to someone's body. They tend to react. When moving fast, under a dynamic situation, it is easy to apply undue pressure to the jog wheel.

As I stated, it is a sensitive device and does not need a lot of pressure to make it work. So we do have to explore operator error, and not discount it. Since only a few people have been experiencing this, and they have experienced it twice, the stats point to operator error. If a guy applies a gorilla grip to the jog dial if will probably fail. Even though they may believe they are treating their equipment well, they may not be cognizant of their mishandling when they are concentrating on a shoot and attempting to make fast changes.

Of course, there is a possibility that there is a defect in the design. Unless we are able to get a detailed analysis of the repair data from Panasonic, we will only be speculating. I was hoping Barry Green, because of his knowledge and association with Panasonic, would be able to address this issue. We need facts, not complaints. I have now become apprehensive about using the jog dial. That should not be. We need input from Panasonic.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm not saying you guys suck and don't know what you're doing. Or, you're mistreating your camera. I am saying usually, things are operator error. So, I don't rule it out. I'm guilty of doing stupid things, too. That's why I know it's usually operator error. So, that's the first place I look. But, that doesn't mean the manufacturer didnt screw the pooch somewhere. That just might be the case here. This could very well have been a bad batch, but the replacement parts also breaking in the same way? That doesn't sound like operator error to me either.
 
Vaughan Wood said:
Here is the reply I received this morning from our Melbourne technician.

"There is an updated switch block for your camera. It was released shortly after your last repair. From what I can see the original part was replaced last time, hence the reason it has failed again.
ETA on part arrival is 3 weeks. I have asked Panasonic to supply faster than this."

Not sure how you can mistreat a built in rolling switch. I'm 67 and have been handling cameras in my own business for over twenty years without any previous dramas.

Yesterday I got the chance to play with my mate's brand new HC-X1. The first thing I noticed was how much more secure the menu switch felt, with much more friction in the roller. True!

Cheers,

Vaughan
Click to expand...

So......maybe this is the answer? Fingers crossed.

And I know lots of ways to mistreat a built in rolling switch lol
 
Hello, I had a Panasonic HPX-250, I had to take it to the service technician 4 times for power switch failure, the camera stopped, the software was updated, the switch was changed ... the camera was still faulty Of the situation I finished to get rid of her, greetings.
Translated into English by google.
 
I think, Who has been producing cameras for many years, Such an annoying mistake should not be allowed
Why should this be charged to the users?
It is a product intended for industrial use, not home camera.
Reliability is very important!
 
Finally got my DVX 200 back from it's second repair, and this time it has the "redesigned" menu roller.

It certainly has more friction in it, feels more secure and just like my mate's HC-X1 that I mentioned in a previous post.

Hopefully that will be the end of the fun and games!

Cheers,

Vaughan
 
I am just experiencing the problem for the first time, after less than 1.5 years using the camera. Very happy with the camera otherwise. But this is a big problem for me as I am not a big touchscreen guy either, and I do need to change settings frequently with the work that i do. Can anyone recommend a Panasonic repair center nearest to Boston, MA? I have used Macie in the past for my Sony cameras and they were very good. Thanks.
 
In case you missed it, Davygarg posted the contents of a Panasonic Technical Bulletin that identifies the problem as a manufacturing defect of the printed circuit flexible cable that connects to the wheel. There is an updated assembly with a new cable. So you need to be sure to point this out to the repair house to be sure they install the new assembly instead of installing another old assembly that has the same defect. It seems to me that since this is a known manufacturing defect that can manifest itself at any time, Panasonic should replace the assembly at no cost to any owner regardless of warranty status.

Take a look at post 26 in this thread - http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?350338-Something-new-discovered!/page3
 
Not posted for a while, quick summary is that I've spent most of the last year in hospital fighting a severe infection via a cut foot and am now one foot short of a full set. Anyway, here to say that my jog wheel was fine when briefly checked last November and having just taken the camera out of it's peli-case to fire her up for a forthcoming project, my wheel has now failed too. Not completely but is pretty much useless as I cannot accurately home in on any of the menu items I need too. I've e-mailed Panasonic's recommended UK service centre and await a response.
 
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