HVX Battery Mount Issue

M

mavrix

Member
I just spent 17 days shooting wildlife footage in Africa and on the way out there had an unfortunate thing happen. My HVX was in a Petrol bag with the battery attached - apparently in transit -- while in my possession -- not through the normal baggage handling (to clarify) from LA to Nairobi, the battery broke-off of the mount and busted the little clips that hold it on.

I had to rig a holder with double-sided velcro just to keep the battery on -- which is obviously a big nightmare when trying to hustle and shoot wildlife. That being said, I was wondering if anyone else has had the same problem? If not, please be aware that there is the potential for it to happen while traveling - even if the camera is well packed and padded as mine was.

Hopefully it won't be a problem getting it fixed.

Regards,

Rob
 
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This is a big issue.

I read the thread noted last week, and there are some concerned people.

Message: be very careful.
 
Warning received. Unfortunate that you and people are having to deal with this. I noticed the wonky nature of this from the very beginning. Also, the fact that the orientation of the power adatper seems to be counter-intuative with the cable all jammed inside. Not to mention the dental floss thin cable itself. Always makes me nervous when I'm running power to the HVX. Any other work arounds?

Thanks for the warning and I hope Panny will help with this...
 
I've been careful since day 1.

But this engineering situation is a little disturbing. You have to take the batteries on and off repeatedly, and even attach the large battery isn't a simple procedure.

This is in contrast to just about every other cam I've owned.
 
Well, as of today I only have 2 plastic lugs to hold the battery on with. The top 2 are snapped but are still attached to the body, so I may be able to salvage them.

Why are Panasonic being so quiet about this design flaw? Jan can you shed light on whether or not this part is covered under Panasonics warranty? if not WHY NOT?
 
It's just really odd to me that Panasonic would build such a solid camera in most other facets but neglect something such as this. I own a Z1U, XDCAM 350, F900, FX1, and XL2 and have never had a problem like this arise.

I have a fear that getting it fixed is not going to be a short nor simple process and that I'm going to be without the equipment for a fair amount of time -- although I'm hoping otherwise.

I will say however, that outside of the battery issue, the camera held up very well in the transient harsh conditions of the Kenyan / Tanzanian game parks.
 
Again, this issue has been the subject of a thread elsewhere.

I also wish Panasonic would weigh on this.

We all have to take the good with the not so good.
 
I've had the same thing happen to my camera, thankfully it still kind of holds the battery on. I called Panasonic Canada and was told it was not covered under my warranty because it was not a fault with the camera. I also talked to the service dept and was told it would cost $100-$150(Canadian) an hour to fix. I didn't take it in because I didn't know how long they would have the camera so I went with the Gaffer tape solution.
 
I have not had the problem but can see where it might be an issue (as stated above). Regarding the AC power . . . I wish someone would make a third party AC adapter that would work with this camera and the P2 Store, with the cable on the right side -- I'd buy one.
 
i've never been happy with the battery situation either, you have to hit it on the perfect angle and i can never seem to get it when i'm in a hurry
 
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mavric said:
I just spent 17 days shooting wildlife footage in Africa and on the way out there had an unfortunate thing happen. My HVX was in a Petrol bag with the battery attached - apparently through the baggage processing from LA to Nairobi, the battery broke-off of the mount and busted the little clips that hold it on.
Click to expand...

dang baggage handlers... hindsight is 20/20, but i try to take my cam as a carry-on.
 
mavrix said:
It's just really odd to me that Panasonic would build such a solid camera in most other facets but neglect something such as this. I own a Z1U, XDCAM 350, F900, FX1, and XL2 and have never had a problem like this arise.

I have a fear that getting it fixed is not going to be a short nor simple process and that I'm going to be without the equipment for a fair amount of time -- although I'm hoping otherwise.

I will say however, that outside of the battery issue, the camera held up very well in the transient harsh conditions of the Kenyan / Tanzanian game parks.
Click to expand...

You own a F900? Why isn't that the first on your list? :)
 
I did have one time when the battery clicked in and appeared OK but no power. Took it off, tried again - no problem. A bit strange I thought........ anybody else?
 
Well the first update is that the warranty company www.mackcam.com that provided my 3 year extended warranty through big10media where I purchased the camera will not cover it. They told me to try my luck with Panasonic directly. I'll keep you posted with the results - very frustrating.
 
The battery mount on the hvx-200 is B.S.! I have been very carefull taking my battery on and off the camera. I do alot of hand held stuff, and today it happened. I must of been a little to jerky with the camera and the battery fell off along with the only 2 posts left on the camera. My $500 sony handycam has a better way of securing the battery! Since Panasonic will not fix this design flaw on their dime, I'm not sure what I'm going to do, any suggestions?
 
My reseller big10media is contacting Panasonic on my behalf - which is nice of them - so I'll keep you posted. In the interim I bought some double-sided velcro tape -- the very heavy duty stuff and have been holding on the batteries that way. Very annoying but it works better than the stock battery mounts! I really hope that Panasonic takes accountability for this or its likely going to be the last Panasonic Camera I buy.
 
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I cannot believe that Panasonic will not warranty this KNOWN issue. It's bad business and their lack of response on this and other forums is unforgiveable.

Mmmmmmmm, let me see, I'v just drop over £6K (GBP) on some HD Video gear and 3 months later the camcorder has (in my book) a pretty serious flaw and the manufacturer won't touch the damn thing.......PANASONIC......YOU GUYS SUCK AND BLOW.

Now, wheres that Sony catalogue.........
 
steadicamsteel said:
I cannot believe that Panasonic will not warranty this KNOWN issue. It's bad business and their lack of response on this and other forums is unforgiveable.

Mmmmmmmm, let me see, I'v just drop over £6K (GBP) on some HD Video gear and 3 months later the camcorder has (in my book) a pretty serious flaw and the manufacturer won't touch the damn thing.......PANASONIC......YOU GUYS SUCK AND BLOW.

Now, wheres that Sony catalogue.........
Click to expand...

potty-mouth.
 
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