Pansonic Customer Service - A Camera Odyssey

This isn't real life?
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UPDATE -

My camera was shipped back to Panasonic today along with a disc with all the grabs from all the tests and footage I've shot so far.
They'll receive it on Wednesday.

Yeah I know, not a very exciting update.
 
I have none of the issues you addressed earlier Luis. Thanks for this thread however, and here's to getting the issue fixed soon :beer:
 
UPDATE -

Panasonic received my camera today and they are preparing for a battery of tests.
Okay, maybe not exactly, but thats the way I like to imagine it.

Apparently the images I emailed them last week made quite an impression, and it seems they are now convinced something is going on.
I was asked to get samples of the footage I've been shooting with the loaner camera - so they can compare. It actually worked out rather well, because I've now shot the same show in the same studio 3 times with 3 different HVXs (the same 3 I used in the test with the white backdrop). So I've sent samples of all 3 cameras from that location.

The samples show exactly what you would expect from the test that I did.
My camera looks the worst - with a red cast on the left and green on the right.
The Panasonic Loaner camera shows a slight red cast on the left (and a bit of green on the right).
And the third Borrowed camera shows the opposite, a red cast on the RIGHT and green on the left.

So - that's where we're at.
I don't expect to hear much of anything back until the end of the week probably.
Apparently some people at the factory, as well as the engineer I talked about last week, have been brought in to take a look at this. We'll see.
 
Brandon Rice said:
SO this would be for ALL HVX's... right?
Click to expand...

No, lets not jump to conclusions.
Like I said before - i don't want to be the chicken little of the HVX here.

I happen to get more than 1 camera that exhibits a lens shading color cast.
Cameras are calibrated to compensate for that - and it seems that mine (and the others I got) were simply not calibrated well enough (in my opinion).

But - Panasonic is doing the testing now - so as of now the only thing I know for certain is that my HVX needs to be repaired in some way.

keep in mind that while I've seen HVXs that show this color cast - I've since seen many HVXs that give a perfectly good and even image. So no, it doesn't seem to be a pandemic problem. On the other hand - it doesn't seem to be isolated to only one camera either, but that is MY opinion...not anything official.
 
Can someone explain the physics associated with "lens shading"? I don't get how a lens can affect color on the left and right side of the image. It seems like the effect would be due more to some alignment error in the light path (past the lens) or an electronic component problem (differential spectral shifting, to coin a phrase).
 
UPDATE -

I just received word that people at the service center have 'identified the problem' with my camera.
As soon as I find out what exactly that means I'll let you know.

EDITED TO ADD:
Okay - just spoke with the Panasonic guy and what that means is that they were able to recreate the problem that I am seeing in my footage.
Past that he didn't really want to say much because he said the techs were still working on the camera, and he should have an update for me (hopefully) sometime tomorrow. So it sounds like they have a good idea of what the cause is, but didn't want to say it just yet (I assume partly due to this thread).
And honestly, I can't blame them. I don't want anyone guessing. But at least now I know they are seeing the same thing I'm seeing in the footage - thats a step in the right direction.
 
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UPDATE:

Just got an email from the guy at Panasonic.
He said he should have an update for me when their lead tech gets in today, and that he believes the lens was changed.
So not set in stone just yet - but looks like I'll be getting the camera soon with a new lens on it.
 
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