HPX170 Lens Wobble Improved

siraj said:
Thanks atlfilmguy. Does it matter that I'm in Australia though? Should I be sending the serial to the panasonic rep here?

Siraj
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Hi Siraj, you should actually contact Panasonic there, not me. Each country handles their own cameras. I do believe that Rob Myers does post on this forum occasionally so you might be able to do a search for him and send him a Private message.

Off hand though I would doubt that there is an HPX170 in stock anywhere, at least that is the situation here, and Japan is not shipping more cameras unless the fix is in.

For the rest, I am still negotitating on the shipping issue so hopefully I will have news on that as well come Monday evening.

All the best,

Jan


Best,

Jan
 
has anyone worked up a temporary guerilla fix solution for those who cannot afford the downtime but need to use their camera while this gets eventually sorted out? I think I had read somewhere on here that someone had stuck a business card in between the body & the "lens."
 
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Spec-Comm has a fix - not sure if they'd share it or not and with Panasonic meeting on their fix on Monday, hard to say if there won't be a fix in addition to what Spec-Comm is doing.

As for guerilla fixes... man I'd deal with a little downtime to assure it's done right.
 
unfortunately, I'm going on about 3 weeks of downtime now with the camera and I am spending way too much money renting others cameras. I had no idea I would be this busy for three weeks but I am a working videographer and I need a working camera... I know we are all in the same boat. I can't simply send my camera in to Spec Comm until I get a grasp on what Panasonic officially has to say about this issue & fix.
 
i'm with everyone that there's an issue that needs to be addressed and that it's unfortunate, but i think there's some widespread over reaction to how this affects the ability to work with the camera right now. many of those who talk about having clients 'too scared' to use the camera need to consider the fact that's a dangerous place to be if you own this camera (or are planning to buy it). that sentiment can create an impression among clients that might be hard to overcome, regardless of the fix panasonic assures us, which could provide a barrier to putting this camera to work later.

if i get into a project where the shoot requirements are critical to this aspect of the camera, i'll simply select a different tool and not belabor the issue, that's what they pay me to think about. if somebody is aware of the issue, i simply explain the particular conditions where it could come up, and move on.

the fact is, it doesn't affect every shoot. my experience is that while there may be a few specific jobs aimed at this camera that might require using a different one because of the wobble, generally speaking you can still go out and make great defect free images. mine's been to work several times since i received it 2 weeks ago and there's plenty this camera can accomplish out of the box without compromising a project.

i'm not saying folks shouldn't be concerned or hold panasonic to a timely fix with the least inconvenience possible (i've been vocal in this thread about acknowledgement and action), i'm just pointing out that this issue doesn't reneder this camera unworkable for most shoots by a long shot (no pun intended).
 
We continue to shoot our event based projects because the anomaly isn't a critical focus there. (no pun intended)

I agree that it is only apparent in certain conditions. It hardly is a deal breaker.

Jan's communication is reassuring.
 
From my perspective as a rental house, it IS a deal breaker and show stopper. I haven't made a penny on this camera to date. The camera, in its present condition, does not meet my or my clients professional standards.
 
CW-35 said:
has anyone worked up a temporary guerilla fix solution for those who cannot afford the downtime but need to use their camera while this gets eventually sorted out? . . .
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I feel for everyone who is having this problem, I really do. But like I said, I'm not letting it slow me down and I would recommend the same for you guys. For those who need to use the camera in its stock form, I suggest using a remote focus/iris or remote focus/iris/zoom (such as any of the appropriate ones from Varizoom). For probably less than the cost of renting a camera, you could buy one of these and then own it.
 
jeff i've been with you on the fact there's an issue and that it absolutely has to be remedied, but i still don't think it's a show stopper. i've been working the camera for clients with great results and i know the rental houses in town are sending it out as well.

perhaps your clients are being steered away by your personal disappointment with this singular issue? or perhaps the type of shooting they intend to do with it hinges on critical focus pulling and movement at the longest end of the lens...

i'm not trying to argue your point, as only you know your particular clients (and the latter may be the case in those circumstances), but merely suggesting there might be a bit more being made of it from an immediate use standpoint than is actually the case for most people in most situations. i'm simply not experiencing or hearing that it negates the camera across the board, and i'll likely have the majority of the camera paid for by happy clients before i have to send it back to panasonic.

regardless, i know that we both agree a fix is in order and are both looking forward to official word on it.
 
CW-35 said:
has anyone worked up a temporary guerilla fix solution for those who cannot afford the downtime but need to use their camera while this gets eventually sorted out? I think I had read somewhere on here that someone had stuck a business card in between the body & the "lens."
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I have compared the 170 to my 200. There's a ring that butts up against the lens, a plastic(?) ring. On the 200 it's thicker. Other than that there appears to be no change in the design.

So, yeah, if this issue bothers you, an indie/guerilla fix would be just to jam something in there on the left and right sides to take up the slack. At that point it would be as solid and stable as a 200.

Should we HAVE to do this? No, of course not. But seriously, if you're missing out on jobs and paychecks, just cram something in there and get shooting until the official fix is made available, right?
 
davetronic,

What I have done is have DP's come and look at the camera setup on a Sachtler Video 20, locked down, camera zoomed in on a chart and let them rack focus, same as what I did when Adam Wilt came by. Nobody has gone forward with a rental after that.

I am unwilling to risk the reputation of my company being negatively affected by this camera. Doesn't mean the camera can't work for many people in many circumstances. I'm just offering my perspective and the experience so far with clients.

I am hopeful this will be behind all of us in a couple of weeks. My HDX900 is working all the time(as is my DSR-450WS and BVP-550's), so it's not like I need this camera to make a living. For those that do rely on the HPX170 as a major source of income, I feel bad for you.
 
Jan_Crittenden said:
and Japan is not shipping more cameras unless the fix is in.
All the best,
Jan
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WOW, seems somewhat drastic for Panasonic to be halting shipping on a major new Camera release for something that is a "NON-ISSUE".

I think Dino deserves a thank you and an apology for being dismissed of the get go by people who didn't even have the camera in hand.
Anyone who has the camera can clearly see that this is a serious issue.
The fact that Panasonic is still not admitting it is a "defect" and have still not accepted returns or a fix for the problem is only going to hurt them in the long run.

The people on this board are the last group of people that panasonic should piss off.
the cost of accepting the returns / fixing the problem and including shipping both ways is going to be far less for them than the loss of business and company respect/loyalty by not doing the right thing.

Some companies shortsightedness never ceases to amaze me.
 
Originally Posted by Jan_Crittenden
and Japan is not shipping more cameras unless the fix is in.
All the best,
Jan

Whoa! Where did you see THAT quote?

I just read this whole thread. Wow... very disconcerting to say the least. Wobble, no wobble. Loose, not loose. Shift, no shift. Definitely makes me weary.

Good news, I am thinking of heading into NYC soon (real soon if anyone is interested) and stopping in B&H. I would think that I could check out the camera right there, right? Anyone shop there in person?

Thanks for all of this discussion. I know that it must have been and still is frustrating for many of you. I can only imagine. Your livelihood depends on it. I hope that there is resolution in this for everyone.

And especially thanks to Jan and Barry and others like Andrew at Spec-Comm... The insight and access is really appreciated. Thanks for being so present in this main stream discussion board.

As I've said before, there is really no other place like this that I know of... DVXUSER is just awesome.

Future owner of the HPX-170
 
Kevinh said:
The people on this board are the last group of people that panasonic should piss off.
the cost of accepting the returns / fixing the problem and including shipping both ways is going to be far less for them than the loss of business and company respect/loyalty by not doing the right thing.

Some companies shortsightedness never ceases to amaze me.
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Until we all learn on Monday what the solution will be from Panasonic, it's premature to characterize Panasonic as "shortsighted."

I read concern being expressed here. I read Jan indicating a full response on the 20th.

I don't see anyone being "pissed off" as you have characterized it.
 
I've just been trying to configure my Letus V2 rod support to work with my Chrosziel 411-50 matte box and HPX170. I bought the step down to 72mm threads hoping that the Chrosziel, locked to the rods and threaded to the HPX170 lens would minimize the wobble. After I got the whole thing setup, I did the rack focus zoomed in test, Chrosziel locked to the rods/threaded to the lens.

Not much improvement. I thought it would have controlled the wobble, but didn't make much of a difference.
 
You would think that if your adapter is firmly and securely on rail, your wobble would be a non-issue. (yikes! bad word) Especially when you don't even touch the camera's focus ring once you start shooting, right?
 
Kevinh said:
. . . Anyone who has the camera can clearly see that this is a serious issue . . .
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You're not speaking for everyone when you stated this. I have an HPX170 and it's only a minor issue for me. Plus, it's one that I'm working around with ease.
 
Ted Arabian said:
You would think that if your adapter is firmly and securely on rail, your wobble would be a non-issue. (yikes! bad word) Especially when you don't even touch the camera's focus ring once you start shooting, right?
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It's not an adapter(as in 35mm DOF), it's a lightweight Chrosziel sun shade. I really thought it would take care of the wobble, but it didn't.
Regarding touching the focus ring while shooting, well, I do touch the focus ring while shooting, as do the professional DP's that rent my gear.
 
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