As of now, what's a fair price for the gh1?

P

Polarjee

Active member
Hi, I live in los angeles and I plan on getting the gh1. I noticed everybody saying the price has dropped and many are regretting the camera because of the announcement of the 7d. I need the US version and on the panasonic website, it's 1,500$. Should I still pay full price or is it worth looking for a bargain?
Thanks!!
 
Price, availability and support vary in the extreme.

For example, someone in the US can probably find a GH1 sourced from outside the country (via eBay, etc.), but warranty & tech support might be problematic (or non-existent). Availability through these sources ranges from relatively fast to ha! ha! you lose. Heads-up: You probably don't want to use a PAL-standard camera in NTSC-standard USA, or a Japanese-menu-only cam if you don't read Japanese. Or maybe you do?

If you or someone you know works for a major corporation you may be able to get a GH1 through an official "company buy" program. Many big companies & other organizations enable their employees to buy directly from Panasonic & other manufacturers, often at a very good discount. These legitimate purchases are covered by standard product warranties & tech support. Availability will probably vary a lot; perhaps it's similar to buying from Panasonic Direct yourself -- but less expensive.

There are many reputable brick & mortar and online dealers (B&H, Abel CineTech, Adorama, J&R, Crutchfield, etc.) who might be able to take an order for a GH1, and if you're really, really, lucky, might have one in stock -- but more likely you'll have to wait days or weeks. Really good dealers won't charge your CC until they ship, unless they've told you ahead of time they require a small deposit to put you on a waiting list.

Some dealers should be avoided like the plague. Refer to:
http://www.resellerratings.com/
http://www.bbb.org/

In general the GH1 has been _much_ more difficult to buy in the US compared to many other parts of the world, so paying close to the suggested US list price (or slightly higher) is normal here. Heck, in Japan Panasonic even officially sells the GH1 in a body-only configuration! So, getting a discount through a reputable US dealer on a GH1 is currently unusual. That's why the "corporate buy" thing mentioned above is great if you can get it. Certainly the GH1's US price will trend down over time, but that's not the case in the US today given its scarcity here.

You've got lots of purchasing options, but only you can decide how much "risk" you're comfortable with.
 
Last edited:
Polarjee said:
Wierd, I just checked bhphotovideo and they still said back-ordered. Am I looking at the wrong thing??
Click to expand...

Not trying to encourage you to spend your money too fast, but calling a dealer on the phone sometimes yields more accurate info than what's displayed on their website. YMMV. :)
 
I still have a July back-order with J&R. If they ever ship I'll let it go here, and for basically my cost. (Not looking to make a quick buck, just trying to help.)
 
So I figured, if I buy it from the panasonic web site, itll be 1500$ and 10% tax so it would come out to about 1650$
I then found this on ebay where the total will come out to 1589$ and they have them in stock now. So it would be about 60$ cheaper, I'll get it faster, and they even have accessories. The accessories are probably crappy but still, is there any reason why I should consider waiting for panasonic or bhphotovideo to get more in stock?

http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Panasonic-D...eras?hash=item45ede13133&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14
 
Last edited:
that company is a bait and switch, and from what i've read, 2 people have received their cameras as PAL not NTSC. if you're okay with pal, go for it.
 
Yeah and those disputing charges with that company are having trouble because it never says NTSC anywhere...except if they looked closely it does.

Right here:
HD: 1920 x 1080 @ 24 fps, 1280 x 720 @ 60 fps, 1280 x 720 @ 30 fps
SD: 848 x 480 @ 30 fps, 640 x 480 @ 30 fps, 320 x 240 @ 30 fps

Total scam yes, but for those disputing charges kick their ass with that info which is on the page.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top