HPX250: B-stock gear?

G

Gwerd

Well-known member
I'm considering the purchase of a b-stock camera from a certified dealer, comes w a 30 day warranty but the price is right....anyone have experience in this situation?
 
Exactly my concern. It's under $4k w the possibility of the "free" 64GB card...I'm approaching this as a used sale from "some guy" in a way. I suppose it's like buying a used car, sometimes great other times total lemons. I'll be asking about condition, hr meter etc. Just wondering if anyone has bought B-stock and if Panasonic in particular has a good rep historically...
 
If you want it to last you 5 years, I'd go new with 5-yr warranty.. Panny warranties are not transferable as digitalgecko said.

But if you wanna take a risk and save... then something happen after a few weeks, months, or years.. you'd be out the whole cost of the camera - which is a greater risk IMO.

(Just my thoughts) Most of us use these cams to make money, its much easier to justify the extra cost initially to be assured you can make money for the next 5yr (minimum) with this camera. That being said my 1st 2 pro cameras were purchased used, lol. Only thing that happend was a firewire port failed after about a year - luckily I didn't need it since I had the other camera..
 
Last edited:
I bet the 64Gb card evaporates. Check the hours meter just to make sure it's not a rental unit. If they are calling it B-stock then it's probably a returm so there may have been a problem with it. Only Panasonic can work on this camera. You need to take it out on a weekend and shoot some footage with it to make sure there are no problems with the unit. Seems like a low price. This camera's selling right at or just under $5000 depending on the retailer. Under $4,000 is very low right now. Caveat Emptor!
 
If its an extra camera as a backup sounds like a good price. I bought my camera from the same company I just bought my 250 from. I have never had any issues with it for over 5 years(or I baby it not sure). The last camera I rented had so many issues during a shoot, it almost made it unusable (B camera). So if $995 is a deal breaker from new to used, I would say wait till you have the $995 and buy new. This is what I have done, I saved my pennies (literally, I just told my wife how much I spent, it would have been ok for her to say something, but it was even worse she said nothing. . and when you have been married for awhile, saying something is good, saying nothing is bad:() to be able to correctly outfit it with out putting it on credit card. Take your time and you will be pleased with what ever you decide.Buy for the long term, not the short term. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
we get 90 Day warranties from Panasonic on B-stock items here in the USA. There has been some confusion in the past about whether the warranty is 30 days or 90 days. You might ask for a clarification from Panasonic Canada.

Problems usually happen within the first month of ownership. Panasonic's extended warranty beyond the 1st year requires that you register the camera. The warranty from years 2-5 is not the same as the 1 year warranty and has more exclusions.

Ask your dealer if they've already inspected the camera. how many hours are on the camera? are all the accessories included?

If the discount is steep enough, b-stock can be a good way to save money if you are buying from a trusted dealer.
 
I don't see low hour or even high hour solid state record cameras as being a risky purchase, if they don't look beaten up. Panasonic service can provide service history. When cameras had tape transports and tubes, different story.

The Panasonic extended warranty is transferable, if new owner is also in the US.

We've had very good experiences with Panasonic and Sony B-stock equipment over the years.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top