GH1 Shipping Today! According to Panasonic Sales Rep

Nighthawk said:
...I believe you're in a PAL country and a Canadian camera is likely to be an NTSC camera. I just hope you took that into account. ....
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Thanks, Nighthawk - I have been reading as much as I can about PAL vs NTSC and there is good advice here about settings for use with different lighting types. I also intend to purchase video editing software (possibly from the Edius range) which deals with both NTSC and PAL (mind you, perhaps they all do - I'm no expert yet and intend to download some trial software). I intend to put together some consolidated notes from a newbie perspective once everything comes together.

Aden have confirmed reciept of funds and I have a shipping number! I have been very pleased with my experience with them - both on the phone and via email.
 
yar1986, et all -- good choice in waiting for a US legit one.

So for those who haven't seen the earlier episodes of my little saga...

The beginning of July I undertook an exercise (By buying from iBuyDigital, a member of the Broadway Photo family) to see if maybe there was a source for these cameras on the gray market. I knew full well what I was getting into, so please don't see this post as whining or anything like that...I figured it would be a healthy learning exercise for all.

They promised to ship within 2-3 days.

July 20th (About 15 business days later) -- Camera Ships

July 21st -- Camera arrives. I notice a $39 "handling" fee on my invoice for my "Free overnight shipping." Camera is PAL.

July 22nd -- I call and chew them out, tell them I need a NTSC camera and I need it now. She says they have them. I call her on her BS and ask her how she knows it's NTSC. I ask her if they have different stock numbers for US/NTSC models. She says no. I ask her how she's going to get me a NTSC/US model. She says that they're paying shipping both ways this time, it would be in their best interest to get me the right thing.

Against my better judgement, I chose to let her RMA the camera for exchange.

July 23rd -- I ship the camera back to them.

July 30th -- They receive PAL camera. I call them and tell them I'm going out of town August 6th. Ask if he can do anything (Like overnight ship the replacement back to me) to ensure that I have a camera by August 6th. Informed that the camera will go out that day "Express" 3-5 business day shipping. (That's funny, most people call 3-5 day standard...)

August 3rd -- Replacement camera ships. Ground.

August 7th -- I go out of town. No camera.

August 10th -- Camera arrives. I call my sister and have her retrieve and open the package. Camera #2 is...PAL.


So the lesson is that these guys definitely have cameras! They do not however, appear to have NTSC cameras. Even if they do have some NTSC cameras, their shipping and inventory system isn't really setup for you to request one. If you got one, I'd call it dumb luck...a lottery draw...

I got lucky, and ordered before they realized what they had and marked it up so much. In fact I paid less than MSRP (Until they added in their bogus fees...at which point I basically paid MSRP).

Another forum member is looking for a PAL model, and so I think this will end up working out OK for both of us, but it's not an experience I'm in a hurry to repeat, or to wish on somebody else.
 
Saaby ,

Thanks for the heads up. I was planning to buy from iDigital but after reading yours and many other comments I'm gonna just wait for a legit seller to have them in stock.
 
Saaby,

In an effort to make lemons into lemonade, have you ever considered that maybe this is the universe's way of suggesting you move to a PAL-compliant country?

Albania, perhaps? Maybe Paraguay? Plenty to choose from...
 
I wonder if when we move to ultra definition we will still divide things up along these old lines. 120fps for NTSC and 100fps for PAL.

NTSC would def be the way to go tho, because you could get 60P and 24P perfectly from 120P
 
SMD said:
From a call to Panasonic Direct this morning, the word on my 6/22 order is that it is scheduled to be "loaded out" August 17, to be delivered by 8/22 "at the latest."

6/22- 8/22

I hope others waiting will find this info helpful. Good Luck!
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I ordered 2 GH-1s (one for me, one for a friend) from Panasonic Direct on 6/10 and received both of them on 8/3, so they are definitely moving units at this point, so it is possible that people could get theirs before September.
 
rawdod said:
I wonder if when we move to ultra definition we will still divide things up along these old lines. 120fps for NTSC and 100fps for PAL.

NTSC would def be the way to go tho, because you could get 60P and 24P perfectly from 120P
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Maybe someday we'll all have 600fps and we'll be able to convert to 24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p, 100p, 120p....
Imagine all the people sharing one video standard!! you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
 
dbcheng said:
I ordered 2 GH-1s (one for me, one for a friend) from Panasonic Direct on 6/10 and received both of them on 8/3, so they are definitely moving units at this point, so it is possible that people could get theirs before September.
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I was about to order from them when I realized that they charge tax. That's $125 extra :(
 
dmoreno said:
Maybe someday we'll all have 600fps and we'll be able to convert to 24p, 25p, 30p, 50p, 60p, 100p, 120p....
Imagine all the people sharing one video standard!! you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
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Maybe 600p will look amazingly awesome and no one will want to convert to other frame rates.

-kap
 
I'm coming the states in Mid-August...I don't suppose there is any way I'll be able to get my hands on one of these puppies either in L.A. or Vegas? I'm a little bit surprised there aren't a few more of these floating around on the resale markets. If another Crutchfield would just happen, this time, I'm ready!
 
Kellar42 said:
I'm coming the states in Mid-August...I don't suppose there is any way I'll be able to get my hands on one of these puppies either in L.A. or Vegas? I'm a little bit surprised there aren't a few more of these floating around on the resale markets. If another Crutchfield would just happen, this time, I'm ready!
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From the looks of it, it might be difficult to find any GH1 at retail stores in near future.
 
Kellar42 said:
I'm coming the states in Mid-August...I don't suppose there is any way I'll be able to get my hands on one of these puppies either in L.A. or Vegas? I'm a little bit surprised there aren't a few more of these floating around on the resale markets. If another Crutchfield would just happen, this time, I'm ready!
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Dunno about Vegas, but the brick-and-mortar camera store scene in L.A. is pretty pathetic.

I don't know where you're coming from, but wherever it is, I suspect you're more likely to find the camera there than you will here.
 
Panasonic Direct shipped

Panasonic Direct shipped

Got an email today saying that my Panasonic Direct order has shipped. I ordered on 6/22 when status was in stock.

Funny, cause I called them this morning to check on the order and they said it would be available in stock on 8/18, but yet I get an email that says it's shipped and will be delivered tomorrow (I got overnight-LOL).

There's not a tracking number yet, so I will believe it when it really happens.

Any others that ordered around that time get their camera yet?
 
Yeah, there aren't many good camera stores in Los Angeles. Samy's is good but generally it's not nearly as populous out here as it is in NYC.
 
6/22 Shipped!

6/22 Shipped!

ajamils said:
I highly doubt that they'll start shipping anything before September. On a separate note, I talked with a sales rep at Cruthfield and according to her, they are expecting new shipment of GH1 at their warehouse on Sep 15.
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Jeez, thanks for your optimism!
Just teasing ya-

After Panasonic told me monday that my camera would ship next week and arrive by 8/22,

My 6/22 order shipped today! To be delivered by Thursday.


Since they already shipped my extra battery within the time frame they advertised, I have reason to believe it will be here.

Plus, if I can find a way to charge the extra battery in advance, I can play with it right away.

I am very happy. I'll be camping on my porch waiting for the diesel sound of the UPS truck all morning.
 
SMD said:
Jeez, thanks for your optimism!
Just teasing ya-

After Panasonic told me monday that my camera would ship next week and arrive by 8/22,

My 6/22 order shipped today! To be delivered by Thursday.


Since they already shipped my extra battery within the time frame they advertised, I have reason to believe it will be here.

Plus, if I can find a way to charge the extra battery in advance, I can play with it right away.

I am very happy. I'll be camping on my porch waiting for the diesel sound of the UPS truck all morning.
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Congrats! Don't know about an alternative charger, but the battery charges pretty quickly! Enjoy and post some footage when you get the chance
 
congrats SMD,

Now only if I could find one as well before my first baby is born (getting desperate !!!)
 
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Newstead said:
Got an email today saying that my Panasonic Direct order has shipped. I ordered on 6/22 when status was in stock.

Funny, cause I called them this morning to check on the order and they said it would be available in stock on 8/18, but yet I get an email that says it's shipped and will be delivered tomorrow (I got overnight-LOL).

There's not a tracking number yet, so I will believe it when it really happens.

Any others that ordered around that time get their camera yet?
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It was delivered this morning!! Finally after almost 2 months!
 
Thanks guys, I figured as much, although I wasn't thinking retail as much as resale...there do seem to be quite a few floating around, but I guess people love 'em!
 
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