GH1 Strap rivet broken
- Thread starter themartist
- Start date
themartist
Active member
Yup... I wonder if its paranoid or realistic to assume that it could be problematic, would love a mod to give some insight here.... Barry?
themartist
Active member
WARNING: Through a little research, I found out that yes... it is a serious risk of blowing the cameras main board with the nut floating around inside the camera. I took my camera to Panasonic. I am in South Africa now, and Panasonic here does not recognize international warantees so I had to pay for the repair. It wasn't expensive... only about 30 euros and took an hour. They showed me the internal structure and remarked at how weakly it is designed. If the camera had blown, it would not be covered here... and I would have to return to europe to get it fixed. Fortunate I dealt with it before too late.
2 points:
1. If there is a lose nut that is floating around... DO NOT turn on the camera and get it fixed immediately.
2. The shoulder straps are held by weak rivets. Best to get a tripod socket based strap instead.
2 points:
1. If there is a lose nut that is floating around... DO NOT turn on the camera and get it fixed immediately.
2. The shoulder straps are held by weak rivets. Best to get a tripod socket based strap instead.
And it's broken. I wasn't even using the strap..... And there's now something inside my camera that rattles. I don't want to loose my camera for a couple of weeks to let Panasonic fix it under warranty. Are there any options so you can get a replacement? Or like Themartist get it fixed in a hour?
wowsers if it was me I'd go get a canon 7D immediately and shove the panasonic. These sorts or design faults are unforgivable.
Hhahahahahhahahahahahah. These forums are so funny. The GH1 has it's issues, and yes, the strap breaking doesn't give me thrills, but the 7D is a different beast at a different price with a whole slew of issues of it's own.
Yes I lost the strap, and didn't drop the camera, but for a week after that, I used it without protection on a small sailboat in the middle of the ocean for seven days at sea. Half the time I left it sliding around a bunk, and at one point even had to repeatedly set it on the hard fiberglass of the cockpit while I attended to the jib-sheet. This is with the new rattle. So all is not yet lost! Check out http://www.przyborski.com/HD_movies/B-Roll_GH1-960x540_H264b.mov this sort of thing from our excellent forum member Glenn, and marvel at the times we live in!
Yes I lost the strap, and didn't drop the camera, but for a week after that, I used it without protection on a small sailboat in the middle of the ocean for seven days at sea. Half the time I left it sliding around a bunk, and at one point even had to repeatedly set it on the hard fiberglass of the cockpit while I attended to the jib-sheet. This is with the new rattle. So all is not yet lost! Check out http://www.przyborski.com/HD_movies/B-Roll_GH1-960x540_H264b.mov this sort of thing from our excellent forum member Glenn, and marvel at the times we live in!
themartist
Active member
I bought a lumix point and shoot previously that I had to throw away based on a total autofocus malfunction, so was a little weary of going lumix again. The strap issue is definitely a huge irritation, but now that its resolved, I'm not prepared to obsess about it.
I assume the 7D is a better all around camera, but right now its not important that I dwell on having the best vs the second best. Whats important is that I get use, use and more use out of this baby. A comfortable R-strap has been ordered and is on the way. Hopefully that means the camera will never leave my side.
I think its best to focus attention away from any comparison related discussions, until the time comes that I intend on buying a new camera... which is certainly not very soon.
New member to this community forum.
Previously having a Canon Rebel XTi before, my friend convinced me of the GH-1 for the many features it had over my old Rebel XTi (interchangeable lens w/ micro 4/3rds, HD video recording and smaller/lighter weight) before I departed October 12th for a 3 month journey with my wife to travel around the world.
After getting it, I was amazed at the picture quality as well as the video recording capability of the GH-1!
Then just this past week while trekking through Nepal, the left bolt on the side of my GH-1 where my neck strap attached to the camera just popped off and it slipped off of my neck and hit the ground (
)!!!
Looking at the small screw/threading that was supposed to anchor the bolt to the camera body, I was amazed that Panasonic believed this was sufficient. While hiking, I saw countless other Nikon and Canon users walking around w/ their cameras around their neck. And having a Rebel XTi I know that the neck strap felt solid.
Anyway, the worst part: the camera’s LCD screen won’t work AND it turns off intermittently!
I was hoping to document this 3 month of world travel and now am at a complete loss.
I am currently in Hong Kong now getting ready to head off to France/Amsterdam next and would like to continue capture some irreplaceable memories.
I emailed the online retailer in the US that I originally bought it from, but not sure what they will/can do. Hopefully there's a local authorized Panasonic shop over here in HK I can go to.
This is ALL KIND OF SUCK! Hope this doesn't happen to anyone else! If I get this fixed I'm getting the Black Rapid system for sure.
Previously having a Canon Rebel XTi before, my friend convinced me of the GH-1 for the many features it had over my old Rebel XTi (interchangeable lens w/ micro 4/3rds, HD video recording and smaller/lighter weight) before I departed October 12th for a 3 month journey with my wife to travel around the world.
After getting it, I was amazed at the picture quality as well as the video recording capability of the GH-1!
Then just this past week while trekking through Nepal, the left bolt on the side of my GH-1 where my neck strap attached to the camera just popped off and it slipped off of my neck and hit the ground (
Looking at the small screw/threading that was supposed to anchor the bolt to the camera body, I was amazed that Panasonic believed this was sufficient. While hiking, I saw countless other Nikon and Canon users walking around w/ their cameras around their neck. And having a Rebel XTi I know that the neck strap felt solid.
Anyway, the worst part: the camera’s LCD screen won’t work AND it turns off intermittently!
I was hoping to document this 3 month of world travel and now am at a complete loss.
I am currently in Hong Kong now getting ready to head off to France/Amsterdam next and would like to continue capture some irreplaceable memories.
I emailed the online retailer in the US that I originally bought it from, but not sure what they will/can do. Hopefully there's a local authorized Panasonic shop over here in HK I can go to.
This is ALL KIND OF SUCK! Hope this doesn't happen to anyone else! If I get this fixed I'm getting the Black Rapid system for sure.
themartist
Active member
Well for example if you have the strap around your shoulders and have the lcd open and flipped out, when pointing the lcd flat (parallel to the ground) so that you can be holding the camera at waist height, while looking down at the lcd - lower shots. The strap always gets in the way. Not just this shot, but many times Ive noticed the strap to be really irritating for working with the lcd.
It hits the strap end with the plastic safety fastener that you adjust when attaching it. I can see if you have the camera around your neck all the time it may not be a problem as its always pulled up but I never have it hanging off my neck and so the strap dangles and gets in the way alot of the time.
It now feels alot more "free" to use now that I have taken it off.
It now feels alot more "free" to use now that I have taken it off.
I can only hope and pray that the e-tailer I bought from or Panasonic directly will do something to help me out... I tried taking it to a local Hong Kong dealer and they wanted to charge me $100 USD just to look at it (not including labor and parts at an hourly rate).
No way am I paying that much for what I feel is clearly a manufacturer's defect.this really sucks for everyone, and is terrible for panasonic... i made the decision to not use a strap mostly because I never used one with any of my previous video cameras. lucky decision, i guess... i have always used my straps on my Nikon bodies, and never thought twice about it. obviously, panasonic seriously overlooked this point on the camera... hope they come up with a good solution- this isn't going away
this is what i use...
this is what i use...
I never used a neck strap in my life...it can get stuck in something and choke you...also if someone wants to steal your camera on a passing by motorbike or car (very common in Thailand, Brasil etc...) i would prefer to let go of the camera and keep my neck...
Anyway I usually use a monopod which is telescopic and when retracted is very short but i can hold the camera steady, or a use this
http://www.hotrodcameras.com/products/deluxe/
not the entire rig to go out on the street but the handles that work perfectly.
this is what i use...
I never used a neck strap in my life...it can get stuck in something and choke you...also if someone wants to steal your camera on a passing by motorbike or car (very common in Thailand, Brasil etc...) i would prefer to let go of the camera and keep my neck...
Anyway I usually use a monopod which is telescopic and when retracted is very short but i can hold the camera steady, or a use this
http://www.hotrodcameras.com/products/deluxe/
not the entire rig to go out on the street but the handles that work perfectly.
ajamils
Well-known member
has anybody tried sending the camera to Panasonic to get the rivet fixed ? If so, how long did it take to get it back ? The left side rivet on my camera has developed a play, its not very bad but it's starting to get lose and I would like to get it fixed before I lose the screw somewhere in GH1 body.
I opted to not take any chances and make my own faux black rapid strap with the clip and d ring that black rapid sells seperately. used climbing strap and a strap buckle and two cam buckles, found online. easy simple and doesn't use the rivets, i feel better about it now. my rivets have been developing play too and i just don't trust it.