Panasonic AG-HVX205A? Does anyone knows anything about this model

I thought the Asian model was the 202A? there seems to be also a 202 BE ? of course buying these will give ONLY warranty in Asia ;-)
 
As I understand it, 202 is for southeast asia (singapore, india, australia/nz). Don't know what China gets. Japan always gets "5" models (like HPX555, HVX205, HMC155, etc).
 
Jramos

Buying a new HVX200 from a grey market or non authorized dealer is really a dicey move.

Absolutely not worth it in many people's views.
 
Barry_Green said:
205A is the same camera as the 200A, but sold only in the Japanese market.
Click to expand...
If the HVX205a is the same camera as the HVX200a, I can only imagine that resellers are getting the HVX205a in Japan and able to undercut US pricing for the HVX200a. Some of the sellers are reputable, so what is the downside of buying a new 205a? Is the warranty Japan only? Are there any other "Japan specific" details? It seems this camera is being used in UK and elsewhere as well. Appreciate feedback on this as I am poised to buy. Thanks!
 
A 205A in Europe doesn't make much sense, since the 205 is NTSC-only.

The differences between a 200A and a 205A are:
1) 16GB P2 card in the box with 200A ($900 MSRP)
2) HPX+HVX Book in the box with 200A ($90 MSRP)
3) warranty in USA; 205A's warranty is in Japan and if you need warranty service you'd have to ship it back to Japan because US service centers won't touch it.
 
One issue I have with the HVX205 is it seems hard to find footage of stuff shot with it. It's also difficult to find people who own one, selling it used. You rarely ever see a used HVX205 on ebay, it's always a new one from the same few vendors. Where are all the people who buy working ones that are selling them used at?

Outside of that it seems like a better way to go to save some money. It just seems difficult to find people who've had good experiences with them to confirm a certain vendor/seller, etc.
 
oshca said:
If the HVX205a is the same camera as the HVX200a, I can only imagine that resellers are getting the HVX205a in Japan and able to undercut US pricing for the HVX200a. Some of the sellers are reputable, so what is the downside of buying a new 205a? Is the warranty Japan only? Are there any other "Japan specific" details? It seems this camera is being used in UK and elsewhere as well. Appreciate feedback on this as I am poised to buy. Thanks!
Click to expand...


Hey oshca! I bought the HVX205A and there is no issues. The warranty is local. It's manual is english, the menus are english, there is no difference. There is no downside, except for the fact that, unless otherwise stated, it does not come with a p2 card. But with the money youwould save, you could buy 5 e-series p2 cards, so it's worth it, in my opinion.
 
We have one

We have one

Here's some perspective...
We have an HVX205a that was purchased from eBay seller Time2Envy. Alongside our HVX200a, it's virtually identical except the 205a does not have Leica Dicomar silkscreened onto the side of the lens shade. It does have the Leica print on the 16x9 mask inside the hood though.
The camera controls, menus, manual, software and everything else are in English (unless you choose Japanese in the menu options.) It comes out of the box set to English.

Of course, the label on the underside of the viewfinder reads HVX205a, and the warranty is Japanese. I speak some Japanese and lived there for a while, so I think I can deal if something comes up. For some people, it could be more important to have Panasonic's excellent stateside customer service.

Time2Envy impressed us with very fast shipping. No hassles about buying extras. No problems. The "wide" and "telephoto" lenses they sent had me rolling on the floor laughing though. They were 72mm lenses so they included a step-UP ring to put them on the HVX's 82mm lens. Bwaahhaahha!! Hee hee! The image was like looking through a keyhole in a black door...
So funny.

_M
 
The HVX205A is a Japanese Domestic unit. Warranty by Panasonic is in Japan, not in the US. I would not reccomend this move at all regardless of price. The net net if things go badly isn't worth it.

Buy from a reputable reseller, that is able to take a phone call and answer a question or two.

Best,

Jan
 
I understand peoples issues with the 205 not being covered by warranty in the USA. But remember after 1 year, Panasonic and the Mack extended warranty crew will all be happy to drop you on your arse. My camera broke 1year and 2months after purchase. Nobody wanted to know about it. That was a HVX200 bought in the USA with a USA warranty and a 4 Year Mack extended warranty. They all wiped their hands clean of me. so tell me, what difference does it make.
 
Hmm, So you are saying that no one would fix your camera? That is odd. Since it was over a year, you wouldn't have a been covered by a Warranty, but the Mack Warranty should have done something. Are you saying that the Mack warranty is worth nothing?

Thanks,

Jan
 
I was in the market for an HVX 200 and found what I was looking for at BH Photo. When I went to add it to my cart they offered used at about 2 k Less then the asking. I found that they had a 205A that was new and still in the box with a rating of 10. So I went ahead and ordered it. Here is a vimeo link to a test we shot for those interested.
http://vimeo.com/5330734
It came brand new and the only issue I had was that all the documentation was in Japanese.
I found soft copy of the 200 online but I was wondering if Panasonic printed a hard copy of the 205 docs in english? If so how could I go about buying a copy? Or are they cameras enough alike that I can get the 200 docs and be fine.
I did see much cheaper prices the BH but I found upon some simple research that they were from the bait and switch scammers that AG Cuomo is going after. Avoid them like the plague
 
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