GH4 Panasonic discovered a fix for the audio buzz!

Shipped mine out today. Shipping was around $33 with insurance of $1700. I wish Panasonic would send a pre-paid label...can't win them all.
 
I shipped mine last Friday, they received it yesterday and today it is being assigned an engineer to do the fix. I have to say besides paying to have to ship it back, this process so far has been painless. I really appreciate how Miss Alonzo is handling everything.
 
If you haven't sent in your GH4 for the buzz fix yet, this post on my site includes a downloadable PDF form you can print out and send in with your camera to make sure Panasonic get all the information they need to process your repair quickly.
 
Is there anyway to know whether or not new units for sale have the fix already? I'm waiting to buy, but I don't want to send the unit off for warranty work 5 minutes after receiving it (and be out my S/H)
 
Texas Media Systems sent a shipment of GH4s bodies and kits this week to Panasonic in McAllen to get the Audio Buzz fix and Version 1.1 Firmware installed.

We're hoping to get the updated GH4s back next week.

Factory shipped cameras with the Audio Buzz fix and Ver 1.1 could take another month or so to work their way from the factory to the USA.
 
Thanks for the update on factory-fixed GH4 availability, Terry.

BTW, is your shipment of GH4s the reason why my repair is taking so long? :)
 
Sol M. said:
If you haven't sent in your GH4 for the buzz fix yet, this post on my site includes a downloadable PDF form you can print out and send in with your camera to make sure Panasonic get all the information they need to process your repair quickly.
Click to expand...

I seem to be unable to download the PDF without providing credit card info, yet the post says it is free.

Which way is it?
 
Sol M. said:
BTW, is your shipment of GH4s the reason why my repair is taking so long? :)
Click to expand...

at the risk of sounding cynical- I wouldn't be surprised if new stock gets repair priority over existing units. They're not making any money for Panasonic if they're in the shop- Sol's model has been sold already. People want to praise Panasonic for "making it right", but unless they're willing to cover round trip shipping they're not totally doing right by the customer. This is not a knob falling off during use, or the lcd crapping out 6 months in. These cameras left the factory withe the "buzz"- so to truly do right they need to provide prepaid shipping. These shipping costs along with the repair costs will provide them with a valuable lesson about future testing procedures. It's amazing how fast your improve when it affects your bottom line.

I'm glad they're fixing the issue when they could have just as easily told users "use our audio hardware". Kudos for that. But that extra $25 or so for a return UPS label would create good will and keep brand loyalty.
 
Bruce Foreman said:
I seem to be unable to download the PDF without providing credit card info, yet the post says it is free.

Which way is it?
Click to expand...

Totally free, just type "0" in the price field and the credit card info fields disappear. I've asked Gumroad (the service hosting the PDF) to hide the CC info unless an amount is entered, but they seem to prefer leaving it open-ended...I agree that it can be confusing, but it's still one of the better ways to make these types of downloads available without worrying about bandwidth, etc.
 
Received my shipping confirmation that my unit's been repaired. So, once the camera's at McAllen, it looks like repair time is about 1 week.
 
I've contacted the Panasonic center in TX to see if any other service centers around the world are offering this service fix.
 
I've had my GH4 for a week now. It had the old firmware 1.0 so I upgraded to 1.1. Tested the mic input and the buzz is there. So what do I do, send it back to B&H or send it to the repair center?
 
Salvo, just order another one from B&H and when you get it send the one you have now to get repaired. Then when you get your repaired camera back return the 2nd one ordered to B&H. That is what I'm doing. I'd hoped the second one from B&H would be "fixed" but it wasn't. I was up front with B&H about what I was doing and they were completely fine with it. They aren't allowed to open the box of new cameras before shipping so they couldn't check the firmware/audio buzz.
 
gkantziper said:
Salvo, just order another one from B&H and when you get it send the one you have now to get repaired. Then when you get your repaired camera back return the 2nd one ordered to B&H. That is what I'm doing. I'd hoped the second one from B&H would be "fixed" but it wasn't. I was up front with B&H about what I was doing and they were completely fine with it. They aren't allowed to open the box of new cameras before shipping so they couldn't check the firmware/audio buzz.
Click to expand...

Hi gkantziper, Unfortunately I don't have the extra funds to order another GH4. So hopefully I can exchange it for another GH4. Too bad because I was really enjoying using this little gem. Thanks for the suggestion though.
 
For people that have sent their cameras in, how did the process go? Did you receive an e-mail/call when your camera arrived or anything? I know my camera was delivered on Monday from following the tracking number, but I've received no word from Panasonic regarding it. I leave for a vacation next Friday so I'm hoping to get it back by then.
 
-griffy- said:
For people that have sent their cameras in, how did the process go? Did you receive an e-mail/call when your camera arrived or anything? I know my camera was delivered on Monday from following the tracking number, but I've received no word from Panasonic regarding it. I leave for a vacation next Friday so I'm hoping to get it back by then.
Click to expand...

No email upon receiving. I emailed Maria to confirm that they had it and she responded to confirm that it'd begun the repair process. I also emailed her to request repair status and she notified me soon after when it was shipped from McAllen with FedEx tracking number.
 
So, I just received my camera back. Wrapped in plastic and in the mint condition in which I sent it. Thank you, panasonic. Now the "but." I only had about 15 minutes this morning to play with it. I have no idea if the buzz is gone because of lack of time - but I'll assume it is - but what is curious is that it seems much more sensitive than when I sent it in. In other words, when I put my mke300 on the camera before I sent it (I have a vid mic pro on order) I had to bump it to +6 to get it to over modulate - when speaking from behind the camera - now, it hits the red with a low voice at "0" and I can easy bump it into the red at -12 by speaking a little louder (again, from behind the camera)

I'd love to know if anyone else is finding this and should I be concerned? (mainly for run and gun type work where I don't have a sound person)
 
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