Dear Panasonic at DVinfo.net

Frank Granovski · April 25th, 2004, 07:56 PM

info@panasonic.jp
Subject: GS100 English manual and info

Dear Panasonic,

A lot of people outside of Japan have purchased your NV-GS100 digital video camera. I was wondering when you will make available the English version of the NV-GS100 operating manual.

My other question is when are you going to bring these digital video cameras in the North American market:[list=1][*]NV-MX3000[*]the NTSC version of the NV-MX350[*]the NV-GS100 (silver and black version)[/list=1]Sincerely,
Frank Granovski
(Vancouver, Canada)

PS: the e-mail, she works. Just didn't get a reply yet. :-))

Patricia Kim · April 25th, 2004, 11:20 PM

Ah, but the e-mail may not work coming from the other direction. Is Panasonic likely to listen to the pleas of a mere North American? Maybe not. It still looks to me as if they've trying to break into a slightly different market - younger (sorry about that word) and more "cool" oriented. (I think somewhere on supervideo's site, he mentioned that sales of the 953 had been lousy, which may also have affected Pana's view of the market here.)

Frank Granovski · April 25th, 2004, 11:37 PM

You could be right, but I keep pressing the send button anyway.

So DV953 sales were lousy? Figures. Panasonical should have given us the black mamba instead---black and better low light---by just a bit.

Allan Rejoso · April 26th, 2004, 12:46 AM

...It still looks to me as if they've trying to break into a slightly different market - younger (sorry about that word) and more "cool" oriented.

I agree with you Pat. I notice more and more young people (I mean students) and ladies are buying those cute looking cams in the JPY50K to 90K range...and in most cases, their primary concern is whether the cam is small enough or not.

Bogdan Vaglarov · April 26th, 2004, 01:17 AM

I agree both with Pat and Allan but want to add something.

What Allan says is valid may be only in Japan. Here younger people are more likely to afford such an achievment.

I think on the West these same generation is more worried about open source and free software than parting with 500 bucks.

On the other hand the fathers are searching for more 'serious' stuff and rather buy not the most lightweight toy for the family.

Patricia Kim · April 26th, 2004, 01:43 AM

Don't know enough factually about the American market (let alone Canadian, Frank), but disposable income is supposed to be pretty high among young people. Think of all those iPod minis in cotton candy colors that got snapped up so fast. 100,000 at $249 or thereabouts each ($24.9M???). And let's not forget armbands, cases, earphones (because everyone claims the ones Apple supplies are junk), etc. I visit several headphone sites (I have a couple of portable music players), and there are quite a few youngsters out there spending big bucks. (Okay, I'm old. When a 13 or 14-year old wants recommendations on earphones to go with his/her iPod mini, I freak.) I think the money is there - and Panasonic and the other camcorder makers are looking for a way to get those who have a lot to say about the way it's spent - ladies and youngsters, as Allan noted - go for their products.

George Beck · April 26th, 2004, 01:57 AM

but isn't it the bottom line how well those companies do?
In canada it looks like it's Canon that took most of the market share. And Pana-Canada giving msrp of 2750$ for dv953....
it's pathetic...
extremly poor management and decision making on the side of Pana. They have practicly no advertisement, and to sell that kind of product you need to push it to the consumer. This is not the pro-market where the client look for you.
if we go dig, more wrong decisions, sign of someone that does not care, or someone who does not understand the market, or ... someone has hired his cousin that have not finished night school yet.... who knows, but something's wrong there, and they loose money, market share, and face.
and those cool cams stay overpriced, and unbought.

here in canada a teen can't afford to buy DV953 2500$ (from a dealer), I think there those who can are few and would not go for something like that since they don't know what it is... =/

and Dads go for the XL1 or the GL1...
frankly I don't care much.... I'll get the GS400 when it gets available (probably from US will be cheaper, even if I have to pay duties)

Frank Granovski · April 26th, 2004, 02:14 AM

George, there is no duty when a Canadian buys a cam from the USA, Japan and even Australia. What you do pay is GST, PST and shipping. There may be a brokerage fee, depending who the carrier is and what level of shipping is used. For example, if you use FEDEX express (overnight or 2 days), the brokerage fees are built in.

Of course if you have the cam shipped to Alberta, there is no PST.

About young people having money, I would say that most don't, but if they are in university, the CC companies pretty much give their CCs to anyone (in university).

George Beck · April 26th, 2004, 08:39 AM

Frank, =) in ontario the GST+PST = 15%
good to hear there's no extra duty tho...

April 25th, 2004, 07:56 PM	#1
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	Dear Panasonic info@panasonic.jp Subject: GS100 English manual and info Dear Panasonic, A lot of people outside of Japan have purchased your NV-GS100 digital video camera. I was wondering when you will make available the English version of the NV-GS100 operating manual. My other question is when are you going to bring these digital video cameras in the North American market:[list=1][]NV-MX3000[]the NTSC version of the NV-MX350[*]the NV-GS100 (silver and black version)[/list=1]Sincerely, Frank Granovski (Vancouver, Canada) PS: the e-mail, she works. Just didn't get a reply yet. :-))

April 25th, 2004, 11:20 PM	#2
Patricia Kim Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 453	Ah, but the e-mail may not work coming from the other direction. Is Panasonic likely to listen to the pleas of a mere North American? Maybe not. It still looks to me as if they've trying to break into a slightly different market - younger (sorry about that word) and more "cool" oriented. (I think somewhere on supervideo's site, he mentioned that sales of the 953 had been lousy, which may also have affected Pana's view of the market here.)

April 25th, 2004, 11:37 PM	#3
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	You could be right, but I keep pressing the send button anyway. So DV953 sales were lousy? Figures. Panasonical should have given us the black mamba instead---black and better low light---by just a bit.

April 26th, 2004, 12:46 AM	#4
Allan Rejoso Major Player Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 569	...It still looks to me as if they've trying to break into a slightly different market - younger (sorry about that word) and more "cool" oriented. I agree with you Pat. I notice more and more young people (I mean students) and ladies are buying those cute looking cams in the JPY50K to 90K range...and in most cases, their primary concern is whether the cam is small enough or not.

April 26th, 2004, 01:17 AM	#5
Bogdan Vaglarov Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Yokohama, Japan Posts: 366	I agree both with Pat and Allan but want to add something. What Allan says is valid may be only in Japan. Here younger people are more likely to afford such an achievment. I think on the West these same generation is more worried about open source and free software than parting with 500 bucks. On the other hand the fathers are searching for more 'serious' stuff and rather buy not the most lightweight toy for the family.

April 26th, 2004, 01:43 AM	#6
Patricia Kim Major Player Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii Posts: 453	Don't know enough factually about the American market (let alone Canadian, Frank), but disposable income is supposed to be pretty high among young people. Think of all those iPod minis in cotton candy colors that got snapped up so fast. 100,000 at $249 or thereabouts each ($24.9M???). And let's not forget armbands, cases, earphones (because everyone claims the ones Apple supplies are junk), etc. I visit several headphone sites (I have a couple of portable music players), and there are quite a few youngsters out there spending big bucks. (Okay, I'm old. When a 13 or 14-year old wants recommendations on earphones to go with his/her iPod mini, I freak.) I think the money is there - and Panasonic and the other camcorder makers are looking for a way to get those who have a lot to say about the way it's spent - ladies and youngsters, as Allan noted - go for their products.

April 26th, 2004, 01:57 AM	#7
George Beck Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 244	but isn't it the bottom line how well those companies do? In canada it looks like it's Canon that took most of the market share. And Pana-Canada giving msrp of 2750$ for dv953.... it's pathetic... extremly poor management and decision making on the side of Pana. They have practicly no advertisement, and to sell that kind of product you need to push it to the consumer. This is not the pro-market where the client look for you. if we go dig, more wrong decisions, sign of someone that does not care, or someone who does not understand the market, or ... someone has hired his cousin that have not finished night school yet.... who knows, but something's wrong there, and they loose money, market share, and face. and those cool cams stay overpriced, and unbought. here in canada a teen can't afford to buy DV953 2500$ (from a dealer), I think there those who can are few and would not go for something like that since they don't know what it is... =/ and Dads go for the XL1 or the GL1... frankly I don't care much.... I'll get the GS400 when it gets available (probably from US will be cheaper, even if I have to pay duties)

April 26th, 2004, 02:14 AM	#8
Frank Granovski Outer Circle Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hope, BC Posts: 7,524	George, there is no duty when a Canadian buys a cam from the USA, Japan and even Australia. What you do pay is GST, PST and shipping. There may be a brokerage fee, depending who the carrier is and what level of shipping is used. For example, if you use FEDEX express (overnight or 2 days), the brokerage fees are built in. Of course if you have the cam shipped to Alberta, there is no PST. About young people having money, I would say that most don't, but if they are in university, the CC companies pretty much give their CCs to anyone (in university).

April 26th, 2004, 08:39 AM	#9
George Beck Major Player Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Toronto, ON Posts: 244	Frank, =) in ontario the GST+PST = 15% good to hear there's no extra duty tho...