GH-1 Shipping Yet?
 

It's September...she types hopefully... B&H, Amazon, usual suspects still seem backordered. Anyone know anything about when these cameras might start shipping with regularity? I'm planning a trip to Egypt, leaving in a couple of weeks. I'd sure like this to be my backup camera. Of course, I'd also like to play with it before I throw it into the bag. But I feel thwarted by the lack of information. Any helpful input welcomed!

Thanks,
Lisa

I got mine from B&H the other day.

Really?? Which day? They still had backordered when I checked last night. I'm on a list to be alerted when they get it in stock, and I haven't received anything.

You're the lucky duck, eh?

Lisa

I got mine sometime last week. I just kept checking a few sites everyday hoping to get lucky. Crutchfield had them in stock... when I checked an hour or so later they were out of stock again.

I think it was the 2nd when it showed up, after two day shipping.

At this stage its best to check the sites atleast twice a day because it definitely wont take long to be sold out very quickly.

You should also call up local authorized retailers and tell them to contact you right away if they get any in stock. I luckily got mine on the same day that I called.

It might have been a return. So I doubt they ever had any significant numbers of them.

If I remember correctly, Panasonic announced that production would be 5000 GH1's per month. That's total, for world wide distribution. Given the uniqueness of its feature set, particularly the total control during shooting (shutter, aperture, focus - manual & auto, clip length is until the flash card is full), it's hardly surprising demand is high and the waiting line long.

GH-1 availability
 

I found one at onecall.com. Has a $200 premium though.

I kept trying BH and others, but kept coming up dry. Hate to go elsewhere, as BH has always done right by me. But a deadline is a deadline. BTW, Onecall also charges restock fee... considering it's a sight unseen purchase, seems a little unreasonable.

I did get some other accessories and a B&W Kasemann polarizer from BH though -- I love this piece of glass and highly recommend it. May also appreciate they have available for order Novoflex M4/3 to Nikon F adapter.

Not a return, you just have to keep checking.
You might also add the words "in stock" to your google searches to get a listing of stores that have them in stock. Then select from the reputable dealers.

Good Luck!

Good idea on the search terms. It's funny; this isn't a collector's item, it's a tool. I wonder about their marketing and distribution strategy.

~ ~ Lisa

I think it has nothing to do with marketing & distribution.

I do think it is all about estimating demand for what is in the consumer space an expensive camera in tough economic times and limiting production so one isn't stuck with a lot of stock sitting on a shelf. By now they know different, but ramping up volume production takes a lot longer than just making a few phone calls.

An unfortunate miscalculation. The wait has many people bailing or buying an alternative. I think I'm going to have to bail, at least for this upcoming project. Who knows what new useful tools will be available when I'm in new/upgrade mode next.

~ ~ L

It’s almost no different than what Panasonic did to the LX3. That camera got released a year ago and it’s still hard to find at authorized dealers. They constantly get sold out every time a new shipment gets in. Even the G1 especially the black one can sometimes be hard to find at authorized dealers.

Unfortunate? Maybe, maybe not from the manufacturer's point of view. Limited production helps support their pricing and ensures they, and their dealers, make money on every unit sold.

Japanese car manufacturer's are well known for following the exact same strategy of not saturating the market with product, which supports their pricing, and thereby supporting their dealers. Last time I checked Toyota, Honda, and Nissan were doing relatively well. By comparison GM, which has pushed a strategy of volume, volume, volume, cheap, cheap, cheap for decades, has done less well.

And that's always true, regardless of current model availability. The new useful tools might even be from Panasonic! I personally am very interested in what the GH2, or whatever it ends up being called, looks like. Or if a u4/3rds lens+sensor video camera emerges.