Waiting for yours?
 

For US-buyers waiting for their HVX to ship:

I pre-ordered mine from B&H knowing that none of my local shops were going to carry it immediately.

According to Jan from Panasonic, the units were overnighted to US retailers (don't know which ones) on the 29th. I placed my order with B&H on the 30th. As of yesterday (1-2-06) I was 5th in-line for the "kit" (body + 2 8gb P2 cards).

B&H says that they probably won't start shipping units until end of this week or beginning of next depending on how quickly they get the units into their inventory system.

If you've also pre-ordered from B&H you need to call the customer service number and make sure you're on "the list". Apparently, simply pre-ordering does not automatically put you on the first-to-ship list - I don't know why, that's just what I was told.

Hope this helps those who are on pins and needles waiting for theirs.

To Chris Hurd: If you think it would be helpful at all, I could post a review of my version of first impressioins when I get mine. My HVX will be used in production later this month as soon as I can put mine through a shake-down test.

Hi Robert, do I think it would be helpful? Heck yeah! Please also consider taking some still photos of your baby on the set; these sort of visual images always do a lot to flesh out a written review. Many thanks in advance,

You got it, Chris.

So, there are 8 Gb p2 cards available?

According to Rush at EVS and the guys at Zotz, not until sometime late next month... Just an estimate I think.

How is it that you placed your order LAST FRIDAY and you are 5th in line?? My man at Samy's Camera told me his list is so short that he could count on two hands how many is on it and that If I pay him now (at a discounted price), I would easily get my HVX200 on their first shipment this month.....

However this is what's confusing me....

.....people at DVXUSER are talking about how they are number 186th in line????

Ok....Somebody's lying about here. *stroking my chin* Is Samy lying just to get me to pre-purchase one and hold my money up till February when my number is finally called? Is B&H Lying about what number you are Robert and you're really going to have to wait until March to get your camera because it's in high demand? Or are the HVX fanatics at DVXUSER lying about what they claim to be pre-ordering just to seem cool to their online buddies or make it seem like there are more people who want the HVX-200 then there really is?

Where can I get it for a nice price? I begged and pleaded for 30 minutes to get even $5 off my XL-H1 and they were like "HELL NO". lol Basically making it seem like this camera is so hot that they don't have to sell it for less. However they are throwing HVX savings coupons at me like it's no big deal.
All a brutha want is to get a camera at a good price. Nobody seems to have one besides Kaku in Japan. What's going on?

- ShannonRawls.com

Maybe he was 6th because he ordered the camera with the two 8gb cards and most people are availing themselves of different configurations. Who knows---only the Shadow Knows.

This is gonna make me crazy.

I'm checking on the P2 card issue. If I come up with anything I'll let the forum know.

EVS has this free list, which every dreamer can get on it - so the line is as long as a Blackfriday line.... that doesnt mean they are going to BUY it when it comes out....

As far as I have seen, Spec Comm has the cheapest deal....
$5400 gets u:
free insured shipping ($65),
free extra battery (which they claim is $199, but lets peg it at $65)
$200 off of Cineporter....

No I dont work for them... but I have researched it to death :) My spreadsheet tells me... they beat the nearest competitor by about $330.... (5599+65+65)

They demanded a $500 non-refundable deposit.. it was a small amount, so I didnt mind....

But are they also a reputable dealer?

You should check their ratings first. Don't know what the name of the site is, but you have one, I know ratings is in the name of the site, but don't know the exact adress.

Most of the times, when they beat the competition... something is fishy.

The list at EVS is that long. They are very visible on that board, maybe that is why. But as someone mentioned, you can call around to other places that are still Panasonic dealers and end up being 6 on a list.

Spec-Comm is an authorized Panasonic dealer. The website you may be thinking of is resellerratings.com?

The only person who is part of this forum that can answer these questions about availability (that I know of) is Jan from Panasonic.

I know Jan monitors these threads, so I'd like not to cease speculation and wait for an answer from the manufacturers rep.

Spec Comm is a fully authorized high end camera dealer/repair facility....
http://www.spec-comm.com/hvx200.php

its not the usual infinityphoto or broadwayphoto... :)

Okay :-) my bad then :-)

Here's some updated info on camera and P2 card availability:

I haven't heard from Jan yet nor do I see any response in the forum, however I have had more than one retailer give the same info:

This first production run of cameras was small and retailers were only allocated 2 to 5 units each from this first run. Panasonic will be closely watching forums such as this and getting direct feedback from retailers about any problems. If there are any problems that require firmware updates etc, those modifications will be made and then another, more robust production will begin. This process could take 3-6 weeks depending on what happens to the first units shipped.

Both 4GB and 8GB cards have also been shipped and some dealers are expecting them to be in stock this week.

Unlike the P2 cards, nobody has any clear date as to when to expect the first HVX bodies to arrive, although most are saying they expect to see them at the end of this week or beginning of next.

Of course, each retailer is handling pre-orders differently. For example, as I listed in my original post, I have a "kit" of the body plus (2) 8GB cards pre-ordered. I am the 5th person at my retailer to order that combination, however they have many orders for the other combos as well.

Does that mean I'd be one of the first people to get an HVX since I'm only 5th in-line for my combo? I'd highly doubt it and only the order-fulfillment gurus at B&H know what their plan is for who gets what first. I don't even want to guess, know what I mean? I'll get it when I get it, in the meantime I'll prep for using it as much as possible by testing clips from Kaku and others.

I'm suggesting that most of us who have pre-orders (that means you've already paid for it, you're not just wanting to be notified when it's in stock) probably won't be part of the first allocation. And that's OK with me to get one from the second run; after the fiasco I had with Focus and the HD Firestore failure I'm very happy to not be a beta tester for another manufacturer.

Having said all this, this is still just conjecture from third-party sources; it would be nice to get the "official" word from those who actually know what the Panasonic release plan is. Then we could all move onto more important subjects - like lying to Shannon about how crappy the quality really is. (Laughs - sorry Shannon, just had to dig you a bit).

Yes! I'm with you on that. I've been having to repeat this in mantra style.

I'm beginning to see the possible advantage of refraining from any more pro-HVX200 conversation to lessen the competition from A) getting this awesome camera; B) getting it sooner than I do. ;)

The "official" reply from Jan @ Panasonic:

"Hi,

The first run was small due to heavy QC, but will be normal in January
and growing thereafter. We should have more cameras mid-January and
more thereafter in January.

Hope that helps.

Jan"


The response is purposely vague on actual numbers, but unless something really bad happens to the first run I'd say it's a safe bet that most - if not all of us - who have a pre-paid order will be getting a body this month.

OK, so let's move on to more Shannon digs, shall we? I'm bored already. (kidding)

They are arriving; I know that a friend of mine's is sitting at the dealer now and being shipped to him tomorrow.

When are you getting your final production model? Since you are writing THE definitive HVX book - is it not necessary to work on the final model than old version 4?

It is definitely necessary, and it's coming but I don't know exactly when. Soon hopefully! :)

Arrival update
 

Just got the word from B&H this morning; my "kit", the body plus (2) P2 cards won't be in until February. ugh. From what I'm seeing others are being told the same.

Rats. Nuts, and as Starbuck always said, "Frack!"

Do you believe that that timeframe is specific to the (2) P2 cards, which I believe you indicated were 8 Gb entries, or just what the latest production run was?

Anybody got a production camera other than with 8 Gbs cards?

Painful. Simply Painful. :P :|

I thought about that option and tried asking for just the body alone - no P2 cards. Got the same answer - mid Feb.

Anyone have recent news from the place you are trying to buy your HVX from? Brian at Zotz just does not know, and he's a knowledgeable guy, so this is quite surprising!

I have to admit, I recently thought about switching over to a JVC HD100 for a few hours, as I could get one TODAY, and I could have 2 of them for the same price as one HVX with 2 8GB P2 cards. But decided not to, as for me the HVX holds way too many advantages and is worth the wait.

My retailer was originally promised another shipment to be made on the 16th of this month. They just got word today that Panasonic missed that shipment deadline, and there is no update as to when more is coming.

Jan from Panasonic had mentioned at one time she expected another 2 shipments of bodies this month, so I'm wondering if that's changed. (?)

Same here. No news at all. Supposed to be mid-january for a shipment but it got delayed too.

I was told the 16th also but was told that it didn't happen.

Spoken like the character, Dory from "Finding Nemo":

"Just keep waiting, just keep waiting...."

(previous rant deleted - I don't need to use the forum to vent frustrations.)

Calm, cool, collected response (;-) to previous deleted rant deleted.

And the carrott is still hanging out there...
 

Without naming names to protect the innocent, an email from Panasonic says that, "more cameras were shipped yesterday (Jan 20th) but don't know where...", [or how many].

So the guessing game on arrival continues.

I was told they are starting to ship more but wouldn't expect to see them in vendors hands until end of January-early Feb. Which would be okay if we are talking hundreds of cameras. The fear I think we all have is another shipment of 1 or 2. Here's hoping that is not the case.

Saves me the trouble. Many thanks, greatly appreciated.

What I don't understand is, why don't the people who know what the answer is to this question answer it? What's the harm in telling us exactly how many are coming and when? If we knew, we'd not only stop guessing but we'd stop buggnig the people who supposedly know for more info.

I'm getting weary of the tidbits of info coming from Panasonic rather than straight-forward information.

Quoting a vendor whose company is designing accesories for the HVX, said yesterday, "I hope Panasonic doesn't shoot themselves in the foot with how they're handling the HVX release. Too many people are calling us trying to find out information about when it's coming out; all I can tell them is we're as much in the dark as they are. It's put [our company] in a bit of an awkward situation". (name & company withheld to protect the person who said it)

I agree and would like to say that it's making me leery enough where I can't say for sure it will be my next camera. I'm not trying to be negative or anything like that, just saying how I feel. In my opinion the HVX has some great advantages over other camera's with the biggest one being the superior, rich vibrant images it records and the second biggest advantage being what seems to be the best workflow possible with a Mac. But honestly, the delays and lack of information make me worry that something may be wrong with it. I really hope I'm wrong. I just can't understand why a company with vast resources like Panasonic can't make the information available. I mean if they have the capability to put up a <fake>BLOG, why can't they put the information everyone wants to know on it, information like - when I can buy one?

Here's a link to the BLOG: http://toshpit.blogs.com/
Here's the "up to date" info it contains in the first paragraph:
It's the Holidays!
Hey everyone, thanks for stopping by, asking, sharing and overall supporting my blog. I'm going to take a much needed time off for the holidays and will be back in January. Stay tuned for raw files to download, clips to play with and more info as the camera is out in the field being used by several people. Happy Ones.

I hope my views are not seen as rash or that any way this is considered a "rant." I understand that I have other options as a consumer and I may have to pursue those, it's just ashame that something so close can be so far away... maybe, afterall no one seems to know?????

I hear you Derek. I have thought of jumping ship too but the only other camera that I am even remotely interested in is the XLH1 and that is just out of my price range. I have to admit at times I have thought of just getting an FX1 (yuck....60i) and pocketing a cool $3k and then not have to worry about P2 and windows DVCPRO-HD issues and all. I would have to use software to emulate the 24P look for certain narrative work but that seems almost easy compared to the sludge of workarounds for DVCPRO-HD on a PC right now! But at the end of the day, despite what feels like a poor marketing strategy by Panasonic, it is still the best solution for my needs.