hi guys,

lookin to buy a z7 and saw one for a very good price on the internet. it says its a z7P. now i've seen on this site the 'P' referred to as being Pal and also being the japanese mode (which is ntsc right?).

does anyone know what the P really means and how it might effect me here in london (PAL-land).

thanks,
james.

I thought "E" was the Europe version? Well it is for the Z1E and “U” is NTSC

http://www.sony.co.uk/biz/view/ShowProduct.action?product=HVR-Z7E&site=biz_en_GB

Yes "E" is PAL

... and so is "P." It's the non-Europe PAL. Probably the only difference is warranty. You want the "E." If the "P" is being offered in your area it is likely gray market, meaning no warranty.

You certainly get a warranty with grey imports in the UK, sometimes a year longer than Sony's 2 year Silver.

Okay, I stand corrected. All the reports I've ever heard are this is why you avoid grey market anything. Glad to know it's not true, at least on your side of the pond. (And perhaps here as well.)

A couple of years ago I unwittingly bought a Sony HVR-HD1000 camcorder from an online seller which turned out to be a grey import 'P' PAL model, not the 'E' that is sold here in the UK.

Sony honoured the Silver Support agreement and gave me a two-year warranty after I emailed the necessary receipts to them.

Re HVR-Z7P: the 'P' is the version sold in the Pacific area, thus in Australia, probably all Australasia. I bought mine in Australia, and it is a Z7P. The European version comes with an 'E', both are PAL. I don't know what the exact differences are.
Gerd.

I originally thought the P was for Pacific as well, until I posted that and was corrected by a guy who specializes in this stuff and really knows more than I do about this. But I guess it doesn't really matter -- just as I assumed N meant North America and found out it meant NTSC, so sort of the same idea.

But maybe he's wrong and you and I are right, who knows? Until someone from Sony weighs in, it may remain a mystery how they name their cams.