I was literally a day away from purchasing the Z1 but I held out and got the call from f/vesco here in Denver that my HVX had arrived. I had ordered it with 2 8 GB cards but they aren't in yet. I decided to go for three 4 GB cards instead and will (possibly) wait for a Firestore or the like to come out before jumping up to the next bit of storage.

FYI - they have 15 on order (or so) and expect to be getting them weekly. Shawn said that they would have all of their orders filled within the next 3 weeks that way. Not sure on the 8 GB cards. I wonder when the 16 GB ones will show ...

Anyhoo ... first impressions: it's bigger than I expected and heavier than it looks. Balance feels great. Focus Assist or external monitor is important yet the LCD is still crisp and full of well placed information. I was a bit concerned when I took it out of the box and heard something sliding back in forth within the camera. However, as I turned it on this "thing" took hold and didn't make any sound. I'm not sure but it must have something to do with the servo focus .... Any ideas out there?

Got a few shots in before I went home for the day. Can't wait to get to test it for real tomorrow.

There's hope ... they appear to be shipping.

I was literally a day away from purchasing the Z1 but I held out and got the call from f/vesco here in Denver that my HVX had arrived. I had ordered it with 2 8 GB cards but they aren't in yet. I decided to go for three 4 GB cards instead and will (possibly) wait for a Firestore or the like to come out before jumping up to the next bit of storage.

Cool.... f/vesco is starting to look like they're my best bet for getting one before March. What number were you on their list? As of yesterday when I checked with Shawn for an update they had 19 people on their list and I was at 17.... I'm #4 on the list with another local vendor, but this other vendor apparently isn't a full dealer for Panny's pro/broadcast stuff, so they're getting shafted as far as HVX shipments go... Weird because they're a certified training/support center or whatnot. I'm also #102 at EVS, IIRC... So no hope there until April/May, even June (as a guess).

Anyhoo ... first impressions: it's bigger than I expected and heavier than it looks. Balance feels great. Focus Assist or external monitor is important yet the LCD is still crisp and full of well placed information. I was a bit concerned when I took it out of the box and heard something sliding back in forth within the camera. However, as I turned it on this "thing" took hold and didn't make any sound. I'm not sure but it must have something to do with the servo focus .... Any ideas out there?

The DVX100 also has the "loose parts" sound when it's off. It's part of the optical image stabilization (OIS) system. Yeah, the whole thing becomes solid when you turn it on. :)

What number were you on their list? As of yesterday when I checked with Shawn for an update they had 19 people on their list and I was at 17....

Jeff ... I believe I was first on the list. I've been talking with Shawn about it almost non-stop since the last quarter of 2005. She's seen this deadline coming for some time. She mentioned that they received a second unit in today as well and expect more coming on Friday and 5 more each Friday after that. Hope that's true. They raised heck-fire for me with Panasonic when I mentioned that I was going to be forced to go with the Z1 through B&H. I really didn't want to do that but I've got a shoot THIS Friday that I have to go HD with! I'm so thankful the HVX came through. Hope you get yours soon.

PS - Shawn was really good to deal with and she's been rattling cages to get the HVX in.

- H

Jeff ... I believe I was first on the list. I've been talking with Shawn about it almost non-stop since the last quarter of 2005.

Ah, well, if they keep getting a few in each week, then I should have mine by the first week of March. Not too bad, I guess... I only got on the list at f/vesco on Monday. ...After my other dealer finally admitted that it will be a while to get one through them.

PS - Shawn was really good to deal with and she's been rattling cages to get the HVX in.

Yeah, she seemed on top of things and said yesterday that they would have 6 or 7 cameras in this week and probably 5 more next week. I've only talked to her twice, yesterday and monday, but seems like she's great to work with.

I'm down for the HVX with 2x4GB cards to start... I don't know how that will work out, but I figured that I'll try it and see. If I want more cards I can buy more later... A friend of mine can ship me 8GB cards from Japan and save me about $360 per card (even after shipping costs) vs. buying here in the USA. Prices on the 4GB cards in Japan are about the same (about $610, but I'd have to order several to compensate for the hassle and shipping costs). I may give the 60GB P2 store a try... It's expensive, but still cheaper than an 8GB P2 card. Maybe the 2 4GB cards will hold me over until the Cineporter or Firestore arrive... But if I have to buy another 4GB card or two, I will...

is there a japanese online store where we can check prices?

is there a japanese online store where we can check prices?

Not that I'm aware of... I just have a few friends in Japan and one happens to be a video nut and he just got his HVX last week. Although, price checking vs. Japanese stores may be pointless now that Panasonic has adjusted the price of 8GB cards to $1399.95 MSRP. :)