where can i get the firmware for the hvx200 I bought a camera from an .com and they neglected to tell me that the camera would be worthless till i get the firmware.

Any help will be appreciated.

Toy

I don't really understand what you mean... the camera surely has some version of firmware installed on it. If you mean firmware updates, then those are free at panasonic.com (search).

I've never heard of such a thing; the camera doesn't require any additional "firmware" to operate and to date, no updated firmware has been released from Panasonic. (update - yes, the firmware was updated Oct/06) Could it be they meant something else, like P2 cards?

well after i ordered it i called to confirm the shipping and the guy starts telling me that there is no firmware on the cam and i should upgrade with them or panasonic will charge me $1800 dollars to put it on the cam. sounds like a con but i am worried about it if i get the cam without any ability to operate it.

usaphoto.com

I agree with everyone above that this sounds very fishy. There has been one firmware update released by Panasonic dated October 30, 2006, but it just updates the existing firmware--it is not required to operate the camera.

Also, you can check out the site you bought from on resellerratings.com. If it was USAphotonation.com that you were referring to, they have a rating of 0.19 out of 10 over the last 6 months and their advertised price of $2100 is several thousand below the better prices (around $5300) that authorized dealers seem to be charging for the HVX these days.

yea it was usaphotonation.com well i think i will need to check it out when it arrives and if i cant use it then i will return it and if they give me a problem then i will have to charge them with fraud.

I no.

Do not buy grey market or non authorized for these reasons. $1800 for firmware.

This company has one of the very worst ratings I've ever seen at resellerratings.com:

http://www.resellerratings.com/store/USA_Photo_Nation

0.19 out of 10.

Dispute charge, and send it back certified insured.

That's about the most creative scam I've ever heard from one of the deceptive Brooklyn dealers.

Ned Soltz

it's the worse rating I saw, + on a scale 0f 0 to 10 they have 0.00 for "Return or Replacement"
So if I were you, I'll stop payment right away! before they ship it.

I agree with the above, Toy: you've been scammed. If you paid with a CC immediately dispute the charges and/or stop the shipment.

i just bought a HVX and waiting for it. Will i have a october firmware update on it already or i would have to get it from somewhere?

Andzei,

It should, but there is only one way to tell. Follow the instructions in the Operations Manual to check your firmware and confirm that it is version 2.03. If it's anything less than that, you may want to upgrade it. It depends how long the dealer had it etc...

Best regards,

Andrew Hoffman
Senior Operations Manager
Specialized Communications