I'm afraid that that's what you have to do. But most likely, as Samuel mentioned, most people don't have problems with their new top of the line Pana 3 chip. And as time goes on with heavy use, all cams eventually have to get serviced. (This usually happens after the warranty period.) The heads are usually the first thing to go. That said, my DVL9500s are still going strong, after 5 years of heavy use.

The one thing that really bothered me was all those poor MX300 owners who had to send their cams in for the version 1.5 "firmware" upgrade only to find out about 1 year later that there was even a newer version to "fix" the zoom problem.

But don't panic yet. I haven't heard of any GS100 problems yet. :)

Re: How do you get service?
 

There are other possibilities too. I recently had to repair my older Pana DJ100(the Japanese EZ30u). I checked around on the net and found http://www.camcorder-repairxpress.com/Index.htm.

These guys did a great job...replaced the tape transport mechanism..paid shipping and threw in a head cleaning. If my GS100 breaks down, I will send it them before sending it to Japan.

Peter

Thanks Peter! I'll take note of that link.

Owner, Date of purchase, Source,(Price-optional), Cassette tape, SD card

Marius Burz ===17th July 2003 ===Price Japan
Samuel Raj ====26th July 2003 ===Price Japan == TDK (DVM60ME),Panasonic 256mb
Shawn Thomas == 29th July 2003== Price Japan
Patricia Kim
Eng Yew Lee
Michael Struthers
Bogdan Vaglarov ==1st Aug 2003==Camera no Kitamura,Japan==130000 Yen
Nicco Bhabu ==22nd July 2003==Price Japan
Wei Jen MD==6th Aug 2003== local friend in Japan==151720yen including VW-VBD7 to US
Lincoln Norris==9th Aug 2003==Akihabara(discount shop, japan)==117,800 +5% tax.
Steven Blye==6th Aug 2003==Price Japan(two black units)
DooKee Cho ==14th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Great Silver!)
Donald Craig Forbes ==18th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Black, with waist battery!!)
Aylwin Cal == 19th August 2003 == www.hat-in.com, Japan(Black unit)
Amit Sawarkar == 25th August 2003 == Price Japan(Great Silver!)US$1208
Peter Warren == 2nd September 2003 == Price Japan(Black) US$1190


Accessories (new Column) -- Pls remind me to update, if i missed
Patricia Kim == LW4307(Wide Lens)
Wei Jen MD== VW-VBD7
Donald Craig Forbes == VW-VBD7
Amit Sawarkar == LF43W(UV filter), LW4307(Wide Lens)
Aylwin Cal == Kenko UV SL-39 multi coated filter,Hakuba 0.6x wide angle conversion lens (48mm wide at front and 25 mm long)
Peter Warren == Pana Zoom Mike $166, Waist Batterey $156, Rain Cover $66
Lincoln Norris == Raynox HD6600 pro .66x wide angle!

Greeting to all GS100 community - glad to join.
My black beauty just arrived - I'm overly excited.

Please insert me into the list of owners in the community.
Purchased from Allan Rejoso for 1170 US$
+ great service - highly recommended.

Also got bunded with UV and ND4 filter as well rubber hood.

Regards, Alex
Israel

Congrats Alex!!! thats nice :-)
 

Owner, Date of purchase, Source,(Price-optional), Cassette tape, SD card

Marius Burz ===17th July 2003 ===Price Japan
Samuel Raj ====26th July 2003 ===Price Japan == TDK (DVM60ME),Panasonic 256mb
Shawn Thomas == 29th July 2003== Price Japan
Patricia Kim
Eng Yew Lee
Michael Struthers
Bogdan Vaglarov ==1st Aug 2003==Camera no Kitamura,Japan==130000 Yen
Nicco Bhabu ==22nd July 2003==Price Japan
Wei Jen MD==6th Aug 2003== local friend in Japan==151720yen including VW-VBD7 to US
Lincoln Norris==9th Aug 2003==Akihabara(discount shop, japan)==117,800 +5% tax.
Steven Blye==6th Aug 2003==Price Japan(two black units)
DooKee Cho ==14th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Great Silver!)
Donald Craig Forbes ==18th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Black, with waist battery!!)
Aylwin Cal == 19th August 2003 == www.hat-in.com, Japan(Black unit)
Amit Sawarkar == 25th August 2003 == Price Japan(Great Silver!)US$1208
Peter Warren == 2nd September 2003 == Price Japan(Black) US$1190
Alex Zabrovsky==18th September 2003==Allan Rejoso(Black),US$1170

Accessories (new Column) -- Pls remind me to update, if i missed
Patricia Kim == LW4307(Wide Lens)
Wei Jen MD== VW-VBD7
Donald Craig Forbes == VW-VBD7
Amit Sawarkar == LF43W(UV filter), LW4307(Wide Lens)
Aylwin Cal == Kenko UV SL-39 multi coated filter,Hakuba 0.6x wide angle conversion lens (48mm wide at front and 25 mm long)
Peter Warren == Pana Zoom Mike $166, Waist Batterey $156, Rain Cover $66
Lincoln Norris == Raynox HD6600 pro .66x wide angle!
Alex Zabrovsky==UV and ND4 filter as well rubber hood from Allan.

Hi all,

With the helpfull insights from this list I went ahead and bought a GS100 while on a trip to Japan.

I purchased it tax free on Sept. 10 from a discount shop in Akihabara.
I bought a Black unit along with a LW4307 w/a lens and LF43W filter kit.
I've just ordered an English remote from Panasonic as well.

Thanks for the support,
Kris

Congrats Kris!!! Nice, I dont know that we can get tax free
 

Owner, Date of purchase, Source,(Price-optional), Cassette tape, SD card

Marius Burz ===17th July 2003 ===Price Japan
Samuel Raj ====26th July 2003 ===Price Japan == TDK (DVM60ME),Panasonic 256mb
Shawn Thomas == 29th July 2003== Price Japan
Patricia Kim==''==''==Fuji tape
Eng Yew Lee
Michael Struthers
Bogdan Vaglarov ==1st Aug 2003==Camera no Kitamura,Japan==130000 Yen
Nicco Bhabu ==22nd July 2003==Price Japan
Wei Jen MD==6th Aug 2003== local friend in Japan==151720yen including VW-VBD7 to US
Lincoln Norris==9th Aug 2003==Akihabara(discount shop, japan)==117,800 +5% tax.
Steven Blye==6th Aug 2003==Price Japan(two black units)
DooKee Cho ==14th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Great Silver!)
Donald Craig Forbes ==18th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Black, with waist battery!!)
Aylwin Cal == 19th August 2003 == www.hat-in.com, Japan(Black unit)
Amit Sawarkar == 25th August 2003 == Price Japan(Great Silver!)US$1208
Peter Warren == 2nd September 2003 == Price Japan(Black) US$1190
Alex Zabrovsky==18th September 2003==Allan Rejoso(Black),US$1170
Kris Tomasson ==10th September 2003==discount shop in Akihabara,japan (Black)==tax free purchase


Accessories (new Column) -- Pls remind me to update, if i missed
Patricia Kim == LW4307(Wide Lens)
Wei Jen MD== VW-VBD7
Donald Craig Forbes == VW-VBD7
Amit Sawarkar == LF43W(UV filter), LW4307(Wide Lens)
Aylwin Cal == Kenko UV SL-39 multi coated filter,Hakuba 0.6x wide angle conversion lens (48mm wide at front and 25 mm long)
Peter Warren == Pana Zoom Mike $166, Waist Batterey $156, Rain Cover $66
Lincoln Norris == Raynox HD6600 pro .66x wide angle!
Samuel Raj == Raynox HD6600 pro .66x wide angle!, hoya UV filter
Alex Zabrovsky==UV and ND4 filter as well rubber hood from Allan.
Kris Tomasson ==LW4307 w/a lens and LF43W filter kit,English Remote.

Received my NV-GS100K-k (black, no additional accessories) yesterday from Price Japan... talk about fast. Just in time to take some footage of my son learning to crawl.

Thanks to everyone for all of the information and feedback concerning this camera. Hopefully I will be able to contribute at some point (once I learn my way around it).

Congrats Brandon Chin! Nice to see new owners
 

Owner, Date of purchase, Source,(Price-optional), Cassette tape, SD card

Marius Burz ===17th July 2003 ===Price Japan
Samuel Raj ====26th July 2003 ===Price Japan == TDK (DVM60ME),Panasonic 256mb
Shawn Thomas == 29th July 2003== Price Japan
Patricia Kim==''==''==Fuji tape
Eng Yew Lee
Michael Struthers
Bogdan Vaglarov ==1st Aug 2003==Camera no Kitamura,Japan==130000 Yen
Nicco Bhabu ==22nd July 2003==Price Japan
Wei Jen MD==6th Aug 2003== local friend in Japan==151720yen including VW-VBD7 to US
Lincoln Norris==9th Aug 2003==Akihabara(discount shop, japan)==117,800 +5% tax.
Steven Blye==6th Aug 2003==Price Japan(two black units)
DooKee Cho ==14th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Great Silver!)
Donald Craig Forbes ==18th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Black, with waist battery!!)
Aylwin Cal == 19th August 2003 == www.hat-in.com, Japan(Black unit)
Amit Sawarkar == 25th August 2003 == Price Japan(Great Silver!)US$1208
Peter Warren == 2nd September 2003 == Price Japan(Black) US$1190
Alex Zabrovsky==18th September 2003==Allan Rejoso(Black),US$1170
Kris Tomasson ==10th September 2003==discount shop in Akihabara,japan (Black)==tax free purchase
Brandon Chin==3rd October 2003==Price Japan(reached Just In Time!!!)

Accessories (new Column) -- Pls remind me to update, if i missed
Patricia Kim == LW4307(Wide Lens)
Wei Jen MD== VW-VBD7
Donald Craig Forbes == VW-VBD7
Amit Sawarkar == LF43W(UV filter), LW4307(Wide Lens)
Aylwin Cal == Kenko UV SL-39 multi coated filter,Hakuba 0.6x wide angle conversion lens (48mm wide at front and 25 mm long)
Peter Warren == Pana Zoom Mike $166, Waist Batterey $156, Rain Cover $66
Lincoln Norris == Raynox HD6600 pro .66x wide angle!
Samuel Raj == Raynox HD6600 pro .66x wide angle!, hoya UV filter
Alex Zabrovsky==UV and ND4 filter as well rubber hood from Allan.
Kris Tomasson ==LW4307 w/a lens and LF43W filter kit,English Remote.

new owner
 

I purchased an NV-GS100-K (black) a couple of weeks ago, through my brother living in Tokyo. (It has taken me a while to get back to this forum, because I've made two trips from Honolulu to the US mainland in the meantime!)

Anyway, here's the crucial information:
Owner, Date of purchase, Source,(Price-optional), Cassette tape, SD card

John McRae, Sept. 12, 2003, a Tokyo store named Gurakubu Tokiwa, 122,000 Yen (black), Panasonic AY-DVM60EJ tapes, two 256MB Sandisk SD cards, extra 2040mAh battery.

The store was selected on the basis of price and accessibility from my brother's place in Tokyo. He said it took him 3.5 hours to buy the camera and get it shipped off via the Japanese post office's EMS service. It arrived in a couple of days, with some minimal customs and postage fees. (About $30, although I don't have the exact numbers right now.) I sent brother Jim a CD box of Tom Lehrer... we'll see if anyone on this forum remembers him!

Note that I purchased the SD cards from Adorama, the tapes from apeStockOnline.com, and the battery from BatterySavings.com. Next to be acquired will be a wide-angle converter lens and filters.

Thanks John for the info! Congrats for your purchase- great investment!!!
 

Owner, Date of purchase, Source,(Price-optional), Cassette tape, SD card

Marius Burz ===17th July 2003 ===Price Japan
Samuel Raj ====26th July 2003 ===Price Japan == TDK (DVM60ME),Panasonic 256mb
Shawn Thomas == 29th July 2003== Price Japan
Patricia Kim==''==''==Fuji tape
Eng Yew Lee
Michael Struthers
Bogdan Vaglarov ==1st Aug 2003==Camera no Kitamura,Japan==130000 Yen
Nicco Bhabu ==22nd July 2003==Price Japan
Wei Jen MD==6th Aug 2003== local friend in Japan==151720yen including VW-VBD7 to US
Lincoln Norris==9th Aug 2003==Akihabara(discount shop, japan)==117,800 +5% tax.
Steven Blye==6th Aug 2003==Price Japan(two black units)
DooKee Cho ==14th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Great Silver!)
Donald Craig Forbes ==18th Aug 2003==Price Japan(Black, with waist battery!!)
Aylwin Cal == 19th August 2003 == www.hat-in.com, Japan(Black unit)
Amit Sawarkar == 25th August 2003 == Price Japan(Great Silver!)US$1208
Peter Warren == 2nd September 2003 == Price Japan(Black) US$1190
Alex Zabrovsky==18th September 2003==Allan Rejoso(Black),US$1170
Kris Tomasson ==10th September 2003==discount shop in Akihabara,japan (Black)==tax free purchase
Brandon Chin==3rd October 2003==Price Japan(reached Just In Time!!!)
John McRae== Sept. 12, 2003== a Tokyo store named Gurakubu Tokiwa(Black)==122,000 Yen ==Panasonic AY-DVM60EJ tapes, two 256MB Sandisk SD cards


Accessories (new Column) -- Pls remind me to update, if i missed
Patricia Kim == LW4307(Wide Lens)
Wei Jen MD== VW-VBD7
Donald Craig Forbes == VW-VBD7
Amit Sawarkar == LF43W(UV filter), LW4307(Wide Lens)
Aylwin Cal == Kenko UV SL-39 multi coated filter,Hakuba 0.6x wide angle conversion lens (48mm wide at front and 25 mm long)
Peter Warren == Pana Zoom Mike $166, Waist Batterey $156, Rain Cover $66
Lincoln Norris == Raynox HD6600 pro .66x wide angle!
Samuel Raj == Raynox HD6600 pro .66x wide angle!, hoya UV filter
Alex Zabrovsky==UV and ND4 filter as well rubber hood from Allan.
Kris Tomasson ==LW4307 w/a lens and LF43W filter kit,English Remote.
John McRae== extra 2040mAh battery(batterysavings.com)

New Owners Please Update
 

Guys,

Its time to update your info!

It helps others recognize about your Gear

Thanks,
Sam.

my equipment update
 

OK, so here's what I'm using now:

Stock Panasonic equipment:
NV-GS100k
VW-LT4314M conversion lens (telephoto)
VW-VMH3 zoom microphone
VW-FLHDJ3 flash
VW-VBD7 battery pack

Non-Panasonic equipment:
Raynox High Quality Wide Angle Conversion Lens 0.66x (3963-101-RAY)
Kenko UV and Skylight-B filters
2040mAh battery(batterysavings.com)
2 256MB SanDisk SD cards

Another qs100 owner
 

Greetings All,

I got my camera (the black one) about 9/15, from pricejapan.

It was originally ordered with the Pana waist battery pack and filter kit. I've since added a 256 Meg SD card (apparently a generic - It came with the Sager notebook I purchased around the same time).

Tapes are Fuji, since I trust their tape process pretty well (I have to with 800+ DLT tapes at work). :)

As a 'casual' user, I don't see getting much else besides tapes at this point.