I have a high failure rate with Panasonic miniDV cameras, Anyone else ? at DVinfo.net

Raymond Doyle · April 25th, 2006, 02:28 AM

Hi, I'm new to the forums... nice place you have here :)

Anyway I thought I would post about my ever growing failure rate with Panasonics consumer range of miniDV cameras. At my place of work we have near 20 cameras with a varying range of models, some models are better than others. The worst though has to be the Panasonic NV-GS11 closely followed by the NV-DS60 model. Both models suffer from a fault that causes the power light to flash on/off and this causes the camera to stop functioning after roughly 5 seconds of recording. The camera will only come back on if it completely reset with the power being disconnected and then it will just end up doing the same.

I have had a few of them repaired in the past but only to find that the problems will re occur or that a new fault will develop. Other faults with Panasonics include not being able to switch between Camera and VCR mode without problems, not being able to playback tapes and one suffers from recording a white dot in the middle of the screen.

I am rather disappointed at the life span of these cameras some lasting only a year (always ends up being just outside warranty period). I was just curious to see if anyone else has had similar experiences or know of any ways of fix these faults without pricey repair costs of £70 - £100 i have had to pay in the past.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Leigh Wanstead · April 25th, 2006, 01:54 PM

Hi Raymond,

I don't know your case. I have owned panasonic nv-gs400 bought direct from www.pricejapan.com for around 18months. I accidentally droped the camera on the ground twice. Nothing wrong happens. I was lucky :-) I am not heavy user of my camera for minidv tape. Everything works perfect. ;-)

Regards
Leigh

Tommy Haupfear · April 26th, 2006, 10:37 PM

I've owned the PV-DV852 (NV-MX8), PV-DV953 (MX500), NV-GS100, and DVX100A and I never had a single problem.

Of course none of those were as "bottom of the barrel" as the two Pana camse you mentioned...

Peter Jefferson · May 7th, 2006, 07:34 AM

"I have a high failure rate with Panasonic miniDV cameras, Anyone else ? "

Nup... only on consumer tapes have i had afew dropouts not worth mentioning.. MQs and PQ tapes (knock on wood) havent given me any problems so far..

Doug Fearman · May 8th, 2006, 03:26 PM

I have owned 2-GS70's since July 2003 and (with the exception of a few drop-outs) have had no problems with those cameras.

Doug Fearman · May 8th, 2006, 03:39 PM

Is the low light on the GS500 better than the GS70?

Guy Bruner · May 8th, 2006, 07:03 PM

Yes. The GS500 has the Crystal Engine and the GS70 has the older DSP. Low light images are not necessarily brighter on the GS500 but the images are cleaner.

Doug Fearman · May 9th, 2006, 06:35 AM

Thanks Guy. I waited too long to purchase a new GS400. I hope to buy a GS500 from b&h soon. The price sure seems reasonable.

John Kron · May 21st, 2006, 10:32 AM

730 for gs500 at newegg, bh wanted 750 i think. new egg is excellent online retailer. great rep. returns are easy if needed.

Tommy Haupfear · May 21st, 2006, 09:07 PM

John, while Newegg is great for PC parts I don't believe they are factory authorized Internet sellers for Panasonic equipment so I would still stick with our sponsor B&H.

John Kron · May 22nd, 2006, 05:52 AM

wasnt any serious difference in price just 20 or 30 bucks . But as far as being authorized, that is really not a big deal imo. any retailer that is reputable will return your product within 2weeks if it breaks, after that it is panasonic not the dealer that you are ultimately relying on. panny is who pays for the warranty work and you can send it to any authorized dealer to have warranty work done.
bh has 7 day return policy on video products and that is nothing to brag about imo. I think youll have a hard time finding a dissatisfied newegg customer , especially when it comes to returns, on ANY product they sell.
But there are only a handful of reputable companies in the electronic field that I would trust, bh,newegg,mwave,onecall,tigerdirect. if it aint one of them I wouldnt buy a wiring nut from them. and all of them should be pretty close in price on any given day.

April 25th, 2006, 02:28 AM	#1
Raymond Doyle Tourist Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Central Scotland Posts: 1	I have a high failure rate with Panasonic miniDV cameras, Anyone else ? Hi, I'm new to the forums... nice place you have here :) Anyway I thought I would post about my ever growing failure rate with Panasonics consumer range of miniDV cameras. At my place of work we have near 20 cameras with a varying range of models, some models are better than others. The worst though has to be the Panasonic NV-GS11 closely followed by the NV-DS60 model. Both models suffer from a fault that causes the power light to flash on/off and this causes the camera to stop functioning after roughly 5 seconds of recording. The camera will only come back on if it completely reset with the power being disconnected and then it will just end up doing the same. I have had a few of them repaired in the past but only to find that the problems will re occur or that a new fault will develop. Other faults with Panasonics include not being able to switch between Camera and VCR mode without problems, not being able to playback tapes and one suffers from recording a white dot in the middle of the screen. I am rather disappointed at the life span of these cameras some lasting only a year (always ends up being just outside warranty period). I was just curious to see if anyone else has had similar experiences or know of any ways of fix these faults without pricey repair costs of £70 - £100 i have had to pay in the past. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

May 8th, 2006, 03:26 PM	#5
Doug Fearman Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: upstate new york Posts: 97	I have owned 2-GS70's since July 2003 and (with the exception of a few drop-outs) have had no problems with those cameras. __________________ Would someone turn on the lights!?

May 8th, 2006, 03:39 PM	#6
Doug Fearman Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: upstate new york Posts: 97	Is the low light on the GS500 better than the GS70? __________________ Would someone turn on the lights!? Last edited by Doug Fearman; May 8th, 2006 at 05:40 PM.

May 9th, 2006, 06:35 AM	#8
Doug Fearman Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: upstate new york Posts: 97	Thanks Guy. I waited too long to purchase a new GS400. I hope to buy a GS500 from b&h soon. The price sure seems reasonable. __________________ Would someone turn on the lights!?

May 21st, 2006, 10:32 AM	#9
John Kron New Boot Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: usa Posts: 23	I found the best reputable price at newegg 730 for gs500 at newegg, bh wanted 750 i think. new egg is excellent online retailer. great rep. returns are easy if needed.

April 25th, 2006, 01:54 PM	#2
Leigh Wanstead Trustee Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: NZ Posts: 1,276	Hi Raymond, I don't know your case. I have owned panasonic nv-gs400 bought direct from www.pricejapan.com for around 18months. I accidentally droped the camera on the ground twice. Nothing wrong happens. I was lucky :-) I am not heavy user of my camera for minidv tape. Everything works perfect. ;-) Regards Leigh

April 26th, 2006, 10:37 PM	#3
Tommy Haupfear Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 1,415	I've owned the PV-DV852 (NV-MX8), PV-DV953 (MX500), NV-GS100, and DVX100A and I never had a single problem. Of course none of those were as "bottom of the barrel" as the two Pana camse you mentioned...

May 7th, 2006, 07:34 AM	#4
Peter Jefferson Inner Circle Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Aus Posts: 3,884	"I have a high failure rate with Panasonic miniDV cameras, Anyone else ? " Nup... only on consumer tapes have i had afew dropouts not worth mentioning.. MQs and PQ tapes (knock on wood) havent given me any problems so far..

May 8th, 2006, 07:03 PM	#7
Guy Bruner Major Player Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ashford, AL Posts: 937	Yes. The GS500 has the Crystal Engine and the GS70 has the older DSP. Low light images are not necessarily brighter on the GS500 but the images are cleaner.

May 21st, 2006, 09:07 PM	#10
Tommy Haupfear Wrangler Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Greenville, SC Posts: 1,415	John, while Newegg is great for PC parts I don't believe they are factory authorized Internet sellers for Panasonic equipment so I would still stick with our sponsor B&H.

May 22nd, 2006, 05:52 AM	#11
John Kron New Boot Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: usa Posts: 23	wasnt a big difference in price , 30 bucks I think wasnt any serious difference in price just 20 or 30 bucks . But as far as being authorized, that is really not a big deal imo. any retailer that is reputable will return your product within 2weeks if it breaks, after that it is panasonic not the dealer that you are ultimately relying on. panny is who pays for the warranty work and you can send it to any authorized dealer to have warranty work done. bh has 7 day return policy on video products and that is nothing to brag about imo. I think youll have a hard time finding a dissatisfied newegg customer , especially when it comes to returns, on ANY product they sell. But there are only a handful of reputable companies in the electronic field that I would trust, bh,newegg,mwave,onecall,tigerdirect. if it aint one of them I wouldnt buy a wiring nut from them. and all of them should be pretty close in price on any given day.