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Advice Needed: Yay or Nay Repair 200?
As I write this the answer seems obvious, yet the support of the Forum means a lot for pricey decisions.
This thread from last week explains a problem with my early 2007-era HVX200: https://forums.creativecow.net/thread/193/880829
In a nutshell, I got “Incompatible Card” warnings that interrupted shoots, randomly occurring with my 6 8GB cards and both slots, intermittently, never causing lost clips but holding up shooting, missing the unfolding action on location (documentary shoots), and arousing concern with client. It seems some issue with the systems that connect to or read/write card data.
After speaking with their tech support, sent it to Panasonic. They could not duplicate the problem. All they can do is replace the “electrical parts and alignment” pertaining to the issue. Repair estimate is just over $900.
A no-brainer if it will fix the problem, but since it cannot be duplicated they cannot stand behind the repair to ensure the problem will go away.
The obvious answer is to go ahead and have the parts replaced. But then I think of a thousand bucks towards a new camera. But then who would buy from me a broken HVX200? Someone please set me straight.
Thanks…
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7 Replies
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Oh course it is not my money I suggesting paying but I would get it repaired. Not know if it would fix the problem is a hard one to handle.
If the service dept test with your cards? Have you tried the cards in another camera? Have tried formatting the cards with software and not the camera? Is it just a formatting problem, as in, once the card does get formatted it works fine?
If you are honest about the camera having an issue it is worth next to nothing on the used market. Fixed you would get twice your money back.
My 2 cents.
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Thanks for response, Michael. Answers:
“If the service dept test with your cards?”
–No, they told me not to send them after my description of the problem.“Have you tried the cards in another camera?”
–No, don’t know anybody with P2 here, but could probably get short session in-house at a rental place.“Have tried formatting the cards with software and not the camera?”
–No, but if that worked wouldn’t it still indicate a camera problem?“Is it just a formatting problem, as in, once the card does get formatted it works fine?”
–After formatting, a card may or may not get the warning, it seems unrelated.“If you are honest about the camera having an issue it is worth next to nothing on the used market. Fixed you would get twice your money back.”
–Honest is the only way to be, you are quite right about it needing to be fixed. I must take the chance and spend the grand, but it is a chance since the problem is not understood. -
The one thing that I would want to test before spending the money is the cards. If you have a good relationship with a rental house, try to test a different set of cards, SOmething may have messed with your cards at the same time, but if the battle is consistent with the those cards I would really want to see if they worked okay in another camera.
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Michael: I will try and get to the rental house ASAP, see if they’ll do it for a modest fee, before I give the go-ahead for the repair at Panny.
Thanks for your advice on this.
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Why not rent a card and see if the problem persists while you’re at it?
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Renting a card won’t help at this point because the camera is at Panasonic, waiting for my yay or nay to repair it. If nay, I still have to pay about 150 for the time they took to test and review it.
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Then I guess Michael’s suggestion is the only way to really trouble shoot. If the cards work in another camera, fix your camera.
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