Brother is in states now but panasonic advised against it - no
warranty, need adaptor for recharging - different voltage and
possibly no support if purchased in states - so in the end I
decided against doing this. I'm also mostly interested in wildlife
and thankfully still have a steady hand - need it for painting too.
Lorna
Lorna:
With your brohter in the States I think you kick yourself later for
not having him pick you up an FZ10 while he's there. That
recharger business is nonsense ... all these chagers, including the
one that came with my FZ1, are all voltage and frequency universal
... it'll run on anything from 120vac / 60 Hz that is the power
grid standard here in N America to the 220vac / 50 Hz system you
have Down Under. My wife is from Wollongong and anytime we been
back home to Oz we don't give a moment's thought to taking along
any camera chargers, etc that we may have ... you just need an
adapter to match your outlets, that's all.
As for the warranty, I'm not sure what it's worth, truthfully.
Panasonic Canada has just introduced the FZ2 here in Canada so
rather than upgrade my FZ1 with the online version of software than
can make it an FZ2 I'm exchanging it for an FZ2 because I can't get
a clear answer from anyone, including the retailer I bought my FZ1
from, whether doing the upgrade myself would or would not affect my
warranty. However, I think I'm in the minority ... judging from
what I've read here on this forum I think most FZ1 owners haven't
given it another thought, and if the warranty is voided, so be it!
That's gotta tell you they have a lot of faith in this series of
camera, and to tell you the truth, in the time I've been following
this forum I can't think of anyone saying their camera suddenly
suffered a catastrophic failure. In addition, when I read the fine
print on my Canadian warranty it says 1 year for parts, only 90
days for labour, and I have to pay any freight ... not much of a
warranty when you think about it.
Here in Canada the prices for cameras are just as ridiculous as
they are in Oz. Here the FZ10 lists for $1100 Cdn, sells for $1000
retail, but in the States the everyday retail price is just $600
US, with many reporting even here on this forum prices as low as
$475 US! Those prices, even when converted to AUS or CAN $$$$, are
still far lower than what we're stuck with. Bottom line ... I
wouldn't pass up the opportunity to get that FZ10 you want while
your brother is still in the States!
