GH2 Menu Language

[LexFranks]

Is it possible to change the menu language of my Japanese gh2 to english? I imported an early camera from Japan but i can't find a menu item for a language option.

Regards
Lex Franks
Australia

 

[James Wages]

I haven't the faintest idea about the GH2, but for my GF-1, I had to use PTool to hack my firmware to get English menus. Prior to discovering PTool though, I wrote Panasonic to complain. Just because I live in Japan doesn't mean I should have only one language choice, especially since GF-1's sold everywhere else in the world offer all languages as a menu selection.

So even if you find a firmware hack, please take time to send Panasonic an email expression your displeasure. I hope hundreds, if not thousands, of Panasonic users do the same to get them to prevent this foolishness in the future.
--
JDW

 

[saghost]

Unlike some others, Panasonic does a hard regionalization in the firmware. In some regions, there are a few languages, in others only one (North American cameras are English only.) It cannot be changed without hacked firmware, which does not exist for the GH2 yet.
Walter

 

[Ag_Paladin]

Yep.. agree with Walter.. I've friends who have returned from Japan and they say that you can buy cheaper Japanese sets with Domestic only warranty and Japanese only menus or "Export" sets with all the languages available.

But I read in some other forums that some shops have a trick that allows these Japanese only sets to display English... not sure what.. and these folks say that the menu changes back to Japanese upon a firmware update.

So I think your best bet is to wait for the folks at Dvxuser.com to release a hack for the GH2.. and that will only happen once the next firmware for the GH2 is released.

 

[PhotofiendSD]

Unlike some others, Panasonic does a hard regionalization in the firmware. In some regions, there are a few languages, in others only one (North American cameras are English only.) It cannot be changed without hacked firmware, which does not exist for the GH2 yet.
Walter

My North American GH2 purchased from Adorama for delivery to California on 12/29/10 gives me the choice of English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese...I have to agree it is a very limited set of languages for North America, especially considering that where I use to live in the Washington DC metro area something like over 140 languages and over 200 countries are currently represented in the the local public school system!! I would have at least expected simplified Chinese and a few of the more popular non-Western European languages to be included for this diverse market, which includes Canada, Mexico and the island nations of the Caribbean, not just the US.

Happy New Year to All,
Mary

 

[PhotofiendSD]

Sorry if I came off kind of nasty...I was trying to fit everything into one sentence, since I'm far too long-winded for my own good and I was going to write a very short post. And then I got to thinking about how like lots and lots of places in our world we have so many different languages in one place, it's kinda of a silly thing to limit language choices if the technology permits it!

Mary

Unlike some others, Panasonic does a hard regionalization in the firmware. In some regions, there are a few languages, in others only one (North American cameras are English only.) It cannot be changed without hacked firmware, which does not exist for the GH2 yet.
Walter

My North American GH2 purchased from Adorama for delivery to California on 12/29/10 gives me the choice of English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese...I have to agree it is a very limited set of languages for North America, especially considering that where I use to live in the Washington DC metro area something like over 140 languages and over 200 countries are currently represented in the the local public school system!! I would have at least expected simplified Chinese and a few of the more popular non-Western European languages to be included for this diverse market, which includes Canada, Mexico and the island nations of the Caribbean, not just the US.

Happy New Year to All,
Mary

 

[saghost]

You're right, I did stumble across that in my GH2's menu today.

Really an odd set if they're going to localize to the US - not sure why Portuguese is included when others aren't - unless it's an american hemispherical localization, in which case they've probably nailed the official languages of all of North and South America (a couple big countries down south speak Portuguese, and they'd have to include French for the French Canadians.)
Walter

 

[PhotofiendSD]

I checked out Wikipedia's Portuguese - Language article, I always think of Brazil in South America and the former Portuguese colonies in Africa, beside of course, Portugal itself, but was surprised to read it ranked 5th in the world for number of speakers and 7th in the world for native speakers. But then I remembered my history and how much the Portuguese sailed around the world a few centuries back and it all made perfect sense!!

Mary

You're right, I did stumble across that in my GH2's menu today.

Really an odd set if they're going to localize to the US - not sure why Portuguese is included when others aren't - unless it's an american hemispherical localization, in which case they've probably nailed the official languages of all of North and South America (a couple big countries down south speak Portuguese, and they'd have to include French for the French Canadians.)
Walter

 

[redrunnertc]

Yep.. agree with Walter.. I've friends who have returned from Japan and they say that you can buy cheaper Japanese sets with Domestic only warranty and Japanese only menus or "Export" sets with all the languages available.

But I read in some other forums that some shops have a trick that allows these Japanese only sets to display English... not sure what.. and these folks say that the menu changes back to Japanese upon a firmware update.

So I think your best bet is to wait for the folks at Dvxuser.com to release a hack for the GH2.. and that will only happen once the next firmware for the GH2 is released.

I bought a white GF1 in Korea, and this is exactly what happened. Menus only in Japanese ... Camera disappears for 1/2 hr or so ... Menus in English. My understanding is that it's available through some kind of service menu.

That's about the only way I would think they can discourage the "poaching" since the price with the JDM only warranty is so much lower, everyone would buy that one if given the opportunity.