Before you buy Panasonic, read this

[orbhot]

This is a warning to anyone thinking about a Panasonic camera. I bought a DMC-FZ5 and had it less than 30 days when it started malfunctioning in the play mode (some type of warning saying the mode dial was not in the right position). Butterfly Photo, who has good prices but a short and strict 10 day return policy would not accept the camera back so I was forced to send it to a Panasonic service center. The service center said they "found corrosion" in the camera which "voids the Panasonic warranty". The camera has never gotten wet though it did experience a few highly humid FL summer days and possibly some salt in the breeze. This is very aggravating since I have had an Olympus digital camera for 5 years and it has not given 1 ounce of problems, even though it has seen many hot, humid days and even a rain sprinkle on occasion. Panasonic cameras are GARBAGE in my opinion and their warranty department is equally poor. I talked to several people at Panasonic and none were willing or able to help get my camera fixed (for less than $300). This is one customer who will never buy another Panasonic product and I'm suggesting you avoid them too.

[Medic1210]

Welcome to the forum. Nice first post. So, you bash the whole Panasonic line of cameras because yours developed internal corrosion from excessive humidity and salty air? Panasonic is a leader in the digicam market. You can't blame an entire brand because you didn't properly care for your camera.

Oh, I hate I didn't see this post before I bought my Panasonic FZ20. It could have saved me the trouble of taking a whole gallery of photos...

[orbhot]

Yeah, maybe I should have added do not buy Panasonic "if you live near the coast." So maybe I just got stuck with a lemon or this model is just very fragile, but their warranty policy blows! IMO, if a company builds decent products, they should stand behind them. It's not like I went swimming with the darn thing, and like I said, my Olympus has withstood 5 years of the same "improper care."

[Medic1210]

Originally posted by orbhot
like I said, my Olympus has withstood 5 years of the same "improper care."

Or it's possible the Olympus just hasn't developed any corrosion on it's vital circuitry yet. It may show corrosion on other internal parts that you don't know about. Then again, maybe you just got a faulty Panasonic. The internal corrosion that was found would indicate a user-sided incident though.

[orbhot]

In under 30 days? How does corrosion even form that fast? This gives me the impression that it was faulty/defective from the get-go and I'm currently in dispute with Panasonic about this. Of course if I would have bought from a dealer that had a full 30 day return policy, rather than 10 days, I wouldn't have this problem. The post was also to warn people about Butterfly Photo or any other dealers that only give 10 or 14 day return policies. That's not enough time, and I have learned the hard way.
The gist of this post though, is that my Olympus has withstood the same use for 5 years what a Panasonic could not survive for 26 days.
I'd also hoped to find out if others, especially people in coastal areas, have had the same problem or if this is a fluke.

[bernabeu]

i have used minolta x-700, fuji finepix s7000, and km 7D at the beach (in windy conditions) with no known ill effects

sounds like you bought a 'used' lemon from butterfly

I do not have a Panasonic camera and I may never have one. That has nothing to do with your first post. To go off on a company in a public forum just looks suspicious. You may or may not be real reporting a real problem is what many wonder. I have had 2 junk cameras and one good one from the same company. I'll not return to them as a consumer. Nor will I sit on here and flame them. I have had one bad camera from another company. That company was so fast and so happy to take care of me I'll tell you just who it was. It was KODAK. The camera in question is the new KODAK P850 I'll tell you after 30 some days I was ready to smash that camera on the floor, then I thought better of that idea.
So here's to KODAK. I hope PANASONIC steps up for you in the end.