PANAMOZ.

[apodo]

So, with no one warning me off I finally went ahead and ordered a Canon 7D body, and decided to save myself an extra £30 by paying by bank transfer. This is my story.

Buying:

Around midnight on Wednesday I emailed asking how to pay by bank transfer. In the morning I woke up to a reply asking me to confirm my order so an invoice could be made an to ensure I was aware it was an import model. That itself was quite reassuring, I was aware of the implications but they could have risked a sale. Shortly after replying I received an invoice and paid. I did not receive confirmation of receipt until overnight due to the time difference, but at lunchtime I received a UPS tracking number, and the camera arrived first thing yesterday morning. In total it took about four and a half days from initial contact to having it in my hands.

The Box:

The camera itself is a Japanese model, this was given away immediately by the additional writing on the box in Japanese. It was also a proper body-only box, rather than a bundle one with the lens removed. I guess this is probably normal for a 7D as the added lens options are less attractive to sell separately compare to splitting something like a 5D and 24-105mm bundle.

The Manual:

Inside the box was the free screen protector and the Panamoz warranty "certificate" (a business card with reference number) as well as the usual Canon documents and discs. The manual was a proper English one, although it was for the original v1 firmware. The camera itself has the latest 2.0.3 upgrade which has added a few new features. An updated manual can be downloaded from Canon's site, which presumably would have been included with an official UK model.

The Charger:

Canon supply one of two different chargers, seemingly at random, with and without a built-in plug. Unfortunately I had the built-in style which had a flip-out Japanese flat two-pin plug, so an adaptor had also been included.

The Body:

Having read the stories about Digital Rev selling "fake" 5Ds the first thing I did was check the shutter actuations, which was set to zero. This was paranoia on my part as I have heard nothing similar about the 7D or Panamoz, but it was easy enough to check that it was better to reassure myself.

Turning the camera on was the other giveaway to its origins, as the menus were in Japanese. Canon though had the good sense to add an icon to the language menu item (the one with a speech bubble, on the second yellow spanner page) so I was quickly able to work out how to switch it to English, which was the only other option.

Overall:

The service was very fast and helpful. The only issues with being an import model are that the charger needs an adapter, the manual is slightly out of date, and the camera only has two language options rather than over a dozen. Given that I do not speak those other languages, most 7D owners did not get a new manual when they upgraded firmware, and Canon even endorse using an adapter when taking your charger abroad these are all trivial. They are certainly not worth the extra £400 (40% more) it would have cost buying a UK model.

Oh, and the camera itself is lush, it is like something from the future after my old 30D. If this is what we have today, then it will be amazing to wait and see what 2011 may bring.

 

[dave_bass5]

My Tamron lens finally arrived back at Panamoz this morning (just 3 miles down the road, took a week thanks to Royal Mail). I got an email from Tina asking if i would like a refund. No other questions or comments. Thats pretty good service IMO. It was an intermittent fault so might not be easy for them to find.

 

[dkh]

Contacted Tina on Friday 1 Feb. Got the invoice on Saturday 2 Feb. Paid on 4 Feb. Confirmation on 5 Feb with UPS tracking details.

Seems good so far.

Oh and the important bit: Canon 6D Body only.

 

[johnnypanic]

If this is what we have today, then it will be amazing to wait and see what 2011 may bring.

Ahhh, 2011 wasn't a bad year

Enjoy your new camera

 

[unclened]

btw I'm sure Tina and Janice is just one chinese bloke sat at a computer in Kowloon, wearing nothing but a 16-35mm soft lens case. Still good customer service though!

 

[dave_bass5]

btw I'm sure Tina and Janice is just one chinese bloke sat at a computer in Kowloon, wearing nothing but a 16-35mm soft lens case. Still good customer service though!

I wonder if she is related to Bob and Derrick that call me up from India, just as im sitting down to have dinner in the evening

 

[unclened]

I wonder if she is related to Bob and Derrick that call me up from India, just as im sitting down to have dinner in the evening

Didn't one of them win a million quid on some gameshow? Like in a rags to riches story.... can't make this stuff up!

 

[dkh]

I wonder if she is related to Bob and Derrick that call me up from India, just as im sitting down to have dinner in the evening

Reminds me:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=1515138634840

 

[wolfyccfc]

So, with no one warning me off I finally went ahead and ordered a Canon 7D body, and decided to save myself an extra £30 by paying by bank transfer. This is my story.

Buying:

Around midnight on Wednesday I emailed asking how to pay by bank transfer. In the morning I woke up to a reply asking me to confirm my order so an invoice could be made an to ensure I was aware it was an import model. That itself was quite reassuring, I was aware of the implications but they could have risked a sale. Shortly after replying I received an invoice and paid. I did not receive confirmation of receipt until overnight due to the time difference, but at lunchtime I received a UPS tracking number, and the camera arrived first thing yesterday morning. In total it took about four and a half days from initial contact to having it in my hands.

The Box:

The camera itself is a Japanese model, this was given away immediately by the additional writing on the box in Japanese. It was also a proper body-only box, rather than a bundle one with the lens removed. I guess this is probably normal for a 7D as the added lens options are less attractive to sell separately compare to splitting something like a 5D and 24-105mm bundle.

The Manual:

Inside the box was the free screen protector and the Panamoz warranty "certificate" (a business card with reference number) as well as the usual Canon documents and discs. The manual was a proper English one, although it was for the original v1 firmware. The camera itself has the latest 2.0.3 upgrade which has added a few new features. An updated manual can be downloaded from Canon's site, which presumably would have been included with an official UK model.

The Charger:

Canon supply one of two different chargers, seemingly at random, with and without a built-in plug. Unfortunately I had the built-in style which had a flip-out Japanese flat two-pin plug, so an adaptor had also been included.

The Body:

Having read the stories about Digital Rev selling "fake" 5Ds the first thing I did was check the shutter actuations, which was set to zero. This was paranoia on my part as I have heard nothing similar about the 7D or Panamoz, but it was easy enough to check that it was better to reassure myself.

Turning the camera on was the other giveaway to its origins, as the menus were in Japanese. Canon though had the good sense to add an icon to the language menu item (the one with a speech bubble, on the second yellow spanner page) so I was quickly able to work out how to switch it to English, which was the only other option.

Overall:

The service was very fast and helpful. The only issues with being an import model are that the charger needs an adapter, the manual is slightly out of date, and the camera only has two language options rather than over a dozen. Given that I do not speak those other languages, most 7D owners did not get a new manual when they upgraded firmware, and Canon even endorse using an adapter when taking your charger abroad these are all trivial. They are certainly not worth the extra £400 (40% more) it would have cost buying a UK model.

Oh, and the camera itself is lush, it is like something from the future after my old 30D. If this is what we have today, then it will be amazing to wait and see what 2011 may bring.

Just be careful re your comment on "DRev selling fake 5d's" as they were genuine canon cameras with "faked serial no's" !

 

[OldCarlos]

Some 7D's were apparently affected too. (not from D Rev or Pano though, as far as I know)

 

[jimmy83]

the first thing I did was check the shutter actuations

Damm it! Wish I had thought of that! :bang:

 

[OldCarlos]

Damm it! Wish I had thought of that! :bang:

You still could, if you still have any of your first pics taken.

 

[jimmy83]

You still could, if you still have any of your first pics taken.

Yeah had it nearly a week-Ive deleted a few but should be able to marry the amount in LR to the shutter count...

 

[ntvl1]

If they don't get the 5DIII in stock soon I may to go somewhere else soon :-(

 

[dave_bass5]

Yeah had it nearly a week-Ive deleted a few but should be able to marry the amount in LR to the shutter count...

Wouldn't you just have to use the on line actuation counter and just compare it with the most recent image number?
Assuming you dont reset the numbering of course.

 

[EOS_JD]

So, with no one warning me off I finally went ahead and ordered a Canon 7D body, and decided to save myself an extra £30 by paying by bank transfer. This is my story.

Buying:

Around midnight on Wednesday I emailed asking how to pay by bank transfer. In the morning I woke up to a reply asking me to confirm my order so an invoice could be made an to ensure I was aware it was an import model. That itself was quite reassuring, I was aware of the implications but they could have risked a sale. Shortly after replying I received an invoice and paid. I did not receive confirmation of receipt until overnight due to the time difference, but at lunchtime I received a UPS tracking number, and the camera arrived first thing yesterday morning. In total it took about four and a half days from initial contact to having it in my hands.

The Box:

The camera itself is a Japanese model, this was given away immediately by the additional writing on the box in Japanese. It was also a proper body-only box, rather than a bundle one with the lens removed. I guess this is probably normal for a 7D as the added lens options are less attractive to sell separately compare to splitting something like a 5D and 24-105mm bundle.

The Manual:

Inside the box was the free screen protector and the Panamoz warranty "certificate" (a business card with reference number) as well as the usual Canon documents and discs. The manual was a proper English one, although it was for the original v1 firmware. The camera itself has the latest 2.0.3 upgrade which has added a few new features. An updated manual can be downloaded from Canon's site, which presumably would have been included with an official UK model.

The Charger:

Canon supply one of two different chargers, seemingly at random, with and without a built-in plug. Unfortunately I had the built-in style which had a flip-out Japanese flat two-pin plug, so an adaptor had also been included.

The Body:

Having read the stories about Digital Rev selling "fake" 5Ds the first thing I did was check the shutter actuations, which was set to zero. This was paranoia on my part as I have heard nothing similar about the 7D or Panamoz, but it was easy enough to check that it was better to reassure myself.

Turning the camera on was the other giveaway to its origins, as the menus were in Japanese. Canon though had the good sense to add an icon to the language menu item (the one with a speech bubble, on the second yellow spanner page) so I was quickly able to work out how to switch it to English, which was the only other option.

Overall:

The service was very fast and helpful. The only issues with being an import model are that the charger needs an adapter, the manual is slightly out of date, and the camera only has two language options rather than over a dozen. Given that I do not speak those other languages, most 7D owners did not get a new manual when they upgraded firmware, and Canon even endorse using an adapter when taking your charger abroad these are all trivial. They are certainly not worth the extra £400 (40% more) it would have cost buying a UK model.

Oh, and the camera itself is lush, it is like something from the future after my old 30D. If this is what we have today, then it will be amazing to wait and see what 2011 may bring.

Very similar to my experience except mine arrived in 3 days and I got the charger with the lead (the other flip-out charger I like better (no cables to bother with).

Re saving the 5D3 was almost a £600 from the UK price at somewhere like WEX and still a £300 saving on the Digital Rev price!

I see it's gone up in price slightly!

 

[jimmy83]

Wouldn't you just have to use the on line actuation counter and just compare it with the most recent image number?
Assuming you dont reset the numbering of course.

Does that work even tho I've used about 5 different CD cards?

 

[dave_bass5]

Does that work even tho I've used about 5 different CD cards?

It depends. If your numbering is consistent than yes, it should work fine. The on line thing works on how many shutter actuations have been used in total so this will tell you exactly how many the camera has taken.

 

[dave_bass5]

My Tamron lens finally arrived back at Panamoz this morning (just 3 miles down the road, took a week thanks to Royal Mail). I got an email from Tina asking if i would like a refund. No other questions or comments. Thats pretty good service IMO. It was an intermittent fault so might not be easy for them to find.

And full refund given, no questions or quibble. Fantastic service.

 

[Original Poster]

More great service from Panamoz.

I bought an 70-200 form them in December and hadn't used it once so asked if I could return it and swap for a 17-40mm which they agreed to, fantastic service again.

Now to wait for the shipping email for my new lens

 

[jimmy83]

It depends. If your numbering is consistent than yes, it should work fine. The on line thing works on how many shutter actuations have been used in total so this will tell you exactly how many the camera has taken.

Ok cheers, well I've not changed any settings....just turned it on!

I've never looked into file numbering if Iam honest.

 

[apodo]

For what it is worth, I used gPhoto2 to check the shutter actuations, which is a command line tool for Linux and Mac, so requires some technical knowledge and I do not believe has a native Windows version.

Very similar to my experience except mine arrived in 3 days and I got the charger with the lead (the other flip-out charger I like better (no cables to bother with).

I am sure I will end up thinking the same. When I first plugged it in not having a cable was quite convenient, and makes it much easier to store even with the adapter.

 

[unclened]

I reckon the liberal returns policy is linked to.the fact that the return is taken in the UK and in most cases the item is barely used and they've got it through customs, so it probably just goes for sale on ebay or something as an imported product but UK despatched. I'm not complaining but I can see how it might help them offer returns to people who buy direct from them.

 

[John Soliven]

Hi, just a couple of questions about buying from Panamoz and to other online sellers:

- Will the Nikon official/authorize camera repair shops handle and fix camera body/lenses even if the item is a grey import? (lets say warranty given by online supplier already lapses) and you are willing to pay the repair fee?

- Is the service fee the same as with a genuine UK stock item?

- Have you already tried to add your grey items to your photography insurance? Will they ask for a receipt? (base from your experience and what I read in this thread, Panamoz is not issuing a receipt)

- Have you tried claiming in your photography insurance with your grey items included?


Thank you in advance

the invoice is a receipt.

and that suffices for insurance purposes.

any service centre will repair a product if you pay the costs.

Thanks for replying to my questions. Anyone wants to add with my inquiries? Thanks

 

[Rico]

Hi, just a couple of questions about buying from Panamoz and to other online sellers:

- Will the Nikon official/authorize camera repair shops handle and fix camera body/lenses even if the item is a grey import? (lets say warranty given by online supplier already lapses) and you are willing to pay the repair fee?

- Is the service fee the same as with a genuine UK stock item?

- Have you already tried to add your grey items to your photography insurance? Will they ask for a receipt? (base from your experience and what I read in this thread, Panamoz is not issuing a receipt)

- Have you tried claiming in your photography insurance with your grey items included?

Thank you in advance

1 - If you are willing to pay / have to pay for a repair then the fact that its been imported may mean a delay for parts but I doubt it, either way the repair should be fine to do.

2- I would assume so but I don't know first hand if it is or not. When I worked in support for a large laptop manufacturer they didn't charge extra for it being a non UK model.

3 - I have added my grey imports to my insurance, I was not asked for a receipt just the serial number(s).

4 - Thankfully no, but I have every confidence that if I have to them there will not be any problems.

Hope that helps!

Cheers,
Rich

 

[Milkfloat]

For those of you worried about warranty - here is my experience. D7000 delivered around 10th January. I reported a back focusing issue on 3rd February, 4th was given advice and then later in the day told to post it back. It arrived on the 5th, on the 6th I was given a tracking number (yet to be dispatched) for a new body. So far better than most UK retailers I have dealt with. I will update when the new body arrives.

 

[dkh]

Contacted Tina on Friday 1 Feb. Got the invoice on Saturday 2 Feb. Paid on 4 Feb. Confirmation on 5 Feb with UPS tracking details.

Seems good so far.

Oh and the important bit: Canon 6D Body only.

Got an update to expect delivery today: 07/02/13

That would be fast if it comes today!!!

 

[jonneymendoza]

Got an update to expect delivery today: 07/02/13

That would be fast if it comes today!!!

What! Your lucky. Ordered a new lens last Friday. Still in the depo in Hong Kong last I checked. Via DHL

 

[EOS_JD]

Emailed them today as my iPad keeps restarting - Tried everything - So annoying! Hopefully they can sort out. Every confidence in Panamoz so far.

 

[Dave *]

If its coming from HK I would expect delays, it's the Chinese New Year this week and very little happens business wise during the celebrations.

 

[EOS_JD]

I forgot about that!

 

[EOS_JD]

On their site....

Due to the Chinese New Year holiday, we will be closed from Feb 9th to Feb 17th, 2013. If you place an order now, it will be shipped on Feb 18th. In addition, our customer service will operate in limited capacity during the holiday. Please allow a response time of up to 72 hours.

 

[jonneymendoza]

On their site....

Due to the Chinese New Year holiday, we will be closed from Feb 9th to Feb 17th, 2013. If you place an order now, it will be shipped on Feb 18th. In addition, our customer service will operate in limited capacity during the holiday. Please allow a response time of up to 72 hours.

my work mate ordered a new camera on friday and it arrived today lol

 

[Dave *]

my work mate ordered a new camera on friday and it arrived today lol

Friday was the 8th, they only closed for the New Year week on the 9th (Saturday).

 

[jonneymendoza]

Friday was the 8th, they only closed for the New Year week on the 9th (Saturday).

Ahh ok cool..he timed it well and ordered through my recommendation

 

[dkh]

I got the 6D on the 7th.

 

[jimmy83]

For what it is worth, I used gPhoto2 to check the shutter actuations, which is a command line tool for Linux and Mac, so requires some technical knowledge and I do not believe has a native Windows version.

Couldn't get this to work for me on my Mac & 7D can you give me an idiots guide please?

 

[apodo]

Couldn't get this to work for me on my Mac & 7D can you give me an idiots guide please?

Sure. It unfortunately requires a lot of setting up, more so in time and disk space, it is very simple to do.

Firstly the pre-requisites are to install XCode and MacPorts.

XCode can be found on the Mac App Store, it is free but pretty large at a few gigabytes.

Once it has been downloaded you need to install command line tools. This can be done by running XCode, going to the XCode > Preferences… menu, select the Downloads tab, and in the table you should see an entry for Command Line Tools. Just click the Install button and enter your password when prompted.

Finally to install MacPorts go to http://www.macports.org/install.php . The first bullet point (which starts "“pkg” installers for") lists the names of the different OS versions as links to the appropriate installer. Just click the relevant one to download the pkg installer file, double click the downloaded pkg file, and the standard OS X installer will be appear.

MacPorts allows the automated installation of command line and linux applications such as gPhoto2, by both downloading and compiling everything for you. XCode is needed as it includes the frameworks and software to do the installation, while the command line tools are what MacPorts uses.

To install gPhoto2 first load the Terminal.app which is in Applications > Utilities. Then enter the following command (and obviously press return after):

sudo port -v selfupdate

You will be prompted for your password to authenticate as an administrator, just as you do sometimes when using a normal installer app. This command just tells MacPorts to update its software database to the latest version if the one supplied with the installer is out of date.

When it has been updated you can then install gPhoto2 it with the following command:

sudo port install gphoto2

It will then download and install the software so may take a while, but you can just leave it running in the background.

Once it has finished you can connect your camera with the USB cable. Every time you connect you will will then need to enter the command:

killall PTPCamera

This is because Image Capture will "claim" the connection to the camera, even if you do not use it to perform any actions. So this command just tells it to quit so that gPhoto2 can make its own connection instead.

So finally, to get the shutter count just use the command:

gphoto2 --get-config /main/status/shuttercounter

It pauses for a brief moment, but should display the count.

I already had XCode installed, but nothing else so those were the exact steps I took to find my shutter count. I have the latest version of Mountain Lion, but had no problems.

There is a lot more that gPhoto2 can do, it is effectively a command line version of EOS Utility and lets you change camera settings and take and download photos. But on a Mac the real value of this is mainly for for other camera brands or writing scripts to control the camera, as otherwise you can use the EOS Utility with its friendlier interface. You can search online for details on all that though as once it is installed it is used in exactly the same way on a Mac as on a Linux system.

Hope that helps and does not sound too scary. It really does sound a lot worse to describe than it is to do, the vast majority of the time is spent waiting on the XCode stages.

 

[Milkfloat]

Ignore me.

 

[jimmy83]

Sure. It unfortunately requires a lot of setting up, more so in time and disk space, it is very simple to do.

Firstly the pre-requisites are to install XCode and MacPorts.

XCode can be found on the Mac App Store, it is free but pretty large at a few gigabytes.

Once it has been downloaded you need to install command line tools. This can be done by running XCode, going to the XCode > Preferences… menu, select the Downloads tab, and in the table you should see an entry for Command Line Tools. Just click the Install button and enter your password when prompted.

Finally to install MacPorts go to http://www.macports.org/install.php . The first bullet point (which starts "“pkg” installers for") lists the names of the different OS versions as links to the appropriate installer. Just click the relevant one to download the pkg installer file, double click the downloaded pkg file, and the standard OS X installer will be appear.

MacPorts allows the automated installation of command line and linux applications such as gPhoto2, by both downloading and compiling everything for you. XCode is needed as it includes the frameworks and software to do the installation, while the command line tools are what MacPorts uses.

To install gPhoto2 first load the Terminal.app which is in Applications > Utilities. Then enter the following command (and obviously press return after):

sudo port -v selfupdate

You will be prompted for your password to authenticate as an administrator, just as you do sometimes when using a normal installer app. This command just tells MacPorts to update its software database to the latest version if the one supplied with the installer is out of date.

When it has been updated you can then install gPhoto2 it with the following command:

sudo port install gphoto2

It will then download and install the software so may take a while, but you can just leave it running in the background.

Once it has finished you can connect your camera with the USB cable. Every time you connect you will will then need to enter the command:

killall PTPCamera

This is because Image Capture will "claim" the connection to the camera, even if you do not use it to perform any actions. So this command just tells it to quit so that gPhoto2 can make its own connection instead.

So finally, to get the shutter count just use the command:

gphoto2 --get-config /main/status/shuttercounter

It pauses for a brief moment, but should display the count.

I already had XCode installed, but nothing else so those were the exact steps I took to find my shutter count. I have the latest version of Mountain Lion, but had no problems.

There is a lot more that gPhoto2 can do, it is effectively a command line version of EOS Utility and lets you change camera settings and take and download photos. But on a Mac the real value of this is mainly for for other camera brands or writing scripts to control the camera, as otherwise you can use the EOS Utility with its friendlier interface. You can search online for details on all that though as once it is installed it is used in exactly the same way on a Mac as on a Linux system.

Hope that helps and does not sound too scary. It really does sound a lot worse to describe than it is to do, the vast majority of the time is spent waiting on the XCode stages.

Man, ive not even read half of that. But hey thanks! Why isnt this easier :bang::bang::bang: