Panasonic 12-35 USA Release?

Empireme · #1 July 15th, 2012, 08:52 AM

I know it's available in other parts of the world but do you guys know it's date on u.s. release?

And is DigitalRev the site that people here in the States are buying them from?

dhazeghi · #2 July 15th, 2012, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Empireme

I know it's available in other parts of the world but do you guys know it's date on u.s. release?

And is DigitalRev the site that people here in the States are buying them from?

Not sure exactly, but they're now available in Europe via Amazon, and there's at least one 3rd-party seller on Amazon US forecasting availability for next week (July 23).

DH

Repp · #3 July 15th, 2012, 10:15 AM

I placed an order days after it was released here in Japan. The camera store called me yesterday to say that it will be at least another 3 weeks... According to them, the Panasonic factory is out of stock. BAH! I may just order it from Amazon/B+H when it becomes available.

~tc~ · #4 July 15th, 2012, 05:02 PM

DHart and myself both got ours through DigitalRev, I'm sure that where most are getting them.

Empireme · #5 July 15th, 2012, 05:45 PM

I appreciate the responses...

Do you think there's going to be a difference in price when it hits our shores?

dre_tech · #6 July 15th, 2012, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Repp

I placed an order days after it was released here in Japan. The camera store called me yesterday to say that it will be at least another 3 weeks... According to them, the Panasonic factory is out of stock. BAH! I may just order it from Amazon/B+H when it becomes available.

On amazon.co.jp it's in stock for 87200JPY from amazon & for 83000JPY from a third party seller - appears to take a few days longer to ship.

What's wrong with ordering from Amazon Japan now, before it's available on Amazon & B&H stateside?

2ndLight · #7 July 16th, 2012, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~tc~

DHart and myself both got ours through DigitalRev, I'm sure that where most are getting them.

tc or DHart, how was your experience with DigitalRev? I was also thinking of going that route (destination is US). Any issues with customs or surprise charges? Do you feel comfortable with their return policies?

Thanks for any insight.
Robert

meyerweb · #8 July 16th, 2012, 08:24 AM

I have no experience with DigitalRev, and I'm not implying anything at all. But I, personally, will wait for a US vendor selling a lens with a US warranty. It just gives me more peace of mind. Of course, if you really need the lens right away, that's not an option.

Since I don't need it right away, I'll probably also wait a few months and hope the price comes down a bit.

jloden · #9 July 16th, 2012, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2ndLight

tc or DHart, how was your experience with DigitalRev? I was also thinking of going that route (destination is US). Any issues with customs or surprise charges? Do you feel comfortable with their return policies?

Thanks for any insight.
Robert

Robert, I haven't ordered the 12-35 but I ordered a CV 25mm f/0.95 from DigitalRev, which is at least in the same ballpark. DR was painless to order from and the shipment showed up even faster than expected and extremely well packed, so no complaints on the service end.

As far as charges, I found out after the fact that there were two charges I wasn't expecting. First, the bank that issues my credit card charges a 'foreign transaction fee' for purchases made outside the US but in USD. That was $19 of added cost I wasn't expecting. Again, this is from the card issuer and not D.R. - not all card issues charge these fees but most do, so you'll want to check with your CC company ahead of time to make sure.

Second, D.R. ships via FedEx, and 2 weeks after the lens arrived I got a bill in the mail for another $25 or so, which consisted of ~$19 in customs taxes and import duties, + $6.95 in "convenience fees" from FedEx. What they do is pay the duties and taxes for you so the package is delivered right away, then bill you later what is in essence a finance charge for floating you the customs money. Frustratingly, the only way to pay this appears to be by mailing them a check, since I couldn't find any way to pay the bill online.

Note that neither of these fees are charged by DigitalRev, and ultimately I have no problem with them. But it's nice to be aware of all this *before* you order

jloden · #10 July 16th, 2012, 08:37 PM

Update: well, they dropped the price on DigitalRev today again... I never heard back from my local camera shop about pre-ordering either... soooo now I've bought the 12-35 after all

I would really prefer to buy locally and support a small business, but the reduced cost (even accounting for the Fedex & customs charges), not having to pay NJ state tax, and my impatience got the better of me once again. Good thing I've been selling off a bunch of other stuff already to make up the cost. Guess it's time to clean house some more!