Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I should get a few things in the open first: I haven't actually gotten to play with the RAW images yet. There's still no RAW codec for OSX yet. I don't know who's fault that is. I do know that the included software is rather pathetic and slow. As in, 10 hours to convert 200 pictures. Something is seriously wrong there. The JPEGS I've played with all look pretty amazing. Given how sensitive the sensor is it's pretty nice. The video looks great too, although very limited in control. The build quality is really nice. It's solid feeling etc. I think almost every review will say the same thing. The way the EVF works is nice, although that's a whole other product. The bad: Customer service is terrible. I mean absolutely terrible. I had used the GX1 around town for a month and gotten used to the way it works. I got it so I could carry it in my messenger bag alongside my laptop or iPad. I'm a professional camera operator so I have lots of fun gear, but none is anywhere near the compact sized of the GX1. I even used it on sets to do BTS work. It's so small I can carry it with me while I work. So what happened? While on vacation I decided to only take the GX1. I got it for this reason. Bad idea. Camera died 1st day into the vacation. Simply would not turn back on or anything. It flashed the screen green and then froze. Removed the battery and wouldn't turn on anymore. So a weeks vacation with no pictures. When I got back I tried sending the camera in. I was informed via email to mail it to a Texas facility but I needed to fill out an online form first. When I did, it said since I was in Florida it couldn't help me and I needed to call. Calling gave me to an automated system that isn't an straight forward as Panasonic thinks it is. When I finally got to fill out a claim, it informed me I needed to send it to Ga instead. So I did. A week later I get the camera back thinking "that was fast" but instead I'm greeted with "This item is not repaired at this facility." Go Panasonic. Thanks for wasting $15 so I could send it to the facility you told me to. So a call back today. First issue: couldn't get ahold of a real person. It took me 20 minutes to do just that. When I did, no one seemed to know what a GX1 was. Yeah . . . . can we say third world call center? It's bad enough to play with automated systems, but to deal with someone who is underpaid and doesn't have the faintest idea what I'm talking about is unbearable. If they knew what I was talking about, I could forgive the foreign call center. But all they're doing is typing away at the keyboard and doing nothing to help. Now once again I get to pay $15 bucks to mail it off to what I now hope it the right repair center. Maybe they'll know what this camera is? As far as the camera itself, I'd give it 5 stars if I could use the RAW files right now. It's only been 3 months . . . As far as customer service goes, I won't be buying anything from Panasonic again. Update: I can finally edit the RAW files. Wahoo! As I've stated, for such a small camera the pictures are great. I don't pixel peep as I'm not a technician. I am a photographer. This isn't a 5Dm2 or similar camera, but it's highly portable. The images had really good latitude, handled being processed well and overall held up in post. The bad, yet again. It's been over a month now and Panasonic still hasn't gotten my camera back to me. I get calls once a week informing me they are waiting on a part. When I contacted Panasonic demanding either a replacement or refund, all I get is a "we don't handle that, call this" blah blah blah. I've already had to use a different camera because of this issue. When, and if, I get it back I'm more than likely selling the camera. I should also note I had a talk with the repair center. They fixed the issue I sent it in for within the first week. The problem was THEY broke something else and couldn't get the part in until I called and had to threaten to call a lawyer. Another update May 13th. So Panasonic finally shipped me the camera back. Yes, after 3 months I finally get the camera back. Only they don't tell me they're shipping the camera. I had a week long gig out of town doing what I do, video and film production. So I'm out of town for a whole week and how I do I find out Panasonic shipped my camera? I get a customer satisfaction survey. Yeah . . . I finally got home tonight and see all the UPS delivery attempts and the final notice saying they're shipping back. A quick call to UPS confirms it's already halfway back to MacAllen. We'll see how they decide to continue from here. May 29th. The camera FINALLY has made it's way back to me. After calling to complain after I knew they had received the camera back the promised to ship the camera out. They refused to give me any confirmation or tracking number. A week later I get a call asking to confirm my shipping address as the last attempt wasn't received. Let's just say the lady wasn't happy with my response. All in all, I have my camera back. It originally malfunctioned on Feb 13th and was promptly sent in for repair. I received it back on May 29th. I will state that normally I would not rate a product based on the service of a seller. However, this is not a seller. This is Panasonic. Part of any product these days is the warranty and the service that goes along with it. Any warranty is built into the price of the product you buy and thus you are paying for it.