Panasonic Lumix FX8 - LCD screen broken

Just wanted to see if my particular problem has happened to any other

FX7/8/9 users out there.

 

Have had the FX8 for 4 months and am constantly impressed with it,

howeve, when I switched on the other day, the screen was blank white

with a dark smudge in the corner and would not display anything;

images, menus, etc.

 

I had viewed successfully the previous night and the camera has not

been dropped, banged, crushed or mistreated in any way - I am very,

very careful with my equipment. I always keep it in its leather case

and out of harms way, and I know that I haven't caused a fault with

it.

 

I have been told by the technicial in the store I bought it from that

the screen is cracked inside (!) and I am liable for this repair.

 

The only way I can see this happening is due to the way the screen

protrudes from the back body of the camera possibly making the LCD

more susceptible to damage. Is this a design flaw that other people

have encountered, or did I just get a "bad screen"?

 

As I say, I'd be aware of any mishandling and would chalk this up to

my own fault, but as this is definitely not the case, I am somewhat

concerned.

 

I have scoured the web to find reports of this, but to no avail.

Any feedback would be appreciated, as I am either going to get this

repaired (if financially worthwhile) or replace it with the FX9,which

for just a few months use is a bit rich!

 

Apart from this, it has been a delightful,reliable and sturdy compact

backup camera, which I've recommended to several friends and

colleagues.

Tim,

 

I have an FX-7 and have enjoyed it very much for several months as a backup digital camera. I do not have your problem - yet! I would be interested in hearing what happens. Good Luck.

 

John.

mcmichan@email.com

I think the store gave you the run around. It sounds much more likely that the camera had a latent defect, and they don't want to deal with it. Go back, and ask to speak with the manager, or short circuit (the store wan't Circuit City by any chance? I've encountered that attitude from them) the whole process by making your warranty claim direct with Panasonic.

Thanks for the feedback guys, have just heard back from the store today - Panasonic have quoted ﾣ322 to replace the screen on this camera, which now retails for ﾣ199 new.......

The technician said he would return the camera to me with a note to say this has been "impact damaged" (!) so I can claim for a new model (FX9..?!) on my home contents insurance.

I get the feeling he forwarded the camera on to Panasonic with a note saying "impact damage" and this is how they've viewed the case.

My only quandry now, is do I persue Panasonic further on this issue which I am positive is due to a "latent defect", or just suck it up and make an insurance claim in time for Xmas?

I must say, the whole experience has kinda put me off replacing this with the FX9, but as I have heard no stories of this problem occurring to other FX7/8/9 users, and having LOVED the FX8, I think the FX9 beckons!

Again, please feel free to add any feedback or updates as to this being a recurring FX* issue, and once again, thanks for your responses and advice guys, very much appreciated.

Tim

Hi Tim,

 

I have just had the same problem. I went to Amsterdam for the weekend and on the plane home I realised that the camera had a small crack across it and the screen no longer works. I kept the camera in it's protective case whenever I wasn't using it and I am lost as to how it broke. I am not too sure what to do about this problem as I bought the camera in Hong Kong, but I have a worldwide Panasonic warranty on it.

 

I was thinking I would just have to cop the bill for a new screen, but from your posts it seems that it would be cheaper for me to buy a whole new camera. I also suspect now that maybe there is a more underlying problem with cameras - not sure though... Mine is only a matter of months old too.

 

Have you had to foot the bill or have you made any progress with Panasonic?

 

Cheers,

Tom.

Hi Tom,

 

Sorry to hear about your faulty camera, but I'm also quite relieved that my issue is not an isolated incident!

Is your camera also an FX8? Maybe there was a bad batch?

I take it that like myself you are not aware of any "impact damage" which may have caused the problem.

As I think I mentioned last time, ﾣ322 or so was the quote for a replacement screen from Panasonic (on a ﾣ250 camera, now retailing for ﾣ199), so I told the guy in the store to send me back the camera without the repair. He suggested that he would include a note to say that it had been "impact damaged" so that I could claim on my household insurance!

I received a call from the store last Thursday (22nd)and was told that I would need to pay them ﾣ50 to cover postage and Panasonic's "labour". So now my camera is being effectively held to ransom for payment of a repair quotation I shouldn't have needed to get, by a company who should have replaced this to begin with!

I am now taking legal advice and also consumer advice regarding the store and my rights in this matter. The fact that the guy I have been dealing with at the store has been less than helpful and has basically called my a liar since my first contact does nothing to soften the blow that he is now demanding payment for services which should never have been required if proper customer services and consumer rights procedures had been adhered to in the first place.

In the UK we have the Sale Of Goods Act (amended) 1979, which was amended in 2003 as follows:

"If you are sold faulty goods and the fault occurs within the first 6 months you do not have to prove the fault was present when you bought the goods. The TRADER now has to prove the fault was NOT present when sold. The burden of proof now rests with the TRADER."

I am now pursuing the matter with the manager of the store, and am also addressing the manner and service I have received from the member of staff I have been dealing with. I'll keep you posted as to how this proceeds.

Another thing that struck me recently was the Nano-Pod scandal, where many brand new Nano-Pods had to be returned as they had shipped with cracked LCD screens. These things do happen.

As you say, you may be stuck as you bought your camera from Hong Kong, but whatever action you do take, feel free to mention my case, as I am now sure that there must be more than just two cases of this happening, despite the Panasonic Representative's statement that there are no known defects or design flaws on any of the Lumix range.

Hope this helps,

Tim

My FX9 has exactly that problem. Visible cracks on the LCD, and a black smudge.

 

It had served me well for weeks, but developed the defect without being dropped or having any impact to my knowledge.

 

Now I'm faced with a �150 repair bill, or maybe the dubious chance of a claim on the household insurance (where I have a �100 excess anyway, duh).

 

I can't help feeling that the camera had a "latent fault", so it's some comfort to see that I am not alone here!<div></div>

I just got he FX9 as a christmas present. I took it out the other night and set it down after taking a picture, and when I went to pick it up sure enough the screen was broken. I tried to return it to Fry's where my father had bought it for me, but of course they would not take it back. The technician at the store told me that by the placement of the dark smudge on the right hand side in the middle of the screen that the damage had to result from pressure and not from being dropped. I was very careful with this camera and I do not understand how my little hands could have forced enough pressure to break the screen. I literally took 10 pictures on the camera before this happened and I am so angry. Has anyone had any luck in getting Panasonic to replace or repair their camera?

It sounds like the black smudge is in the same position as on my camera.. coincidence?

 

Check the picture I took of my screen:

http://www.photo.net/bboard/big-image?bboard_upload_id=27237484

 

Maybe a duff batch? My serial is EN5IB03762R (I think!)

hi steve,

 

yes my screen is broken in the exact same spot. my serial number is EN5KB01007. maybe it is a bad batch. i sent an email to panasonic today and am waiting for a response. i sent them a link to this message board so they could see others had the same problem. i will update after i hear back.

This is concerning - it seems to be quite a common fault, and is not just confined to the FX8. I've never heard of this occurring with the FX7's, but for the "new improved" screen on the FX9 to suffer these same problems is most worrying.

 

Please keep us all posted on any developments - I shall be speaking to my local dealer later today to update him of this thread and will also email and snail mail Panasonic themselves, again pointing them to this thread.

 

As I said, I have spoken to Panasonic UK who told me there was "no known design flaw with any of the Lumix range". I think that we have established that there IS a flaw and I also get the feeling there may be more people out there who have had this problem and have just "sucked it up", after being wrongly told that they have damaged their cameras. I know I have thought long and hard about whether I was to blame for any damage, and can categorically say that I'm not.

I have had other cameras with LCD's for a number of years and they are still going strong and have also never been damaged in the slightest.

 

I have also never had the LCD break on any of my cellphones, and I would expect the same level of robustness from a relatively expensive camera, not a screen which breaks of its own accord, surely?!

Hello to all

 

Well, last night my daughter told me an unbelievable story of the demise of her new red FX9, a Christmas gift from me. It sat on her desk, untouched since the last time she used it a couple of days before. She turned it on and the screen was all distorted and with what looked like "camera juice" (her words) in it. I examined the camera and all of your stories are hauntingly similar. There is a dark smudge near the upper right of the LCD, and when turned on the screen reveals a stellate pattern of distorted light (which would seem to be consistent with a point of impact). Upon further discussions with my daughter, she continued to deny that anything traumatic could have possibly happened to the camera. The findings on her FX9 and the pattern of defects reported here make me feel horrid for doubting (just a little) the possible validity of her story. I too feel that we are likely going to eat the cost, however, as the appearance truly looks suspicious...it fooled me too.

 

And as mentioned in other posts, if anyone finds any resolution to this problem outside of the obvious, please let me know...

 

Alan Rampy

I still can't face paying the large sum to get my camera repaired, it just seems so unfair.

I keep wondering just how the screen broke. I'm guessing the LCD must be already under some tension while it's held inside the camera body which could leave it vulnerable to any form of strain.

As I'm very sure my camera didn't receive an impact, I'm wondering if it was a sudden change in temperature which was the cause. I had been using mine indoors, then I took it outside in the cold for a few minutes to take some pictures. It was when I returned indoors that I noticed the screen had failed.

Hello again guys,

 

Can I ask all of you who have contributed to this string to please upload a picture of the broken screen into this forum.

 

The fact that all of these screens are dying in the same way (on the right of the screen, just to the left of the main control/menu buttons) shows that this is not merely negligent damage, but a SERIOUS design/manufacturing flaw on the part of Panasonic, for which we are being forced to pay for. Dunno about you guys, but I LOVED this camera and this flaw has really shaken my faith in both this product and Panasonic's customer service, so I intend to take this up in every way I can, which I recommend you guys do too. I think too many people out there are not looking into this when their FX7/8/9 goes south on them and are accepting it when they are being told that they have caused the damage and have invalidated their warranty.

 

The contraction/expansion caused by heat AND the fact that the LCD's are all going NEXT TO the main control buttons shows that there is a design/build flaw where the LCD is on or close to the main circuit board where the buttons are housed.

 

Impact damage should be in random places on this LCD if this is the case, especially in the centre of the screen where it it most vulnerable. The fact that this is happening at the edges where it is bonded to the METAL CAMERA CHASSIS and is arguably the strongest area of the LCD is too coincidental. The fact that these are all failing in the same place also backs this up.

 

It is now up to all of us Lumix enthusiasts, regardless of geographical location, to pull together and raise the awareness of this issue to other Lumix users AND Panasonic, and get the consumer service we deserve from a large company like Panasonic, and the retailers who are also more than happy to fob us customers off once we have parted with our money.

 

I think we would all say that the performance and build quality of the Lumix cameras was what impressed us before this issue was made apparent, so it has come as a big surprise and disappointment that this camera is not robust enough to withstand even normal useage.

 

I for one refuse to be told "we've had your money and now we don't want to know." To be told by the manager in the store that he "could clearly see" it had been impact damaged "because the LCD has burst" is little more than a bitter joke. All he could see was that the LCD was burst, not how it happened. And there are way too many of us who now know that these screens do not require "impact damage" to fail in this way.

 

As I say, it is up to us now to take this further.

 

I can provide links to other posts on the web regarding this issue, if required, and also my personal mail address if you require this also.

 

At least I now have my camera back without paying the ﾣ50 labour fee, not that it is that much use to me in its current state..!

 

Tim

Hey guys i also recently received a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX9 for christmas and have had the same problem with this camera and from looking at your pictures my break is in the exact same location. I was SUPER careful with this camera and couldnt not understand at all how my LCD has broken. Knowing that this is such a pain (bc they are super expensive to replace and customer service will always blame you & say that you broke it and will not replace the camera) i was freaked to see that it was broken. I am attaching a link to a picture of my broken LCD screen. I am going to try and talk to panasonic directly but if i get the run around we should really combine all our stories and come at them together if this is possible. Anyone please feel free to contact me at will.matos@gmail.com and let me know how it is going in dealing with getting your camera replaced.

 

Link to picture: http://www.duke.edu/~wem3/broken_lcd.JPG<div></div>

Just took another pic of mine. Hard to take a good picture without my cool new camera though!<div></div>

I was just on the phone with the repair center in Elgin, IL. The cost of repairing my LCD screen will be $250, as much as new camera. So I asked for it to be sent back and they said it would cost me $50. I became very upset and accused them of charging me for an "evaluation fee" that I didn't agree too. Everyone who has a camera being held should do the same thing that I did. Demand it back because the fee was never negotiated, not to mention that they set precedence by waiving all fees for me.

 

If you don't demand the camera back, they will very likely refurbish it and make a profit off your loss. Don't let it happen.

 

Does anyone know any alternative repair places who could fix the screen. Part for my screen are $147 and labor is $90. If there is anything better, I'd love to know. Thanks.

Hi: I have a Panasonic DMC - FX7 and the LCD has broken with no impact or fall. The images you guys have on the website, of the broken LCD, are almost idetical to the way mine looks. Any suggestions on what the next step should be? This happened 3 days ago and I have not called repair shops yet. Also, my warranty has expired - so I really don't know what my options are. Has Panasonic responded to this problem in a favorable way?

hi

the same happended to me. SN: EN5IC06624 R

i owned a lumix fx8 for 4 weeks.

i baught it for 280 Euro and the display repair would cost 190 Euro.

The damage of the display could be my fault ... but its veeery sensitive.. i did not brake another digicam so far.

so i think this would happen to me again after a repair.

(i want to use a digicam ... not keep it in a safe casket)

 

<img src="http://static.flickr.com/43/84324367_d64c0aea4a_o.jpg">

Hello everyone,

 

Sorry to see that we are all having the same problem. I think we need to join forces to make more of an impact. Does anyone have a name of a contact person at Panasonic that we can all send letters to? I am thinking if we can get a name of a manager or supervisor and then send all of our letters to the same person that we would have more of a chance to have our voices heard. I have sent several emails, each time receiving a computer generated response that says something about checking into the problem, but i highly doubt that this is true. We need to get an actual person working on this. Let me know if any of you have made any progress.

Photos of my FX8 - worryingly similar to those already posted.

 

Please note how on all of these cameras the crack originates on the right of the screen close to the menu buttons. Impact damage would be in different places on different cameras, not in the same place on each screen. This must be caused by an inherent flaw rather than random carelessness.

 

Further reading:

 

http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/panasonic-lumix-dmcfx7-reviews.html

 

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=16500018

 

http://www.epinions.com/content_180949651076

 

http://reviews.cnet.com/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC_LZ2K/4864-6501_7-31289094.html?ctype=msgid&messageSiteID=7&messageID=1491996&cval=1491996 (LUMIX LZ2)

 

Today I am sending copies of these to the store I bought my camera from (Kamera Direct, UK - a copy for the two managers I have already dealt with and one for the MD), I shall also be sending printed and electronic copies to Panasonic UK, Trading Standards UK and the BBC's Watchdog consumer programme, amongst others.

 

I would recommend others follow the same course of action in your respective countries; it's just a shame we are all spread throughout the world, eh? Still, they say the web blurs international boundaries, so let's stick together with this as much as possible and keep those updates coming!

 

Tim<div></div>

A closeup of the screen.<div></div>

This exact same thing just happened to me. I purchased the FX8 about two weeks ago. I was vacationing in the Florida keys over christmas and went to take a picture only to see my screen cracked and it won't turn on. I knew I hadn't dropped it or anything.

 

I just tried to return it to Circuit city where I bought it and they basically told me too bad and gave me Panasonic's number. Panasonic of course doesn't cover this either! So now i'm stuck with a $300 camera that I can't use!

As an update from my post of 01/05...here are a couple of shots of the broken LCD and as you can see...deja vu all over again.

 

http://www.photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=2022936

 

Alan Rmapy

The same has happened with me! I just got a FX9 and the screen is broken in the same location as those posted above! I too was very careful with it!