Hebrew difference between Patah and Qamatz?

I'm certainly not an expert in Hebrew, having studied the language in New York, but I speak several languages and can give you a generic answer: All languages have different dialects and pronunciations. The English language uses short and long vowels in the same word, depending on one's region or country of origin. I think we sometimes go overboard in worrying about the little things, rather than seeing the whole picture. Unless you want to be a linguist by profession, I wouldn't worry too much about this.