Made in Japan vs Made in Thailand vs Made in China

How much does it matter? Why are the sexiest and more expensive Nikons made in Japan while all others are made in Thailand or China?

I know a lot of Nikon fans will defend Nikon QC regardless of country of origin. But given the choice between two similar Nikon products one made in Japan and the other Thailand or China which one would you buy? How much more will you pay for something that says "Made in Japan"? Does it really matter?

Lets take cars..VW is perfect. A Volkswagen made in Germany or one made south of the boarder. Both made to Volkswagen specs. Made by Volkswagen trained labourers. Both engineered in Germany. Which one would you purchase?

So when I am looking at my 50mm f/1.4G and see "Made in China" on the bottom and see "Made in Japan" on the 85mm...should I feel that the China one is just simply not as well made as the Japanese one?

In the used market will a made in Japan lens fetch more $?

Stick with the made in Japan. You take toyota as an example. All the recalls on the vehicles were primarily the ones made in the USA or Canada. I do believe that the QC is better. All my electronics made in Japan are still in service while my made in China goods are in a landfill, far far away. In the Japanese culture, there is no monday or friday. No siesta time or TGIF or happy hour. Work is work and play is play.. my 2 cents

RRaZZoRR said:

How much does it matter? Why are the sexiest and more expensive Nikons made in Japan while all others are made in Thailand or China?

I know a lot of Nikon fans will defend Nikon QC regardless of country of origin. But given the choice between two similar Nikon products one made in Japan and the other Thailand or China which one would you buy? How much more will you pay for something that says "Made in Japan"? Does it really matter?

Lets take cars..VW is perfect. A Volkswagen made in Germany or one made south of the boarder. Both made to Volkswagen specs. Made by Volkswagen trained labourers. Both engineered in Germany. Which one would you purchase?

So when I am looking at my 50mm f/1.4G and see "Made in China" on the bottom and see "Made in Japan" on the 85mm...should I feel that the China one is just simply not as well made as the Japanese one?

In the used market will a made in Japan lens fetch more $?

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The Nikons with the highest profit margins and most proprietary technologies are made in Japan. The high volume, lower profit margin products are made in lower-wage countries like Thailand and China. It's kind of difficult for me to refuse to buy a Thailand-made D7000 or one of the DX lenses because the quality MAY not be there when the option to buy a Japanese-made version doesn't exist.

My experience has been that between Japan, Thailand, and China, it is not so much the country of assembly that matters but the quality of the factory management and the oversight and standards imposed by the contracting design firm (i.e., Nikon).

Remember that 25 years ago, Chinese woodworking tools were basically junk. Over time, the quality rose to much higher standards as more demanding companies contracted with the Chinese manufacturers. 60 years ago, Made In Japan was synonymous with cheap junk. That impression rapidly changed as Japan adopted US-invented manfacturing quality control methodologies that US companies could not be bothered to try out. Those same techniques are utilized worldwide now, including, belatedly, in their country of invention.

One should also be careful to not overgeneralize. Many Japanese companies, including those large ones well known to the world, maintain superb quality standards. But there are many more that don't live up to that standard, across a continuum including junky...just like in the US, or Europe, or anywhere else. The market dictates the level of quality specified, and there are buyers for most all quality levels.

With the gut check of the March earthquake and tsunami, Japan now realizes that it HAS to diversify ALL of its manufacturing offshore. This should mean only good things for consumers as the currently crippled supply chain for uniformly good quality products will become more resilient.

I'd imagine that a company like Nikon, wanting to preserve it's reputation for quality, would be very attentive to QC at offshore factories.

But I think the previous poster makes a good point about "proprietary" issues. It is my understanding that Nikon manufactures its own glass for the top-line lenses, and probably has other intellectual property related to the Japanese-made products that it is reluctant to share with certain trading countries which have a less-than-stellar reputation for respecting patents and trade secrets.

I'm sure that a 200-400 f/4G VRII IF-ED N could be made in the Middle Kingdom that would be backed with the same warranty as one made in Japan, but it might not be too long before Shanghai Optical Manufactory would be producing knockoffs at 2/3 the price if Nikon shared its manufacturing technology.

I doubt Nikon wants to take that risk.
--
Kevin

If you are at all worried by the QC on Nikon products made in Thailand or China, the people who do the QC on the products are in fact Japanese.

In Thailand there are around 300 Japanese, Nikon do not have Chinese factories as yet, but if they do again the QC will be done by Japanese technician.

Interesting comments.

The Toyota and Honda factories in the UK, from Japanese comments are making better made cars that those made in Japan, many or all of the electronics are Japanese and shipped in to the factories.
Sounds like you have littel idea of how the Japanese work

having been to some of the Japanese factories, Nikon are very proud of their heritage.as you state all Pro lenses and cameras are made in Japan. Remember the dear old F601 this was the very first SLR that was made in Thailand, the only difference was on the base of the camera it said "Made in Thailand" the tooling was Japanese that had been shipped from Japan to Thailand, it was very reliable, the then made the APS Pronia, great camera, crap film system, fantastic, reliable, well made and sold really well..

Nikon have a large number of Japanese guys in Thailand and they check every piece of equipment that comes out of the factory..
Worry not, its Quality First with Nikon

Interesting points from everyone. Very informative!

I don't understand one post that noted that there were no China factories. The bottom of my 50mm f/1.4G says made in China.

I remember one of my AF 50mm f/1.8 (not D version) saying "Nikon Japan" - but had a "Made in China" sticker. That was an old one...maybe purchased 10 years ago? Wouldn't that mean that Nikon has been making made in China lenses for at least that long?

What if someone was offering you a two 85mm f/1.8D one said Made in Japan and the other Made in Thailand...the Japan was $50 more. Which one would you go for? What if they started selling D7000 made in Japan for $200 more than the made in Thailand ones? I would sertainly pay the premium. Am I alone in this thought?

As a brand I do trust Nikon above all and why we all shoot with them. But within the Brand isnt there gradations of quality? Some lens better than the other...etc. So wouldnt that sometimes be reflected in country of manufacture?

For example if Australian Fords and British Toyota's are better than their country of origin versions would you purchase those instead?

Not really trying to get to a conclusion just more a round table discussion on what everyone thinks about the topic.

I must admit I do have my biases. I like Swiss movement when it comes to watches. I admire German and Japanese glass by Leica Canon and Nikon...I also like Japanese and German cars. I like Scotch from Scottland. Bourbon from the south. ...

RRaZZoRR said:

I don't understand one post that noted that there were no China factories. The bottom of my 50mm f/1.4G says made in China.

I remember one of my AF 50mm f/1.8 (not D version) saying "Nikon Japan" - but had a "Made in China" sticker. That was an old one...maybe purchased 10 years ago? Wouldn't that mean that Nikon has been making made in China lenses for at least that long?

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I believe that poster was incorrect, judging by lenses made in China & this from the Nikon site:

Nikon Imaging (China) Co., Ltd.

No. 11, Changjiang South Road, New District, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214028, China
Tel: +86-510-8534-3223
Main businesses: Manufacture of digital cameras and digital camera components
http://www.nikon.com/about/info/group/index.htm

Some cameras are made in Indonesia, and others (like my P6000) are made in Vietnam.
I don't know is Nikon has plants there, or subcontracts to other makers.

--
Patco
A photograph is more than a bunch of pixels

RRaZZoRR said:

Interesting points from everyone. Very informative!

I don't understand one post that noted that there were no China factories. The bottom of my 50mm f/1.4G says made in China.

I remember one of my AF 50mm f/1.8 (not D version) saying "Nikon Japan" - but had a "Made in China" sticker. That was an old one...maybe purchased 10 years ago? Wouldn't that mean that Nikon has been making made in China lenses for at least that long?

What if someone was offering you a two 85mm f/1.8D one said Made in Japan and the other Made in Thailand...the Japan was $50 more. Which one would you go for? What if they started selling D7000 made in Japan for $200 more than the made in Thailand ones? I would sertainly pay the premium. Am I alone in this thought?

As a brand I do trust Nikon above all and why we all shoot with them. But within the Brand isnt there gradations of quality? Some lens better than the other...etc. So wouldnt that sometimes be reflected in country of manufacture?

For example if Australian Fords and British Toyota's are better than their country of origin versions would you purchase those instead?

Not really trying to get to a conclusion just more a round table discussion on what everyone thinks about the topic.

I must admit I do have my biases. I like Swiss movement when it comes to watches. I admire German and Japanese glass by Leica Canon and Nikon...I also like Japanese and German cars. I like Scotch from Scottland. Bourbon from the south. ...

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You have also to remember that there is really no such thing as a "Japanese glass", just as there is not a "100% American car"...the supply chain for our consumer goods is global. Each link in the chain contributes an appropriate amount. In Nikon's case, it probably makes the most proprietary parts of the lenses, the glass, in its own Japanese factories, then ships them to be assembled in Indonesia or China. The US has content disclosure laws that result in phrases such as "assembled in Mexico from 75% US content", or something to that effect.

Ian said:

Interesting comments.

The Toyota and Honda factories in the UK, from Japanese comments are making better made cars that those made in Japan, many or all of the electronics are Japanese and shipped in to the factories.
Sounds like you have littel idea of how the Japanese work

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I currently work for one of the largest power tool companies in the world in product development and R & D and I will say first hand that what comes from Japan is superior.. All prototypes and development are done in Japan for a reason. Just as in the tool world, many Japanese companies went to China for mass production and higher profit margins. Plain and simple. The quality is still really good but don't kid yourself. There is a reason why the premium products in the world are made in Japan and Germany. It's just that simple. If you would like any more info, feel free to drop me as pm.

Yeah well I noticed China did not take over the Swiss in self winding watches.

Small part precision is not their skill set. Sure if you build a plant for them with equipment that makes the precision products automatically they will be proud raise the flag and you will be fine until you have rely on the quality department with no experience before automated plants.

There is a freaking reason why you do not see Chinese mechanics at F1 and Indy racing and why China does not supply the engines and transmissions.
Time to wake up !

--

Torch

...it looks like the Japanese are still obsessed with quality and the overall packaging--my D3100 (Thailand) is by no means poorly packaged but the SB900 is just packaged perfectly in a nicer box--even the cardboard feels sensational to the touch!

henryhscheng said:

...it looks like the Japanese are still obsessed with quality and the overall packaging--my D3100 (Thailand) is by no means poorly packaged but the SB900 is just packaged perfectly in a nicer box--even the cardboard feels sensational to the touch!

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LOL... that isawesome.

Japan = Winning

Egyptian Glass manufacturers import their sand from Scotland.


--
Qliqqety Qliqq!

henryhscheng said:

...it looks like the Japanese are still obsessed with quality and the overall packaging--my D3100 (Thailand) is by no means poorly packaged but the SB900 is just packaged perfectly in a nicer box--even the cardboard feels sensational to the touch!

Click to expand...

Isn't this as much an aspect of buying a higher end product rather than simply a difference in place of manufacture? This entire thread presupposed that, first, you COULD buy a japanese-made or a Thai-made D3100 or SB900, and that there would be a difference in quality because of the country of assembly. You can't and you'll never know; all that you have to go on is that both products are designed and prototyped in Japan and brought to production under the control of Japanese engineers.

It is also a tenet of high-quality product design that the product be designed to be manufacturable. Germany has long been lionized for its superior performing autos but excoriated for their high maintenance and iffy reliability. They suffered greatly at the hands of Japan, Inc.'s higher reliability designs and only recently have improved this aspect of their cars. VW is still not up to par, and the German luxo labels offer free maintenance. On the other hand, you don't hear a bad thing about Leica, except for the price. Turning the tables a bit, the Japanese were first with high-speed rail, but their Shinkansen system requires extremely high maintenance relative to TGV and Siemens designs. The Shinkansen has never moved beyond Japan's shores, but the TGV has spread across Indonesia and China.

Nice one

Confucius say, "Give up moaning and just take pictures".
To hell with where the thing is made, does it REALLY matter.

The next thing they will be moaning about the price and then Oh! a new model is coming in xxxxx months to replace it,,,, Oh! I better wait until the new model comes out.

From experience these people will never buy a camera, why, because they are frightened of their own shadow....

This is from too many years in the photo trade

Nikon started making glass in 1913, so who said there is no such thing as Japanese glass..
Minolta used to make glass.. Japanese glass...

Come on guys think a bit....

Question......

Why are Canon lenses White?????
Answer please.....

Ian said:

Nikon started making glass in 1913, so who said there is no such thing as Japanese glass..
Minolta used to make glass.. Japanese glass...

Come on guys think a bit....

Question......

Why are Canon lenses White?????
Answer please.....

Click to expand...

In using the phrase "Japanese Glass", I was employing the slang that equates "glass" with "lens". Indeed, the actual glass and lens element manufacturing is one of those things that Canon and Nikon still keep onshore, at least for the most part, as that, particularly in their highest end products, is what you buy their lenses for. But if you look at the country of manufacture of much of their line, it won't say "Made in Japan"; it will be assembled in whatever country is appropriate for the target market of the product from components made wherever it is appropriate - some of which are Japanese-made lens elements. Thus, there is not really such a thing as a purely Japanese lens, or camera, or widget, just as there isn't such a thing as a purely American, or European, or Japanese made car. Supply chains are global.

And if I may hazard a guess at Canon's white lens color, it has long been urban legend that this was to keep the internal temperatures of the flourite lens elements lower. This formulation is no longer used, but the marketing advantages of the white lens barrel remain.