Nikon to end camera production in Japan Dec 2020

Ko.Fe. said:
And I prefer made in Japan vehicle to anything else. We have made in Mexico car and it is mama Russia Lada.
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Me as well. Tempted by the MB cachet but quality problems concern me.

Still driving my purchased new (Dec. 2005) Lexus ES 330 with 330,000+ miles and I would not hesitate to drive it across the USA or to Canada.
 
gavinlg said:
Hold a pair of US made 501s in your hands, and then hold a pair made anywhere else and tell me it's 'old style thinking'. Cost cutting = dilution of the product and eventually dilution of the company.
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I was going to ask, where does one even get a made-in-USA pair of Levis but then I looked on their website. Looks to be special order, and at a premium price to boot. No availability at stores within 50 miles of me.

I've been wearing Levis since 1978 and had never even seen a pair that was made in USA. I always just figured production here was long gone even by then.
 
Quality control matters more than geographical origin of a product. I have great Nikon products from both Thailand and Japan and would consider buying one of the Chinese made 105/1.4's someday too. Ultimately, this is certainly a blow to the pride of a Japanese company more than anything.
 
Anyone know where the manual focus AI-S lenses still being sold are/were manufactured? I believe (with no evidence) that, if these lenses are still being manufactured and not simply new old stock being sold that was manufactured years/decades ago, they are made in Japan. if so, I do not think they are long for this world.
 
Has Nikon stopped producing the Df camera? I see there is little to no stock at B&H, and that was a camera made in Japan.

Best,
-Tim
 
Out to Lunch said:
"But neither Thailand or China is Japan, and that's the issue". What, in your opinion, is the issue?
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From a practical standpoint, there is no issue.

Out of all the large format cameras I have used, the very best in terms of quality and design is Chamonix and they are made in China.

On the other hand, Hasselblad Xpan and now XCD lenses are made in Japan, not Germany or Sweden and they are outstanding. I have a feeling that if they moved the operation to Thailand then they would still be as good.
 
AAlfano said:
Anyone know where the manual focus AI-S lenses still being sold are/were manufactured? I believe (with no evidence) that, if these lenses are still being manufactured and not simply new old stock being sold that was manufactured years/decades ago, they are made in Japan. if so, I do not think they are long for this world.
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That is all old stock. When they're gone, they're gone.
 
My main concern regarding origin of production is whether I am indirectly supporting the economy of an authoritarian regime.
It is not a concern of quality: With the the right resources, training and QC, good quality can be produced anywhere.
 
huddy said:
Quality control matters more than geographical origin of a product. I have great Nikon products from both Thailand and Japan and would consider buying one of the Chinese made 105/1.4's someday too. Ultimately, this is certainly a blow to the pride of a Japanese company more than anything.
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As for QC, it can be replicated anywhere so the relevancy of manufacture location only goes so far.

Nikon dug its own grave, arriving at the mirrorless "party" many years too late, after Canon and even after Leica (!!). At least Canon is clever and will now make sensors for others.

Nikon is left with fewer and options. They'll probably sell off the consumer camera business to a Chinese conglomerate group that they've probably had to team up with in their mainland China operations.
Like Hasselblad, all that will remain is the name.
 
james.liam said:
As for QC, it can be replicated anywhere so the relevancy of manufacture location only goes so far.

Nikon dug its own grave, arriving at the mirrorless "party" many years too late, after Canon and even after Leica (!!). At least Canon is clever and will now make sensors for others.

Nikon is left with fewer and options. They'll probably sell off the consumer camera business to a Chinese conglomerate group that they've probably had to team up with in their mainland China operations.
Like Hasselblad, all that will remain is the name.
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I call self indulgent BS on this...

Hasselblad is doing outstanding with the X series and now with the 907X which I own and use along with an enormous V system, DJI has infused them with great capital and they are doing very well with it.

Nikon would be faring better on the balance sheet if they were as diversified as Canon or Fuji but they are FAR from being too late to the mirrorless game. Maybe the game you like to play is "Camera Jousting" or "Camera Spec Wars" but I play the make great images and collect big checks game and Nikon is absolutely killing it there for me, just fantastic gear with faultless reliability.
 
I've been hesitant in buying anything from Nikon that is not made in Japan. I was one of the early adopters of the Nikon 1 system who's lenses were made in China and Thailand. Optically they were incredible, mechanically and quality control-wise they were crap. Of the seven Nikon 1 lenses I owned, one failed spectacularly in the middle of a shoot, two crapped out (not a complete fail but not usable) and three of the remaining four were recalled because of mechanical failure issues. Only one out of the seven did not fail or was recalled. The bodies, made in Japan, were great, but without the lenses, the system was worthless.

So I probably won't be buying any of the new "Made in Thailand" Nikon equipment.

Best,
-Tim
 
I think everyone should get use to the fact that name brand stuff could be now be made anywhere....anywhere where labour is cheap and can still produce a good product QC wise. The market has changed and is changing at a fast pace whether it is for cameras or for cars or for beef burgers etc. If these iconic firms want to stay around then they have to adapt and even cut corners without alienating too many potential customers, new and old.
 
Timmyjoe said:
I was one of the early adopters of the Nikon 1 system who's lenses were made in China and Thailand. Optically they were incredible, mechanically and quality control-wise they were crap. Of the seven Nikon 1 lenses I owned, one failed spectacularly in the middle of a shoot, two crapped out (not a complete fail but not usable) and three of the remaining four were recalled because of mechanical failure issues.
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LOL My 30-100 "1" lens is a member of that club.... Knock on wood for the other two.
 
css9450 said:
I was going to ask, where does one even get a made-in-USA pair of Levis but then I looked on their website. Looks to be special order, and at a premium price to boot. No availability at stores within 50 miles of me.


I've been wearing Levis since 1978 and had never even seen a pair that was made in USA. I always just figured production here was long gone even by then.
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I was going to convention center NAB show in LV since 1995. I remember how it was possible to order kind of custom fit jeans from nearby factory via LV based outlet (couple of weeks waiting), but then it was gone.

I had some made in USA jeans in eighties. Zero difference in durability from Pakistan made jeans which Costco sells now.
In basic clothes here is zero difference in quality. It is nothing but wealth re-distribution. More goes to shareholders, while labor is cheap and non union.

More complicated appliances, cars and electronics are still different story.
I worked with one American company, production of broadcast equipment was USA based. They switched to elsewhere for $$$ and DOA became not uncommon.

I could see how same brands in appliances are going cheap and cheaper on components over years. These days even expensive appliances are dirt cheap load of plastic.

Even made in Japan cameras. 2005 year Canon 5D model quality of material is superior to cheap feeling plasticky 6D. My Rebel from 2009 feels same against of newer Rebels.
 
I've got a mix of "Made In ___" Nikon gear, and have found that if something is going to fail it doesn't really matter where it was made, like my DX 12-24 that was manufactured in Japan but now has a dead electronics chip.

While most companies do a good job of QC over their far flung manufacturing facilities, there are some that don't, which you'll find in almost any industry. Sometimes that comes down to plant managers cutting corners to pad their own pockets, and can hide the fact because it somehow doesn't affect the retail end of things. It's why I won't buy any socks made by a particular US company that were made in Pakistan instead of domestically. They scrimp on material by making the over-the-calf version shorter than it should be, yet the price between the two is still the same.

I don't see a reason to apply that same embargo to every other company that has a world wide market just because this one outfit can't control their product quality. It's like the folks on here that claim all Japanese camera sellers on eBay are crooked, yet I've dealt with many dealers from there that have stellar reputations. You need to look at international manufacturers on a one-to-one basis, not just lump the whole bunch into a garbage heap because of a few bad examples.

PF
 
css9450 said:
LOL My 30-100 "1" lens is a member of that club.... Knock on wood for the other two.
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That's funny, my 30-110 "1" lens is the only one that hasn't failed or been recalled. Had (3) 10-30mm lenses recalled, my 10mm started acting up with the fluttering aperture as did my 18mm, and the beautiful 32mm completely locked up in the middle of a shoot, aperture closed all the way down and that was it, couldn't do a thing with it. Luckily everything was under warranty at the time so I got them all fixed, but ended up giving the whole system to my daughter to use with her friends because I can't trust it anymore.

Best,
-Tim
 
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