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Mangry !! No good brains here. Only sawdust.

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joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

See them at the mall every day 😲😲😲😲😲

MDI Mainer

Let's not forget that we owe our acceptance of cameras "made in Japan" as top-quality gear almost entirely to the Nikon F! Before that German-made cameras held the top reputation, and calling optical gear "made in Japan" was thought to be derogatory.

But who revived this zombie thread?

BebuLamar

I have no problem buying Shen Hao, Seagull or DJI or Lenovo. I don't want to buy a Nikon made in Thailand nor a Leica made in Japan either.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Pentax was producing their cameras in the Philippines - now in Vietnam. Nikon apparently moving production to Thailand; none of those countries is anything like China.

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

I've been buying Nikon gear since 2011 and never had anything made in Japan, all the lenses and cameras were made in Thailand.
The only lens manufacturer still making lenses in Japan is Sigma from what I've been told and Sigma also told me...I think Tokina and maybe a few minor manufacturers are still in Japan though.
D90, D7100, D7200 D500, D7500 & Z50 all made in Thailand.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I'm actually glad this moldy,mildewey post got resurrected. There is a chart on Page 5, about halfway down, that reveals some very interesting information and exposes the empty-headed kne-jerk panic response that is so common here. Apparently I had abandoned this nonsense before that point back in 2020.

The chart I'm referring to is bemoaning an 87% drop in camera sales over the 10 years from 2010-2019. The chart is presented without actual data, which can be a red flag right out of the gate, but if we give it the benefit of the doubt and look as carefully as we can at the graphics, we can notice something very interesting.

The chart is a stacked bar chart showing fixed lens and interchangeable lens camera sales for each year. In 2010, it looks like the fixed-lens cameras made up as much as 90% of total camera sales. In 2019, they dropped almost to zero and made up well under half of total sales. Sales of interchangeable lens cameras did drop somewhat, but most of the drop was from an atypical balloon of sales in 2013 and 2014.

So the whole panic around the ILC camera market was a fabricated lie, at least at that time, and at least fro what we can see. Of course, it is common practice for both individuals and companies to use misrepresented statistics so support a baseless case or story, because most folks cannot understand the manipulation.

The abandonment of Japanese manufacturing story was also a non-story. I moved to digital SLRs in2006 and bought my first Nikon, a D200, in late 2007, and have owned nine additional Nikon cameras in the years since. Exactly none of those were made in Japan. All were made in Thailand. Of a probably too big collection of Nikkor lenses, only three were made in Japan...all the others in Thailand.

Now...concerning Canon. The one consistent complaint I read on this forum from Canon users is that their cameras and lenses are "too expensive." Japan has been home to high costs and high inflation for many years. Culturally mandated lifetime employment (now ended) is very expensive to maintain. So are other elements of Japanese society.

My suggestion is that if you want to be a photographer, then be a photographer. Do your homework. Pick a brand. Quit worrying about stuff that you can't do anything about. Don't pay attention to distorted arguments.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

From Canon’s current corporate site:

Canon Inc.-Utsunomiya Plant

The flagship lens factory housing advanced optical technology
The Utsunomiya Plant is Canon’s main lens manufacturing facility, producing a wide range of optical products including interchangeable lenses for cameras and broadcast-quality lenses for television studios. This is where top-of-the-line lenses, including the professional-level white telephoto lenses, are individually crafted by skilled technicians. The Utsunomiya Plant has produced many exceptional craftsmen over the years, including a number of Canon Meisters and “Takumi” Master Craftsmen. The facility also implements world-leading environmental initiatives such as 100% water recycling that mitigates the water requirements of lens production.

BebuLamar

As a Nikon fan I must say Canon has no problem competing with Nikon even if they have to pay the higher cost of making their cameras in Japan.

BebuLamar

My Nikon Df bought in 2013 made in Japan. In fact all my Nikon cameras and lenses are made in Japan.

Nortfish Loc: Port St. Lucie, Fla

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