Being a Chilean (a person living in Chile, South America, that is) I was comparing the price of importing a Nikon N65 kit (body and 1 or 2 lenses) through the Internet, versus buying it locally. I found that the prices of both alternatives are very similar - in fact, to buy it directly in Chile would be even cheaper than a B&H special offer! So I wondered if there is any difference between the equipment you buy in the US and what you buy here. The guy from the store told me that Nikon cameras are built in Japan and assembled in China. Is this true for US-bought cameras also?

Thanks ever so much!

-- Claus Krebs (ckrebs@geocities.com), April 02, 2001

Answers

I'm not sure about the 'assembled in China' bit. Nikon equipment always used to be exclusively manufactured in Japan, but economics may have forced some outsourcing of components, such as microchips and other electronic parts. Only Nikon can answer this for sure, but wherever they're sourced and assembled, the cameras and lenses sold in the US are exactly the same as those sold everywhere else in the world. Why should the US be any different?
(Apart from the US market demanding more numbers on the front of the camera. eg: N8008s = F801s everywhere else.)

-- Pete Andrews (p.l.andrews@bham.ac.uk), April 03, 2001.

If the camera says "Made in Japan", it is made in Japan, period. Parts, of course, may be made and pre-assembled anywhere (e.g., a Leica P&S is "made in Germany" because the final assembly of component groups is done in Germany). Claus, the store guy put it exactly the wrong way round by suggesting "that Nikon cameras are built in Japan and assembled in China".

BTW, Nikon has a factory in Thailand. AFAIK their point & shoot cameras, the APS models, and the consumer zooms are built there. Depending on your choice of lenses, they may well read "Made in Thailand".

For general information, price differences between countries are due to import duties and VAT, not just to manufacturers' marketing divisions.

-- Oliver Schrinner (piraya@hispavista.com), April 03, 2001.

Thank you very much for your prompt and helpful answers!

Two more facts, though:

1. I went to the store I had previously phoned, and checked out the N65 camera personally. It read "Made in Thailand". I have nothing against Thailand, but would prefer a Japanese machine. Or are all N65's now being manufactured in Thailand?

2. I re-read my question above and found that I had not been very precise: the N65 bought directly in Chile is cheaper than the same camera bought on-line from B&H PLUS SHIPPING AND CUSTOMS DUTIES.

Any further comments? Thank you in advance!

-- Claus Krebs (ckrebs@geocities.com), April 03, 2001.

I have a Nikkor 20mm f2.8 AIS manual focus lens that I purchased from B&H about 14 months ago. It came with a "Made in China" sticker attached to the outside of the lenscap. This lens was a replacement; the first one showed significant element separation of the rear element. I can't attribute this to the made in China status; greater than 50% of the Nikon gear I've purchased over the past 3 years has had a problem out of the box.

-- Eric James (eajames@u.washington.edu), April 03, 2001.

I have an N65QD, bought in the US, with the US warranty (that it, it wasn't purchased "gray market"). It is made in Thailand, and has worked just fine.

When I had a 24-120 (made in Japan), I bought two HB-11 hoods for it. One was made in Japan, the other was made in Korea. The two hoods were absolutely identical.

-- John Kuraoka (john@kuraoka.com), April 05, 2001.

Welcome to globalization. Assembled in China and Made in China aren't, obviously, the same thing. Export of Japanese-made sub- assemblies for off-shore final assembly is common with cameras, cars, and consumer electronics.If you're doubt, compare the QC on a Chinese- assembled N65 and a Seagull:the differences, short and longterm, are-- and will be--obvious. Shop and buy where the deals are best, Claus.

-- Gary Watson (cg.watson@sympatico.ca), April 07, 2001.

It is irrelevant these days. Be assured that Nikon would not set up assembly lines anyplace that they could not meet quality control.

Look inside any personal computer. The names you see on the chips and sub-assemblies will be from all over the world. This was true even 15 years ago. The world of manufacturing has changed utterly.

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), April 09, 2001.