How much does made in Japan matter vs Made in China, directly on lenses?

makes no difference IMO

I have had lenses and bodies, over the existence of the E system and m43, made in both by Olympus and there's not been any difference

All such things change over time - I don't know how old you are but over the last 40 years there have been times no-one would touch a Japanese made car (as an example) for quality reasons........then they were considered the best (Lexus) and currently others are fighting back (slowly!).

non issue

 

No difference.

 

In my experience, the premium products tend to be made in Japan, everything else in PRC. As for quality, the chinese seem very able to reproduce a product according to specs cheaply, as seen in the 45mm. Judging by the premium feel of the 75mm and other lenses I've come across, the Japanese just make stuff more awesomer, if not necessarily better


Patrick K

 

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Ok, edited. No harm intended.


Patrick K

 

Made in Japan is the new made in Germany!
Of course it dépends, but you may be sure that delocating to China is for cost reduction.
Quality Control is state of the art in Japan.

 

+1

 

If an item is available from both countries, I always pick the one from Japan if I could afford it.

And I am Chinese.

 

The 75 doesn't have a greater premium feel than the 45 because of country of manufacture, but rather because of how Olympus spec'd the lens.

To the OP, I wouldn't make country of manufacture any sort of decision point in selecting a lens. Plenty of other things to be considering.

 

And perhaps camera manufacturers keep producing their premium products in Japan so they can take advantage of existing production capacity and/or charge a premium on their high end products becuase threads like this keep this issue alive? I have purchased photographic equipment made in many different countries, and, IMHO, today there is less correlation between counrty of origin and quality then there is between a company's commitment to quality and quality. China is a huge country and like every other industrial nation, specific factories can produce high quality products or junk. Most of Apple's products are manufactured in China, and they seem to have quite the reputation for quaity hardware. Buy as you wish, the choice is yours, but you may be missing out on some great gear if you choose not to buy it because of where it was made. If a product is manufactured in two places, then sure, choose what meets your needs.

Good luck,

--Ken

 

Tamron is made in Japan... Not exactly the standard bearers of QC.

 

I want to say it doesnt matter since the $200 Panasonic 45-200mm lens I had was made in Japan while the $1500 Panasonic 35-100mm is made in China.

 

Am I the only one who finds this interesting? Not bashing the chinese in any way, I enjoyed the chinese-made em5 immensely. But that is interesting. Care to elaborate?


Patrick K

 

I guess being an "insider", I hear a lot of stories about Chinese made products. Maybe it happens to Japanese products too, but at least I don't know about it. :smile:

I know what your next question is going to be.... "What stories?" The more recent ones come to mind.... Fake beef, exploding chairs, foam bridges, etc.

 

There are probably a handful of reasons that people could cite, but this is a good antidote: http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/07/the-olympus-75mm-f1-8-is-expensive-because-its-worth-it . QC issues can happen anywhere.

--Ken

 

I'm not Chinese, but from South-East Asia. Growing up, we were always taught that Japanese-made goods were superior in every way (particularly electronics). Of course, you buy what you can afford, and Chinese/locally made stuff gets the job done if needed - but Japan-made electronics were always considered the best.

 

I love these threads. Being an "insider," I have also heard a lot of stories about Chinese made products. But I worked in a manufacturing facility in China supporting US products for 5 years so I can tell you that quite a few stories are fabricated by people that have no idea what they are talking about.

I can tell you that I have no issues buying Chinese made name brand products.

Read the reviews, and buy based on reviews. Not country of origin. We are a world economy.

 

Ken: that was a fun read, not entirely sure it denies or confirms the belief japan has the better manufacturers. The buildquality of that lens is surely something else. I have never hesitated buying chinese made stuff, but there is something about the attention to detail in the japanese stuff I've owned that has made its mark in me.


Patrick K

 

given that we are discussing this on an m43 forum, it's facinating that you can make that statement when both the Panasonic 35/100 2.8 (pretty much the premium lens) and the Olympus E-M1 are made in the PRC.........