D300 Made in Thailand

<p>I just received my D300 an hour ago. Looks fantastic. One thing: I noticed it's made in Thailand. I understand from other threads here that the D300 is in fact made in Thailand.</p>

<p>My question is, how come I've seen D300s for sale on eBay that list them as "Made in the U.S." or "Made in Japan"? If I recall correctly I've seen close-up photos of the actual label on the camera in some listings. Were they made outside Thailand at some point? And finally, please confirm that I'm good to fire this camera up and start shooting. If it matters I ordered it from Butterfly Photo and got (what I believe) is a great price. Many thanks.</p>

<p>Doesn't matter. It's <em>made by Nikon</em>.<br /><br />As for the "made in USA" type auction copy, that's probably a reference to whether or not the specific camera is one that was made by Nikon <em>for the US market</em>, and which will be either warrantied or at least serviced by Nikon USA. Nikon USA will not even service (not even for cold, hard cash) units that weren't properly imported into the US. So, grey-market D300s from overseas can be a real trap, that way. <br /><br />There are, by the way, <em>no</em> Nikon products that are made in the US. They do use assembly facilities throughout Asia, but there is absolutely no meaningful (or even measurable) difference between a Nikon body assembled in Thailand or one assembled in Japan. Either way, their own managers and quality control people are running the show.</p>

<p>my D300 was made in thailand, too. haven't you noticed, a lot of stuff we buy is made somewhere else...<br>

please, go out and start using your camera, for gosh sakes! it's the real deal.</p>

 

<p>My D300 was made in Thailand. It has a full US warranty, works great with over 10,000 shutter actuations so far. Enjoy your new camera...start shooting!<br>

Dick</p>

<p>IIRC my D200s were from Thailand too.</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>Matt wrote:<br>

They do use assembly facilities throughout Asia, but there is absolutely no meaningful (or even measurable) difference between a Nikon body assembled in Thailand or one assembled in Japan.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Out of curiosity, what determine why a lens such as my 17-55mm f2.8 is made in Japan, while a 70-300VR lens is made in Thailand and the 50mm AF-D 1.8 is made in China?</p>

<p>Pure coincidence, if skills and expertise are identical?</p>

<p>With some exceptions, pretty much each Nikon product is manufactured exclusively at one location. E.g. all D200 bodies and all D300 bodies are manufactured in Thailand. The 18-200mm AF-S VR is made in Thailand but some early samples, especially demo units, were made in Japan.</p>

<p>Mine is made in Thailand and works a treat. Having travelled around a lot, it's not a country that i'm concerned about.</p>

<p>Someone stated earlier on this forum that Nikon was closing it's facilities in Thailand, due to the political unrest. If true, how would that affect D300 supplies I wonder?</p>

<p>Thanks for the replies. They are very much appreciated.</p>

<p>Matt mentioned something that I am curious about - grey market products. Is there a web site where you can check Nikon serial numbers to determine if a camera is grey market or not?</p>

<blockquote>

<p>"Someone stated earlier on this forum that Nikon was closing it's facilities in Thailand, due to the political unrest. If true, how would that affect D300 supplies I wonder?"</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I am afraid that is not at all accurate information.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>With some exceptions, pretty much each Nikon product is manufactured exclusively at one location. E.g. all D200 bodies and all D300 bodies are manufactured in Thailand. The 18-200mm AF-S VR is made in Thailand but some early samples, especially demo units, were made in Japan.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Hmm...But where are the D3, D2X's, and high-end optics made? If I'm guessing right, Japan? If that's the case, there must be *some* reason the most expensive items are still made in Japan, while the next tier is made in Thailand, and finally we have China....</p>

<p>If the reason isn't entirely capricious, then why (and I'm not saying you are) scoff at a new Nikon owner's concerns over where his gear was made? Or provide a blanket assurance that Nikon == Nikon Japan, no matter where it was assembled.</p>

<p> </p>

<blockquote>

<p>"there must be *some* reason the most expensive items are still made in Japan"</p>

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<p>Well, the most obivous reason is labor cost; that is why Nikon is setting up factories in countries where labor cost is considerably lower than in Japan in the first place. It is much easier to include the high labor cost from Japan in products that are expensive.</p>

<p>There may be concerns about the control of the latest and greatest technology and propriatory information also.</p>

<p>Don't think of the D300 as a second-tier product (in terms of Nikon's interest in manufacturing quality) compared to the D3X. Think of it as a camera of which they make many, many thousands and thousands more, and they choose a plant based on scale and inertia. I expect that their facilities in Japan are a little more nimble, and that it's easier to handle the smaller runs of the more limited products there, and then change things around to do something else. Obviously they don't make $5k 200-400mm zooms all year long.</p>

<p>Excellent points! Thx :)</p>

<p>As Matt said the high end items that are assembled in Japan seem to be the high price low turnover items and as such they would have less automated assembley than the higher volume items like the D300 this is also the reason for the large price gaps between the consumer and pro grade lenses.</p>

<p>Ian R</p>

<blockquote>

<p>They do use assembly facilities throughout Asia, but there is absolutely no meaningful (or even measurable) difference between a Nikon body assembled in Thailand or one assembled in Japan. Either way, their own managers and quality control people are running the show.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>This is why I have no qualms about purchasing a Japanese product manufactured in another country. As already stated; not only do they generally own the factory, but also send their management to oversee it.</p>

<p>You will also notice that on some of Nikon's cheaper zooms, that they are made in China. Aside from more simple and cheaper builds, these lenses are still decent. Although, I would much rather see my lens stamped "Japan" than "China", I know that I can still trust the Nikon brand.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>Well, the most obvious reason is labor cost;</p>

</blockquote>

<p>A less obvious reason is the cost of real estate. It ain't cheap in Japan, I can tell you that. Although labor is probably number one.</p>

<p>I was pretty shocked to get my D90 home and find out it was from Thailand, especially since my canon xs is a third the price and still manufatured in Japan.<br>

Not to open a Canon vs Nikon debate but, I was deciding between a Canon 50D and a the Nikon. If I had realized it before purchase that Nikons were not made in Japan I would have gone the other direction. I know the companies make excuses about management and QA being local but at the end of the day as a consumer I trust a company paying its workers a decent wage as opposed to those who don't.<br>

Anyway, I am enjoying the camera now but when it is time to upgrade.... and I am left wondering if I should bother to buy lenses for it as they are from thailand too.<br>

Incidentally I bought the D90 becuase my wifes E-510 died and had to be sent in for service, when it came back there was an entirely differnet probelm and had to go right back. It is made in China BTW.</p>

 

<p>"I was pretty shocked to get my D90 home and find out it was from Thailand." Matt-I wasn't shocked; my D70 was made in Thailand as were 2 of my 3 lenses and I used the camera for 4 happy years. My D90 is also made in Thailand and if it wears as well over the next 4 years as my previous camera, i will be quite pleased. cb :-)</p>

<p>Matt B: Are you also taking into account the fantastically higher cost of living that a worker in one of Nikon's Japanese facilitis has to pay, compared to one living in Thailand? I live in a suburb of Washington DC, and it <em>still </em>costs less to exist here than it does in most of suburban Japan. "Cost of labor" isn't just about the actual amount of currency in the wages - it's also about how much the person earning those wages can buy in terms of standard of living, and in terms of <em>improving</em> their standard of living. I'm guessing that the people who go to work in Thailand building D90's are very, very pleased to have those jobs, and the people who sell them food and other amentities are really glad that there is that economic acitivity taking place.<br /><br />These are not people who are snapping together plastic toys. The presence of a company like Nikon in <em>whatever</em> country it operates is a long term benefit for the people they employ, and the society in which they live. It raises the level of expertise in the work force, raises those people's expectations for future employment, raises that country's visibility in the global market, and increases the level of interaction that country has with people all around the world - which improves that population's long-term prospects for a more open society. Would you rather buy a camera fabricated in Japan, or see Thailand become more <em>like</em> Japan? You can't just throw a switch and make it happen - it takes decades of investment and slow cultural shifts away from more rudimentary industries.<br /><br />Rather than be shocked that your D90 was made there, decide whether or not you should be pleased at the prospect of those people losing their jobs and all of the local economic activity that it drives because the folks who buy what they're making don't like the history of the country in which it's made. </p>

<p>In these days, instead of saying "Made in whereever," the more appropriate description should be "Final assembly in ...." Even though a D300 might be "made" in Thailand, there are components from all over the world. For example, the D300's sensor is made by Sony in Japan, some memory chips inside could be made in Taiwan .... The D300 and D3X use the same Multi-CAM 3500 AF module and most likely those AF modules are made in the same plant, probably in Japan. Even the $8000 D3X most likely has parts from all over the place.</p>

<p>It really doesn't make a whole lot of difference any more.</p>

<p>For the record, both my D200 and D300 are really well made, and so are my three US-made Honda cars. They are as good as the Japan-manufactured Honda we once had.</p>

<p>Matt L - That argument that is often made to justify moving manufacturing overseas but it doesn't hold that much water. A company makes that move stricty for finacial reasons not social ones. Japan and the US are currently feeling the affects that come along with companies exporting thier labour and as consumers there is no reason to support it. Thankfully, this is Thailand and not China we are talking about, if it was the later the camera would have gone back. <br>

Charles - the longevity of the camera remains to be seen. I am hoping my D90 has a long life but time will time.<br>

Shun - You make a good point. </p>

<p>I can assure you that most large electronics manufacturers use factories in multiple geographic locations, be it China, Thailand, Singapore, wherever. The reason, it is cheaper to manufacture goods there than in the West, generally speaking. But, quality standards are consistent throughout following identical internal and in many cases external standards. So don't be biased against any "top brand" device being manufactured in other countries. Don't be snobs.</p>

<p>Matt Laur.... very well said!</p>