Does it matter if a DSLR camera was made in Thailand and not in Japan?

<p>Hi there guys!</p>

<p>I went to chinatown singapore this afternoon as part of my canvassing stage in buying my ever first DSLR. honestly, i prefer the Nikon brand because I read a lot of good reviews on their cameras.<br>

now when i went to this store, the man showed me what I was eying for, a Nikkon D3000 and or a Nikkon D5000. as the conversation went on, he then offered me an alternative to give a try of another brand which he says also for beginners or entry level DSLR, a Canon EOS 1000D.<br>

now what striked me most of the bargain he made with is that he showed me the manufacturing country of the camera. the Canon EOS 1000D was made in Japan while both of the Nikon was made in Thailand.<br>

all i ask from you now guys,<br>

1) does it matter if the canon was made in Japan while Nikon was made in Thailand in terms of the reliability of the camera?<br>

2) which do you think then would i choose? should i go with Canon 1000D (coz i really feel awry about canon and its lenses compared to the VR lenses of Nikon) or should i still go with Nikon?</p>

<p>thanks guys! i really hope you could help me with these....</p>

<p>cheers!<br>

Ric Hunter</p>

<p>Ric: (1) no-not at all (2) this may be the most asked question on this site; it is up to you to decide and only you-they are both excellent brands. Which feels more comfortable in your hands? Does one have a feature that you value highly that the others don't have? One isn't 'better' than the other but one may suit your needs more completely than the other-it is a personal choice.<br>

P.S. I am a long time Nikon shooter-first film and now digital-and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either brand to anyone.<br>

Happy shooting! cb :-)</p>

<p>I wouldn't sweat the country of origin here. Nikon's been manufacturing in Thailand for years and their cameras are sill excellent. If you really prefer the Nikon to the Canon, get the Nikon - in terms of technical capabilities there isn't that much difference between the brands, so personal preference for the feel and interface of one or the other is the most important factor.</p>

<p>I haven't noticed any difference in quality between lenses or cameras manufactured in Japan, Thailand, or China (of the same brand and price range). The main difference is inferior quality control compared to electronic and optical equipment manufactured in past decades, but there's nothing to be done about that.<br>

As for whether to use Nikon or Canon, I do notice that Canon seems to have the edge in terms of introducing new features sooner than Nikon. Perhaps they can afford to, since they also manufacture and sell so many other products. Other than that, it seems to be a matter of personal preference.<br>

Were I to do the whole thing over again, I likely would have gone with Olympus, as they seem to be ahead, in terms of innovation, of both Canon and Nikon, at least at the prosumer or advanced amateur level. I'm still impressed that virtually all Olympus cameras (and, now, Panasonic) sold in the past few years have a way of the user mapping out the inevitable hot pixels, for instance. And they seem to be squeezing out of their smaller sensor and lighter cameras almost the same image quality as their larger competitors.</p>

<p>as if we have a choice :-)</p>

<p>manufacturers in china and thailand still run under the strict quality standards of their japanese mother companies and workers are under the watchful eyes and supervision of japanese senior technicians. pro lenses are still made in japan.</p>

<p>i have always shot with nikon system since my film days many moons ago so you know what my answer will be on the choice between nikon and canon...............but i'd pick a canon point-and-shoot anytime over nikon's. my third camera on a critical assignment is an old olympus C-5060 :-)</p>

<p>Cameras made in Thailand are hotter and more spicey than ones made in Japan.</p>

<p>You really ought to get the Japanese one - the Thai-manufactured ones have about 20% of the second-hand value. Check on ebay.</p>

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<p>You really ought to get the Japanese one - the Thai-manufactured ones have about 20% of the second-hand value. Check on ebay.</p>

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<p>That doesn't make any sense, unless you're talking about collectability of older models. The newer Nikons are all made in Thailand and don't hold their resale value any worse than made in Japan Canons.</p>

<p>Really, it doesn't matter.</p>

<p>Personally I'd tell you to forget where the camera is made in this case. The only thing that matters is if the menus & feel of the camera in <em>your hands</em> . The camera that feels <em>right for you.</em><br>

Resale value is really not an issue on one of these cameras. From what I hear Nikon refuse to even have Americans translate our manuals - they're translated by Japanese who speak English from what I hear. They refuse to give up any of their control, so since I now have had three Thailand built Nikons I'm sure I can say - I have no issue with that. They're well built.<br>

In regards to Canon - all I can say is that from what I hear from my Canon shooting friends - I have not ever heard of worse support & service than that of Canon. It is a disgrace that they think it's OK to treat even people paying $ 5000 for a camera body the way they do. I have to admit not ever hearing such horror stories from Nikon nor do I hear a constant sending in camera bodies & lenses for calibration. After what I've heard - there's no way I'd ever pay for a Canon camera.<em></em><br>

<em>Buy the camera that feels good in your hands. Logical menus & the features you want. Forget land of origin in this case.<br /> </em></p>

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<p>The newer Nikons are all made in Thailand and don't hold their resale value any worse than made in Japan Canons.</p>

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<p>Lots of reputable Brooklyn-based retailers will explain that it's worth paying extra for your camera to have been made in Japan.</p>

<p>man, its been a loooong time since ive read such bs response to a thread here. to the op, buy what feels good and makes sense to you. wont matter any way as itll prob be sitting onna shelf a few months from now.</p>

<p>Lil, maybe that's why Canon just released figures that indicate their sales are down, but their profits are up. If you don't have to service the cameras you sell then you can sell less of them, but still make a profit. All these cameras are great as long as they work and never break. JohnW</p>

<p>It makes no difference at all. Nor should it if the design is good and the QA is being adhered to. When they say "made in" they really mean "assembled in". Very few of the internal parts of a Canon or Nikon are made by those companies. The sub-assemblies are sub-contracted out all over the place and final assembly can be done in Thailand, Taiwan, Korea, China or Japan.<br>

This has been discussed before:<br>

Hondas are made in Thailand<br>

Jeel Cherokee's are made in Austria and Poland.<br>

Pontiacs are made in Australia<br>

BMWs are made in South Africa<br>

Swedish submarines are made in Australia<br>

The steel that makes your cars is mined in Australia or Brazil, smeltered in China and exported to the US.<br>

The gun on the Abrahms tank is made by Bofors in Sweden<br>

Tata in India makes a small care that costs $2500 in India, and 6500 pounds in UK....go figure.<br>

My son races sedans in our biggest series here. Their team has a $10m budget. They run Ford 9" diffs. The gear sets are made by Richmond...a US racing gear company, and very well known. Ask any Nascar fan. But guess what! The gear sets are now made in China...and they last better....2-3 races. Before that they were lasting only one race.</p>

<p>On it goes. We are in a global economy now, and global corporations will base their manufacturing operations strategically to advantage costing and availability of raw materials. Products that are sold unchanged, globally, like cameras, can be made anywhere.</p>

 

<p>Hi Ric. One thing you need to know about the general Singaporean mindset is that we generally regard the Japanese quality control as very high; hence, Singaporeans generally prefer the made in Japan products. It is also not surprising that the salesman emphasised on the made in Japan aspect of the Canon.</p>

<p>Are the made in Japan Nikon cameras more long lasting and durable? I would think so; not because of the quality control but because it is the pro line of Nikons that is made in Japan. I think only the D3 is still made in Japan (not 100% sure of the D700) and it is made to withstand the abuse of its target market.</p>

<p>I think most users would have not experience anything negative about their Nikon simply due to their country of manufacture so I think you should not worry about it that much. Even the D300 is made in Thailand and I am sure that it is still one heck of a camera.</p>

<p>Not that sure if you would want to shop in the Chinatown area for your camera as they are seen by locals as tourist shops. My advice is that you stick to the more reputable shops like Cathay and <strong>SHOP</strong> around. I assume that you are a Caucasian? If that is so, see if you can go with a local. Like in most countries, shops are less likely to try to be funny when there is a local around.</p>

<p>The D3000 kit should retail around S$870 and the D5000 body should retail around S$1,050.</p>

<p>wow! thanks guys....Im so pleased with your responses. Now Im relieved with this issue. Now, I will go and stick to Nikon.</p>

<p>Thank you so much for your honest opinion about this issue..It really helped as a first wanna-be DSLR buyer and user as well....</p>

<p>Thanks gain!</p>

<p>C H E E R S !!!</p>

<p>Ric Hunter</p>

<p>"Lots of reputable Brooklyn-based retailers will explain that it's worth paying extra for your camera to have been made in Japan."</p>

<p>Sorry. The most reputable dealers in Brooklyn are actually located in Manhattan, and there are only two that I and many others count as the most reputable, and reliable.</p>

<p>I do not think either one of them would make such a silly statement.</p>

 

<p>It doesn't matter one whit where the Nikon was manufactured. Nikon has been manufacturing cameras in Thailand since the early 90s and its production QA is on par with the Japanese manufactured cameras. By the way, the two D700s I had were both manufactured in Japan. The electronics of the first one failed two weeks after the purchase. The second suffers from most of the rubber peeling away from the body. </p>

<p>"Lots of reputable Brooklyn-based retailers will explain that it's worth paying extra for your camera to have been made in Japan." LOL funny. I think Alec's first name is "Smart"...thanks for injecting some humor in all this.</p>

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<p>Lots of reputable Brooklyn-based retailers will explain that it's worth paying extra for your camera to have been made in Japan.</p>

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<p>Sounds like sarcasm to me. If your dealer tells you this, he's trying to get more money out of you. Did this really need explanation? Sheesh.</p>

<p>The BEST cameras are sold by me. It's worth paying 20% extra to have your camera repackaged by me personally. Send a money order to me for the best camera anywhere.</p>

<p>I used to think Nikon was an okay brand. But now that I know they are manufacturing in Thailand, of all places, I'm going to have to sell all my Nikon stuff. Thai food is okay, but no cameras! Thanks for helping me dodge a bullet. Now that I think about it, I'm not okay with a Japanese camera, either. I still haven't forgotten that illegal dolphin killing. Anyone know a good American camera maker?</p>

<p>I have some lenses with German brands on them that were made in Japan. Should I be dismayed that they're not Germain, or happy that they're from Japan?</p><div></div>

<p>It matters to the people employed (or not) at the respective factories.</p>

<p>Aaah, Lil beat me to it!<br>

1) it does not matter where it is built - quality control is established with the brand management, and not by production facility.<br>

2) starting with a well-known brand, there is only one way to choose between them: by ERGONOMICS. Choose the one that lies best in your hands. </p>

<p>Aaah, Lil beat me to it!<br>

1) it does not matter where it is built - quality control is established with the brand management, and not by production facility.<br>

2) starting with a well-known brand, there is only one way to choose between them: by ERGONOMICS. Choose the one that lies best in your hands. </p>

<p>The politically correct answer is "NO, it's all one big happy world!" The truth may be a bit more complicated...I'm a longtime Nikon Shooter. One has only to look at the many recalls made from the D70 onward, which was the first Nikon DSLR made in Thailand for some anecdotal evidence. Of course it could be design flaws rather than manufacturing. As for me, I won't buy another Nikon made in Thailand.</p>

<p>I would buy the Canon. You will also have access to faster EF lenses (i.e. f/1.2 versus f1.4).</p>