Fuji Leaves Japan

[Charles]

[B][SIZE="3"][url=http://www.photographyblog.com/index.php/weblog/comments/fujifilm_moves_production_to_china/]Fujifilm Moves Production to China[/URL][/SIZE][/B]
Fujifilm

[ttjereth]

Maybe this will finally put an end to all my Japanese amateur photographer acquaintances ranting about how "Fuji makes the best film in the world"

[Charles]

Maybe this will finally put an end to all my Japanese amateur photographer acquaintances ranting about how "Fuji makes the best film in the world"

It seems like they're moving the digital camera production overseas, doesn't sound like they did anything with the film biz.

But it doesn't make any difference. Everyone knows that the Germans make the best film. But it seems like they're moving production to China too.

[Greji]

IEveryone knows that the Germans make the best film. But it seems like they're moving production to China too.

I heard it was Australia!

[L S]

Fuji Film is going the route of a lot of other Tier 2 Japanese CE makers. They HAVE to go to China to reduce production costs and survive globally. Unfortunately they have very little technological advantage to compete with and not so much money to invest in serious next gen technology R&D. Their main strength is brand strength and global channels. Fuji might end-up surviving, but not sure about other J-Tier 2s over the next 15 years. Japan is due for a CE shake-up at somepoint.

[Charles]

Fuji Film is going the route of a lot of other Tier 2 Japanese CE makers. They HAVE to go to China to reduce production costs and survive globally. Unfortunately they have very little technological advantage to compete with and not so much money to invest in serious next gen technology R&D. Their main strength is brand strength and global channels. Fuji might end-up surviving, but not sure about other J-Tier 2s over the next 15 years. Japan is due for a CE shake-up at somepoint.

I'm not so sure it necessarily has anything to do with reducing costs and global competitiveness. One of the top end, most expensive camera products in the world has now gone Chinese. The Swedish company Hasselblad no longer uses the German Contax lenses, they use their own designs, manufactured in China. A typical Hasselblad H3D costs about $32k and nobody is going to complain about the price of the lens. In fact, the biggest criticism of the new H3D is that the new lenses aren't as good as the old Contax lenses. Of course you can still use the old Contax products, if you don't mind them not working at all with the digital autofocus features.

Oddly enough, Leica is no longer manufacturing their own lenses, some work is subcontracted to Panasonic (!!) in Japan, but I hear much of the production is in China. Strangest of all, the fastest lens in the world, the Canon 50mm f/1.0 lens, is manufactured in Canada.

[FG Lurker]

Oddly enough, Leica is no longer manufacturing their own lenses, some work is subcontracted to Panasonic (!!) in Japan, but I hear much of the production is in China. Strangest of all, the fastest lens in the world, the Canon 50mm f/1.0 lens, is manufactured in Canada.

Charles, are you tripping on acid? Whatever you're on you are way, way, waaaaaay out to lunch.

Leica is most definitely still manufacturing their own lenses. However they have licensed use of their name to Panasonic (like Zeiss has done with Sony and Schneider with Samsung). Panasonic manufactures some autofocus lenses for the Olympus & Panasonic four thirds mount SLR bodies and labels them with the Leica brand.

(Leica seems to have at least some control over what Panasonic is making, and Zeiss has a fair amount to say about the quality of Sony SLR lenses that use the Zeiss brand. Schneider however doesn't seem to have any hand in what Samsung is producing as all Samsung Schneiders so far are either rebranded Tokina or Pentax lenses.)

Leica did manufacture some lenses in Canada, starting in 1952. The Leica Noctilux 50mm f1.0 was designed in Canada, and manufactured in both Canada and Germany.

Canon however has never had a factory in Canada for EF "L" lenses, and as far as I know not for their consumer lenses either. All Canon EF "L" lenses are manufactured in Utsunomiya, Japan. The EF 50mm f1.0L is no longer in production, manufacturing ended in 1991 or 1992. However during its production run it was only ever manufactured in the Utsunomiya plant.

Finally, the 50mm f1.0L is not the fastest lens in the world. Canon has made both f0.7 and f0.95 lenses and other makers have made lenses faster than f1.0 as well. The 50/1L is however the fastest AF SLR lens that has been made.