Vortex OEM in Japan (1 Viewer)

RJM

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

• Dec 30, 2012

• #1

As a point of trivia fun, my sources here have me believing this is Vortex's primary OEM in Japan,

http://www.light-op.co.jp/english/

 

T

typo

Well-known member

• Dec 30, 2012

• #2

You may well be right. I was told it was Kamakura Koki. Maybe it's both.

David

 

RJM

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

• Dec 30, 2012

• #3

I think Kamakura is the longtime partner of Bushnell as well as Canon, Nikon and Pentax and some hint at Carl Zeiss too. Particularly big now with Laser Range Finders. Their HQ is located in the same suburb of Tokyo as many other optical OEMs including Fujinon. ~80% of production is in China now though. Amazing they don't have an online presence at all.

 

T

typo

Well-known member

• Dec 30, 2012

• #4

I really have no idea which company makes what. I've read suggestions that Kamakura makes or has made models for Swift, Bushnell, Nikon, Pentax, Fujinon, Kowa, Leupold, Eagle Optics, Opticron, Vortex, Vixen, and Zeiss amongst others. Light Optical works, Leupold, Vortex, some Branded telescopes and I'm sure many more.

If you include Kamakura's subsidiary in China and LOW's in the Philippines and probably elsewhere I expect it would include a lot of other familiar names and models.

David

 

Chosun Juan

Given to Fly

• Dec 31, 2012

• #5

typo said:

I really have no idea which company makes what. I've read suggestions that Kamakura makes or has made models for Swift, Bushnell, Nikon, Pentax, Fujinon, Kowa, Leupold, Eagle Optics, Opticron, Vortex, Vixen, and Zeiss amongst others. Light Optical works, Leupold, Vortex, some Branded telescopes and I'm sure many more.

If you include Kamakura's subsidiary in China and LOW's in the Philippines and probably elsewhere I expect it would include a lot of other familiar names and models.

David

Click to expand...

Well if those suggestions turn out to be true, it may help explain a lot of my recent experience with the Swift Audubon porro -
definitely more like MIC than MIJ :-C


Chosun :gh:

 

RJM

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

• Dec 31, 2012

• #6

I think the current WP Audubon 820 and 820ED porro is made by Hiyoshi Optical. Their HQ is in a residential neighborhood near Kamakura Koki but I have no idea about where their factories are. They also make Vixen's Ultima porros and scopes and some reverse porros for Nikon and Olympus.

 

Chosun Juan

Given to Fly

• Dec 31, 2012

• #7

Thanks Rick, here's a kind of b*st*rdised japlish translation of the binoculars section of the website http://translate.google.com.au/tran...&eotf=1&u=http://www.hiyoshi-opt.com/&act=url

The photos certainly show the Swift Audubon porros in there amongst others.
I still wonder though, if there isn't some outsourcing of componentry, assemblies, or even some partial manufacture to some lesser (cheaper) mob somewhere along the way - because what I was seeing inside the 820ED porro certainly wasn't consistent with anything I know about Japanese manufacture and quality.


Chosun :gh:

 

RJM

Don't Worry, Be Happy!

• Dec 31, 2012

• #8

Yes, there are many small and not so small sub contractors for precision optical machinery and molding, rubber and plasitcs,lenses and prisms, coatings, R&D/marketing, and assembly. They all work together in somewhat incestuous relationships to come together to fill orders and spread the work and is why they tend to congregate in certain areas. But their representive organization/union, the Japan Telescope Manufacturers Association is just a shadow of its former self, from ~300 member companies in 1990 to just 30 or so today. Only a few can do everything from design to finished product in house. Most have moved all assembly to their SE Asia factories.

Others that OEM some of our favorites include Katsuma Optical and Otsuka Optical.