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Japanese producers, own production or OEM? (1 Viewer)

Kowaist

Active member
Hello folks,

who knows who of the japanese optics still produces thier own glasses and who are the big OEM nowadays?

Sure Nikon make their binos in their own factories, all or only the upper class? :t:
What about Pentax? in the70/80s they only had OEM (JB2/JB21/ JB127), what about today?
Afaik does Kowa only produce the scopes on there own, the binos should be OEM, but with own designs.

Any other japanese self producers?
 
Pentax makes some of their binoculars in the Philippines. Their 9x32, which is made there, looks like it is a clone of the Sightron Blue Sky 8x32.

Bob
 
Light Optical, Kamakura Koki, Shinsei and Kenko are the biggest Japanese OEMs I believe and centainly account for some, if not all the Japanese made models from Nikon, Kowa, Fuinon, Pentax and no doubt other japanese brands. I guess it's posible some are still made in house.

David
 
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Light Optical, Kamakura Koki, Shinsei and Kenko are the biggest Japanese OEMs I believe and centainly account for some, if not all the Japanese made models from Nikon, Kowa, Fuinon, Pentax and no doubt other japanese brands. I guess it's posible some are still made in house.

David

Thanks a lot!

Koei Seiki JB127 was bougt by Kenko in 1989, so that company merges here...
The last fusion was Kenko+Tokina into Kenko.

Is Shinsei right? The Shinsei Opt co I found has only thee employees?

Does anyone know the origins of Light optical, it was not in the JB list under this name... At least this company has a real homepage...
http://www.light-op.co.jp/english/

Kamakura Koki JB133 is very quiet in the internet... still serching even for a homepage...
Herr I have still doubts if the really produce thrmselves
This source only states 150 employees?
http://listings.findthecompany.com/l/59960716/Kamakura-Koki-Co-Ltd
 
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The OEMs are pretty secrative about who makes what for whom but morsels of info leak from time to time. I only know that some European and US branded models are sourced through Shinsei. I don't know if they manufacture themselves or are agents for smaller OEMs.

Light Optical seem to be more associated with scopes but their name has been mentioned as a probable manufacturer for a couple of high end models. Kenko, has factories in several countries, but apparently still produce some high end models in Japan. Kamakura is the best known company on the forum and several companies are quite open about using them. They have been linked with Zeiss, Nikon, Vortex, Bushnell, Leupold, Minox, Opticron Kite, GPO, Maven, and Styrka to name a few.

David
 
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Possibly made in house.

Nikon 20x120 and Nikon WX binoculars.

Canon IS binoculars.

Sony Digital binoculars.

Miyauchi binoculars.

Fujinon 25x150? and Night and Day?

Kowa Highlander.

I don't suppose Pentax or Olympus make their own binoculars nowadays.
 
Possibly made in house.

Nikon 20x120 and Nikon WX binoculars.

Canon IS binoculars.

Sony Digital binoculars.

Miyauchi binoculars.

Fujinon 25x150? and Night and Day?

Kowa Highlander.

I don't suppose Pentax or Olympus make their own binoculars nowadays.

My guess is you are right about some of those, but in the opinion of at least one industry insider, some of those companies do not currently manufacture binoculars at all (or possibly never did), but I don't have concrete info either way. There is a grey area when one company might be responsible for commissioning a design but entirely sub-contract the manufacture. That might account for some on your list.

David
 
Light Optical, Kamakura Koki, Shinsei and Kenko are the biggest Japanese OEMs I believe and centainly account for some, if not all the Japanese made models from Nikon, Kowa, Fuinon, Pentax and no doubt other japanese brands. I guess it's posible some are still made in house.

David

Ah, but did Kamakura invent the Koki Kola? :cat:

Bill
 
Light Optical, Kamakura Koki, Shinsei and Kenko are the biggest Japanese OEMs I believe and centainly account for some, if not all the Japanese made models from Nikon, Kowa, Fuinon, Pentax and no doubt other japanese brands. I guess it's posible some are still made in house.

David


Other than asking a question about Tamron, I think David is pretty much right here. Nikon may well make the high end stuff in house, but as small a percentage of Nikon's sales as are likely to be accounted for by binoculars, I can't see much if anything below possibly the Monarch HG not being contracted with for many of the others. Assembled in house may be another story.
 
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