Nikon in the firing line (1 Viewer)

Nikon are in the firing line for their recent advertising campaign promoting telescopic sights for big game hunting. See http://www.independent.co.uk/enviro...ifle-sights-for-big-game-hunting-8556123.html

Given that other premium optics firms also produce such goods (even if they don't promote them in the same way) I doubt anyone can buy top-of-the-line optics without getting them from a company that also makes gun sights. Not sure either whether a boycott (formal or informal) would do anything other than increase the sanctimony of the boycotter, but for me the ad and the ramifications thereof leave a sour taste in the mouth.

Does Canon make gun sights?

Whilst Canon might not be in the top-tier for binoculars/scopes they are obviously a front runner for camera gear.

I use a Nikon camera set up at the moment and recent additions to Nikon's range are making me think it might be time for an upgrade (80-400mm & D7100) - however Nikon's promotion of something that I find so offensive might well make me wait for Canon's replacements of the 7D and 100-400 (accompanied by a letter to Nikon telling them why I had switched to their main competitor).

John,

dpreview had a similar article: http://www.dpreview.com/news/2013/04/03/nikon-under-fire-for-making-rifle-scopes

I'm not a hunter, and I find the thought of blasting wildlife for "sport" or "fun", frankly, completely off (wait until the aliens get you macho b*stards in their sights! karma much?!), although I hold the same views on all this middle ages, quasi-religious BS, throat cutting stuff as well.

However, if you're eradicating ferals (not the tree sitting greenie kind), or terrorists, then fair enough. I can even stomach hunting for food (provided that the beastie dies as the hunter themselves would like to be killed, ie. in 1/1000th of a second or less, and its a non threatened species). If it's an even match up between sticks, and rampaging tooth and claw - all the better - are we having "fun" yet?!

Admittedly the references to the "Dark Continent" are totally naff - but hey, it is America after all - not known for their class, or taste, in many things. If you look closely at the forum comments though, particularly from the editorial staff, you're pretty much struck with the overriding thought - "what the?" You have to wonder just where that particular line of thinking is really coming from.

Similarly, the claims by the Independent of "a backlash from within the industry" draw a pretty long bow. Most optics companies are under capital market pressure to leverage their investment and expertise in related fields, like medical, scientific, or tactical /military equipment, etc.

As off as most of the civilised world find it, this type of selected beat up is the result of "do gooders" feeding the media doom and gloom machine. Most involved in the optics industry would have some "human atrocity skeletons" hiding in the history closet somewhere - seriously, where's the outrage over the production of killing equipment in general.

Personally, I'd like to see the "do gooders" go all whoop *ss on the p**fters (not that there's anything wrong with that, per se!) who make the harpoons and related equipment used in that sick f***, torturous, agonizing, prolonged, inhumane death, industry - whaling :storm:


Chosun :gh:

The ad is definitely not one Nikon should be proud of, but their manufacture of rifle scopes certainly isn't new. As birders, we will find our choices in optics to be somewhat limited if we draw this line in the sand. I live in the west of the USA, but am not a hunter (and like to think that I have fairly good taste and level of class Juan), but I do live in a community where hunting is very popular.

My hunting friends generally have better binos than the birders I know, with Swarovski and Zeiss being particularly popular. As far as riflescopes go, the most popular are, again, Swarovski and Zeiss, as well as Nikon, Bushnell, Leupold and Vortex.

Bushnell has their Trophy line of binos, Steiner has their Safari line, and I don't think that Swarovski's Swaro-Aim Rangefinder technology, which "Calculates the correct bullet trajectory for angled shots on the basis of the program developed by SWAROVSKI OPTIK, while taking into consideration the measured distance and angle to the target" is intended for birdwatchers.

It is a question of economics, of course. Hunting is big money, and as much as I hate to admit it, I think it in some ways subsidizes a lot of high end optics. I applaud Canon for staying out of that market, but I don't think we'll see too many birders giving up their Swarovskis any time soon.

Yeah, I wasn't too happy when I saw this on Wednesday on DPReview.