AF-S Nikkor 105/1.4E to be announced

[chris dees]

Roland,
I just relayed this info, couldn't confirm myself (due to a lack of lens )

Indeed, it would be interesting if this lens would be made in China.

A few potential "reasons":
1) Capacity limitations in Japan (earthquake)
2) A new factory opened for high quality gear in China
3) Modern factory automation available, reducing the need on large quantity of skilled labor
4) "Huge" quantities expected
5) Good 'ol - "lets maximize profit" approach


rgds, Andy

Last Monday I was at NPS bringing back a 200/2.0 loaner. They just received a 105/1.4, a so called IPS - Initial Preproduction Sample, and the rep asked me if I would like to try it.
I tried it on a D810 but was not allowed to put the images on a card. So I could only "judge" from the LCD
I played with it for 5-10 minutes. It's a big piece of glass but it handled pretty easy. Rendering is alike the 58G; very pleasing.

The lens had a "made in China" tag on it.
According to the rep only lenses with a manufacturing price above about €2000,00 are made in Japan, all others in Thailand or China.

[stenrasmussen]

Last Monday I was at NPS bringing back a 200/2.0 loaner. They just received a so called IPS - Initial Preproduction Sample, and the rep asked me if I would like to try it.
I tried it on a D810 but was not allowed to put the images on a card. So I could only "judge" from the LCD
I played with it for 5-10 minutes. It's a big piece of glass but it handled pretty easy. Rendering is alike the 58G; very pleasing.

The lens had a "made in China" tag on it.
According to the rep only lenses with a manufacturing price above about €2000,00 are made in Japan, all others in Thailand or China.

It's early morning but how is a 200/2 a sub-2000€ lens?

[Jan Anne]

It's early morning but how is a 200/2 a sub-2000€ lens?

Chris brought back the 200/2 and tried the 105/1.4.

Good morning btw 

[Bjørn Rørslett]

I reconstructed the context as being of the 105/1.4.

IP samples are (usually) fully functional, but no guarantee they behave like the production items. Hence you are only allowed to play with them, not to show images taken with any IP product. Nikon is very strict on this issue and all NDAs have a specific clause on the restricted use of IP samples.

I once used an early IP sample of the 24-70/2.8 (first version) delivered without any multi-coating. One could appreciate the AF focusing speed, but not the propensity for flare and ghosting.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

According to the rep only lenses with a manufacturing price above about €2000,00 are made in Japan, all others in Thailand or China.

Well, that doesn't sound correct.The manufacturing price normally is a fraction of the price that the product is sold to the customer.  If all Nikon lenses that are being manufactured in  Japan (based on the "made in Japan" text in the lens) cost about 2000€ or more to manufacture, it would mean most of these lenses are sold at a significant loss.

[MFloyd]

My Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 is Made in Japan and costs here less than $1'000

[chris dees]

Don't shoot the messenger.
I added 105/1.4 in the text.

[Merco_61]

That rep is definitely wrong. My 105/2DC is nowhere near $2000 even retail, much less manufacturing cost.

[Jan Anne]

I expect if the rep was telling the truth it might be applicable for new lens models but maybe they'll end up moving some (less complex) models from the existing lineup to their Chinese production plant as well. Time will tell 

[longzoom]

The creators of this lens said, that they made the one with the 58/1.4 in their minds. If so, I'll pass on this lens. I do not like the new 58/1.4 one. It is my own, pure personal opinion.  Everyone's way will vary, of course!    LZ

[chris dees]

I expect if the rep was telling the truth it might be applicable for new lens models but maybe they'll end up moving some (less complex) models from the existing lineup to their Chinese production plant as well. Time will tell 

Exactly. Perhaps they started a couple of years ago with this.
105DC and 16-35VR are "old" lenses, I guess the 105DC is no longer manufactured and there're lots of samples in stock (on the shelf at Nikon) of the 16-35VR.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

The manufacturing cost is unlikely to be more than about one third of the retail price. Thus only lenses that cost about 6000€ or higher to the customer would be made in Japan; that is seven lenses at the moment. The high value of the Yen may have pushed Nikon to move production to other countries but on this scale, not likely.

[Frank Fremerey]

As far as I know my 1.4/24G was manufactured in Sendai before the 2011 Earthquake hit

[MFloyd]

Do we have Nikkor lenses which have different production sites ? Or, one lens, one site ?

[Akira]

Do we have Nikkor lenses which have different production sites ? Or, one lens, one site ?

The earlier lot of AiAF50/1.4D was made in Japan, whereas the later versions are made in China.