[i_trax]

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I have the
SMC Pentax-DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 ED SDM and it was made in China.

There is currently one for sale here on PF and it is made in Vietnam?
So , why the difference?
I know that the lens is made by Tamron , so it also was DA 18-250 ( Made in Japan ).

I am just puzzled.

[FozzFoster]

I didn't think Pentax lenses were manufactured in China.

[AfterPentax Mark II]

I didn't think Pentax lenses were manufactured in China.

Original Pentax lenses are assembled or made in Vietnam nowadays. But the 18-270 is made by Tamron and they build their lenses in China. The 18-270 does not have full time manual focus, which is different from other lenses. So they were never made in Vietnam. Pentax-DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 Review - Construction and Handling | PentaxForums.com Reviews see second line.

[i_trax]

OK , so why this one listed here:

Pentax DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 ED SDM - PentaxForums.com

is Made In Vietnam?

[Fogel70]

OK , so why this one listed here:

Pentax DA 18-270mm F3.5-6.3 ED SDM - PentaxForums.com

is Made In Vietnam?

Are you looking at the image of FA 50/1.4?

[seventysixersfan]

So I found a few websites that mentioned that Tamron manufactures some versions of its 18-270mm in Vietnam. So perhaps that is what happened with some copies of the Pentax DA 18-270mm.

See: Review Tamron Di II 18-270mm F / 3.5-6.3 VC PZD B008 | Happy

Manufacturer country MADE IN CHINA (made in China), there are also versions made in Vietnam.

and see this Tamron 18-270mm that had been listed for sale on eBay -- one of the pictures of the lens clearly says "made in vietnam" in white lettering on the side of the lens barrel just above the lens mount.
Tamron Zoom 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di II VC PZD Lens, B008 For Nikon F Mount, AF | eBay

---------- Post added 06-26-21 at 12:02 AM ----------

But the 18-270 is made by Tamron and they build their lenses in China.

See: TAMRON?Tamron's 'Monozukuri' | An Inspiring Visit to a Plant Overseas
"Tamron has lens-producing plants in the three countries of Japan, China and Vietnam, which assemble and ship the products."

[i_trax]

Are you looking at the image of FA 50/1.4?

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/attachments/24-photographic-equipment-sa..._132714923.jpg

[JPT]

Tamron has a production site in both China and Vietnam and well as a few other plants in the northern area of Japan, which seem to make glass and parts that are later assembled in the overseas locations. Vietnam is the more recent one, started in 2013. I guess they moved production of that lens at some point.

As a matter of fact, the Tamron plant is in Hanoi, reportedly very close to the Ricoh Imaging plant.

You read more about it here, They are quite transparent about where they make their products.
TAMRON | Introduction to production sites

[FozzFoster]

But the 18-270 is made by Tamron and they build their lenses in China.

Wow! News to me.
I knew that the 15-30, 24-70, and 70-210 were designed by Tamron (albeit with Pentax modifications included).
But I didn't know about the 18-270...
And I didn't think these 'borrowed' lens designs included Tamron manufacturing the lens itself.

Are there any more lenses (in our current lineup) manufactured by Tamron?

[i_trax]

DA 18-250 was made by Tamron , Made in Japan , it did get SMC coating but did not have Quick Shift ( all DA lenses made by Pentax do have QS ).
DA 18-270 is made by Tamron , Made in China / Vietnam , it does get SMC coating but no Quick Shift and no WR ( weather resistance , all later DA lenses do have QS and WR ) .
It also gained much more reliable , than Pentax SDM , Tamron's USD ( Ultrasonic Silent Drive ) , although it is still stamped " SDM" on the lens.


The 15-30, 24-70, and 70-210 do have HD coating , Quick Shift and WR so not sure if they are actually manufactured by Pentax or Tamron.

[Theov39]

Does Pentax also manufacture lenses in the Philippines? Quite a few of the cameras are manufactured there.

[AfterPentax Mark II]

Does Pentax also manufacture lenses in the Philippines? Quite a few of the cameras are manufactured there.

No, just the bodies are manufactured there. The first camera from the Philippines that I know was a film body the *ist.

---------- Post added 27th Jun 2021 at 00:07 ----------

Wow! News to me.
I knew that the 15-30, 24-70, and 70-210 were designed by Tamron (albeit with Pentax modifications included).
But I didn't know about the 18-270...
And I didn't think these 'borrowed' lens designs included Tamron manufacturing the lens itself.

Are there any more lenses (in our current lineup) manufactured by Tamron?

Pentax keeps on surprising us. As on the picture it says "made in Vietnam" it must be a recent one, because if I remember correctly in 2019 or 2020 they changed the "assembled in Vietnam" to made in. Just speculating it could mean that Pentax lenses, when they were assembled, used parts made in i.e. Japan, and made in usually means that all parts are manufactured in Vietnam as well. For the 18-270 it means that Pentax took building the lens into its own hands I guess. Of course these thought are mere speculations from my part. I just had a look at my newest lens the 11-18: on the box it says made in Vietnam, but on the lens it is assembled. The 55-300 PLM both box and lens states made in. They are not always precise with it so perhaps in this case made and assembled are synonyms. In the film era they also made lenses in Taiwan. But they were not the same quality as the Japan made ones.

[JPT]

I read an article about the Ricoh Imaging factory in Vietnam about two years. It was quite detailed and explained what they make there, and even details of the manufacturing process.

That factory has about 1,000 employees divided over two main buildings. One is dedicated to making the GR. The other makes the lenses. They produce 80+ different lenses there, but I think that includes 645 lenses, and they might be bulking up their figures by saying black and silver models are different products. But anyway, they have the capability to make a very wide range of lenses there. As far as I know the Philippines factory is for cameras only.

Like I said before, Tamron has their own factory very close, so the country of origin being Vietnam does not prove much by itself. I believe the Tamron rebrands are most likely made my Tamron. That makes sense for Ricoh, because they have a lot of unique lens models that they have to build in-house. Nobody else is manufacturing Limited, Start or 645 lenses for them.

By the way, I think Pentax went through a period of wanting to deemphasise the fact that they produce in other countries, hence the wording "Assembled", implying that some of the work is still done in Japan. However, since Ricoh took over they have done press tours of the factories, a video about the DA Limited production, and the Japanese press promotional material for the recent HD DFA Limiteds talks about the "Craftsmen" in their Hanoi factory. So I think they want to give more recognition to their overseas employees.

[i_trax]

All those information is interesting and important to realize and appreciate today's manufacturing trends.
I was always fascinated with Sigma.
All lenses always were and still are made in Japan , some elements and tasks still hand made.
It is really pity that Pentax was dropped off from Sigma's interests.
Well , I have number of excellent Sigma lenses and I will enjoy using them for many years to come.
Also , Sigma support in Australia is exceptional.

[pentaxus]

All I can say is that my 18-270 says "made in china".