I have been watching the ED binocular price range for a few months on the internet sites & wonder if the China versions are being lowered due to bad economic conditions worldwide or their ongoing pricing competion in the binocular market ? I see the advertising " great value for the money ", but how low before the value really just means low end junk ? ...gwen
The Chinese are squeezing lower costs out of everything, including cars and machinery, as well as optics.
It seems clear that their ability to lead the world in binoculars is limited primarily by their weighting of the profit potential. There is little money in producing a direct alpha challenger, because of the marketing spending needed even before volume sales are begun. Instead they are gradually absorbing the market from below. For users, it means a wave of better gear at budget price points, with good glass now selling for under $200 here in the US, as illustrated by the latest Cameraland deals.
The Chinese glass maker CDGM makes an ED glass (H-FK61) which is said to cost only a little more than BK7, so "ED" binoculars could be priced close to the bottom if glass cost is the only criterion.