There's $ but I have to fight with the preferred corporate vendor 🙂 At any rate, I've demo'd a model from Laxco and I am not very impressed (even though it was said to be similar to the olympus BX53). You're right in that most of the optics are made in China... I can tell you that my fluorites in my olympus at home are way better than the fluorites that I demo'd at work.