What does “OEM” mean for camera gear and accessories?
Asked 6/22/2019
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I often see camera items described as “OEM,” such as lenses, flashes, batteries, or replacement parts. In photography, what does OEM actually mean, and how is it different from brand-name or third-party gear?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
7y ago
2 Answers
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So, unfortunately, this is complicated, because as often as not people mean something different from the original sense, and you kind of have to guess from context.
The term means original equipment manufacturer — a company that makes components. As you probably know, nothing complicated these days is built all in one factory. And, in fact, not all of the parts come from one company. Cars, cameras, computers — you name it, really… for any of these things, parts are sourced from all around the world from many different companies specialized in certain areas.
So, an OEM part is a part made by one of these supplier companies. It's not usually meant to be sold directly to consumers, but to the "final product" company who will put their name on it.
However, often these components are available directly (or through gray-market sales channels). This is where the confusion comes in. For example, an "OEM battery" may be any of these things:
- The official battery made by the contracted supplier with the final product branding and everything: that is, the "legit" thing.
- That exact same battery made by that same supplier, but without the branding on it. (In computers, this might be called a "white box" version, but this isn't particularly common in cameras.)
- A similar battery made by a different supplier that is not actually contracted for the brand-labeled part.
Because camera makers (or computer makers, or car manufacturers, or whatever) shop around for the best deals for suppliers, it may even be that an OEM in the third case was at one point the official supplier but is not anymore.
To make things even more confusing, there's a totally common different use of this term, where people use it to mean "labeled with the big brand" — the "original" camera brand instead of third-party. I'm pretty sure every use of "OEM" in the links in the question actually means it this way. This is very arguably wrong — but… it's probably more prevalent than "correct" use, so, well, look out for that.
Overall:
- This term is confusing and I recommend using something more clear when writing or speaking.
- If you see this label on a product you're about to buy... buyer beware. Make sure you know exactly what the seller means (and don't trust any pictures).
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
7y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
OEM stands for “original equipment manufacturer,” but in camera gear the term is used a bit loosely.
In the strict sense, an OEM is the company that manufactures a part or product for another brand to sell under its own name. In practice, photography sellers and buyers often use “OEM” to mean an item made to the same specs as the brand-name version, or sometimes a genuine part supplied through non-retail channels.
So context matters:
- brand-name/genuine: sold by the camera maker under its own branding
- oem: made by the original supplier, or described as equivalent to the branded item
- third-party/aftermarket: made by another company as a compatible alternative
Because people use the term inconsistently, “OEM” does not always guarantee that an item is officially branded, packaged, or warranted by the camera manufacturer. It’s best to check the actual seller description, branding, packaging, and warranty terms rather than relying on “OEM” alone.
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