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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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  1. O

    The Sears 6210 and 6209 (oldies)

    I was low on binocs in the 8x40(or 8x42) size, so I picked up and cleaned (is was OK inside) the 8x40 Sears Model 6210... it's a moderate-width model with a near-perfect flat field..very nice, good color. Extremely solid. Make by the mysterious "JB65"..no company in the JTI list. So when I...
  2. O

    A very special German mystery

    I need the assistance of the Teutonic binocular collectors here. I won the auction with some Wards / Wide Angle / 7x35 / Made in Germany / Featherweight binoculars that looked incredibly similar to the 7x35 / JB-4 Toei Kogaku (sold under different names) / 10 Degree extra-wides that are my...
  3. O

    Featherweights to Customs: a missing link

    Something peculiar showed up at the Goodwill auction: http://www.shopgoodwill.com/viewItem.asp?ItemID=22471050 It's a 6x36 design,full Bushnell Custom hardware,complete with front UVC filter, and yet it is called: "Featherlight II" (at the time). The bidding left me behind a while ago...
  4. O

    Bushnell "tough shell" 8x23 reverse-porros

    They don't have a model name, but the part number seems to be 25-0823 and the fov is 365 ft @ 1000 yds. These look like a small version of the toughened Audubon 8x30, and they came out about the time of the ill-conceived "Spectator" line. I have a pair that fell and cracked off the left strap...
  5. O

    Vanguard 10x25 Orros

    I went to the Kittery Trading Post to play with their big inventory today, and one pair really stood out at the under-$150 table... The Vanguard Orros 10x25. Vanguard has made a splash here with the more premium binocs, but I didn't try the Orros before because of their peculiar assymetric...
  6. O

    Interesting Price on Zephyrs

    There are some ads for sale at ebay, and I noticed a pair of B&L Zephyr Lights in 1954 were $170: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1954-Bausch-Lomb-Zephyr-Light-7X-35mm-Binocular-Print-Ad-/171739455141?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27fc781ea5 $170(1954) would be $1484 in today's money, using the govt...
  7. O

    Tasco 8x30, Model 320: Poor Man's 8x30 E

    Tasco doesn't produce too many greats, but they did make some. One is the Model 320 8x30s. --460 ft at 1000 yds for FOV. Generous, like the Nikon 8x30 Es. --A bright clear field, sharp on center, useable sharpness for ~80% fov. --"Sweet Spot", that is, where I can't see any defocus at all...
  8. O

    Checking out the Swift Eaglet 7x25

    Inside and out, this looks just like a Bushnell Custom 7x25 with its "spectacles" pulled into a ruggedized body with two little screw-on 'windshields'. Very solid and smooth, though with a similar grease-stiffening to the little Customs. A tiny bit of WD40 and some physical therapy got that...
  9. O

    Scope 7x35 Custom (Model 3010)

    What a little gem! There are a lot of Scope models out at the auctions, many fairly ordinary me-toos in regular and extra-wide, optically good but generally not fairing well mechanically. This one looked different, like a sort of Prominar or Custom clone. ----The arms weren't really solid, but...
  10. O

    A Storm of Red-Tail sniping

    It's been 4 times in the past week, (Northeast Massachusetts) at various places throughout town, that Red-Tailed Hawks have zipped by me, either due to my flushing chipmunks on the way down the driveway, or twice, Diving across the bow wave of my car, then next to parked car, to "shoot through...
  11. O

    Bushnell 8x23 Spectator, circa 1991-93

    The first one I got was extraordinary compared to similar binoculars, but I sort of wrote it off as 'sometimes a certain pair is just right'. I got a second pair, and the sharpness, flatness, and sweet-spot width is just as exceptional for a pocket model. I have three restored small Customs...
  12. O

    Very Interesting design, H20 10x26

    I bought a broken pair of Bushnell H20 10x26 at auction recently. They had the typical issue in broken waterproof compacts: the disks for the focusing pushrods came loose (likely when forced).. So, I salvaged the right side as a monocular, since you can pinch-focus the pushrod and then use...
  13. O

    Quite a salvage for eyepieces.

    I've been salvaging binocular eyepieces for 1.25" eyepiece use for a while now, and most come out with incredible results, especially the 'luminous' coated ones from the extra-wide field binoculars. Generally, a smaller the front aperture and higher power indicate a smaller eyepiece focal...
  14. O

    Nice flocking find

    I've been lining astro scopes of 70mm and 80mm with black emery paper (carbide sandpaper), but I found a flatter black by coincidence.. There are these thin plastic "Wexford 32 pocket Folder with prongs" binders at the Walgreen drug store (here in Mass/USA), and the INSIDE of them is amazingly...
  15. O

    Bushnell 7x26 lens system

    I just cleaned up another Custom 7x26 pair, and they came out super-clean. It helps to know the way in already. I think I got a deal due to some paint-rubbing and especially the missing medallion, but they are unmistakable. Speculators want something set-to-flip, I think. It had one issue...
  16. O

    spotter that takes standard eyepieces?

    Is there any spotter that uses regular 1.25" eyepieces? I'm adapting Plossls, Super-Plossls, and Erfles from damaged/parts binoculars, and they work great, but it would be nice to use them in a spotter for closer-range watching (25-200yds)...
  17. O

    "speed", resolution, optical countermeasures

    In looking into higher-power binocular issues, I've tapped knowledge and trends in the telescope realm, to see what might apply to the issue of binocular resolutions seeming to not increase with power as you might expect. It's been mentioned that most binoculars are around f/3 to f/4, a pretty...
  18. O

    A Few Beginner's Questions

    At some point, I'm looking to increase from 60mm, and the obvious quality/budget choice seems to be a reflector like the C90, yet I don't see much reference to it. Are there issues with reflectors for the 300yd--3mile terrestrial arena? Also, zoom is common in spotters but not binoculars. I'm...
  19. O

    F/7 DIY binocs for eagles?

    A recent mission I've been on with binoculars has been watching eagles fly, especially when they ride the highway and cloverleaf thermals. This involves great distances, on the order of 1000 to 6000 ft. I had some luck adding a little detail with a 10x50 and then 20x80 binoculars, but I...
  20. O

    Whar are the resolution figures for ED/HD?

    What are the tested data for actual and apparent resolution on these fancy ED andor HD binoculars, in arc-seconds? I'm wondering what they mean compared to the human eye's accuity limits in seeing the apparent field. Just fishing for examples. Many binoculars of medium cost seemed to be...
  21. O

    The toughest parameter to predict

    I've gotten a lot of practice eyeballing things at auction or on the shelves, but the one property that deals me a lot of surprises is: ---> handling/shake. I've seen oddly twitchy 7x35 units, a surprisingly stable 10x25 easily braced with hands and forehead, a steady 7x50 and a shaky one...
  22. O

    Great Binocs Under $100 (or 60 pounds Sterling)

    This topic comes up with beginners a lot, and there a lot of 'very good' models now in that range. what are you nominees? Mention any outstanding features, and avoid ones that have inconsistent quality (a note to me not to recommend what's great after a fix/hotrodding). Right off the bat we...
  23. O

    Does higher power demand fancier optics?

    Just tossing this out: In gearing up for a quality 10x view and I've noticed this in my samplings: that for older long-style porros, relative sharpness for 10x can be quite good, but for recent (short) roofs and porros, there is a softness that creeps into the resolution unless you pay a...
  24. O

    Interesting eyecup substitute

    It's been mentioned a few times here that while you can screw down a new-style eyecup or unscrew an old-style eyecup and use eyeglasses, you're then stuck with shading issues around the eye. Baseball caps and cupped hands abound. I found one widget that can help. I got a black neoprene 1/8"...
  25. O

    A clutch of variable "Plain Bushnells"

    I got a lot of 3 Bushnells, not too old, at auction, cleaned them up a little, and tried them out: ------------> Powerview 7x50 rapid focus, 367'@1000yd: : bendy plastic arms, bright enough, but not super sharp.... I checked them against some 7x50 ~1955 Seefar precision-focused. ...which...
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