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ID of Binocular on October 2017 Cover of National Geographic? (1 Viewer)

C

ceasar

Well-known member
Can anybody identify this Roof Prism binocular being held by a young and comely Jane Goodall in the picture on the cover of the October 2017 issue of National Geographic?

https://www.google.com/search?q=Nat...jth_vWAhVEYyYKHQNaA2gQsAQISg&biw=1280&bih=606

See the first picture in the sequence above.

The picture was taken sometime in the early 1960s by her husband, (at that time) cinematographer Hugo Van Lawick in the Gomba Stream Game Reserve in what was then Tanganyika. It apparently came from a reel of outtakes found in storage in 2015.

See pages 30 et seq in the magazine which is now on the magazine racks in local Barnes & Noble stores. The title of the article is "The Making of an Icon--Becoming JANE." There are other pictures of her using the binocular in the article. The article is very interesting if anyone is interested.

The binocular has some similarities to a well used very early version of an 8 or 10 x 40mm Leitz Trinovid but I cannot see a diopter wheel on the front of the hinge.

The Trinovids with the Uppendahl prisms were introduced in 1963 according to Europa and these binoculars look like they are older than that.

Question: Were there older roof prisms in use at that time made by other manufacturers?

Bob
 
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LPT said:
Looks like a Hensoldt 10x50 Dialyt which were made until 1963. Great bino in its day. AK prismed. See: http://www.holgermerlitz.de/ross10x50.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for responding to this LPT,

I know that you have a great selection of your own binoculars which you have posted about here on numbers of occasions and I was hoping you would comment on this one.

I don't think this 10x50 Hensoldt is the one judging from what I can see of the binocular being held by Ms Goodall on the cover of the National Geographic magazine I have but I think that you are in the ball park, so to speak.

Based on what I can see from the size of her hand the binocular appears to have 40mm objectives at most. The length of its right objective tube appears to be an inch or two longer than the 4 fingers of her right hand which is holding it. Her index finger is placed on the tube in front of the Focus wheel.

3 other pictures showing her holding it are on page 36 of the magazine. They show its length in relation to her left hand but no details on it are visible.

Bob
 
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Yes indeed - wasn't the Hensoldt 7x42 the forerunner of the now sought after Zeiss 7x42 Dialyt? In looking at photos of both, it's apparent that the distance between the second and third (from ocular to objective) of the three bridges connecting the barrels of the Hensoldt 7x42 is greater than that of the 8x30. The binocular JG is using seems to have a longer distance between the second and third bridges than photos of the 8x30; but a closer look shows that distance is only three fingers' width. The overall dimensions of the binocular also seem more in keeping with an 8x30 than a 7x42 (if the 7x42 Hensoldt is similar in dimensions to the later Zeiss 7x42 Dialyt) - unless of course JG is more er... statuesque in stature than I recall her being. I suspect it's the 8x30 she is using, but whichever model it is, it's certainly a classic!
 
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The 8x32 Hensoldt Dialyt monocular looks similar, but has a shorter front barrel and longer rear barrel.
The eyepiece eye lens is a lot bigger on the 8x32 than the ones noted above.
The 8x32 monocular is very sharp.
 
I found a practically exact the same looking binocular at the last meeting of the Binocular History Society meeting in Muenich. It was a 6x42 Hensoldt Dialyt. I will look at home in what time period these binoculars were produced.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
Bob, post 1,
I am pretty sure that the picture shows the Hensoldt Jagddialyt 6x42 and it could very well be a fairly rare one, in which one of the objective tubes can be drawn out a little, so one can observe objects at a very close distance so it functions as a magnifying glass with fairly large working distance (ideal for observing small animals, insects etc.).
Gijs van Ginkel
 
Gijs van Ginkel said:
Bob, post 1,
I am pretty sure that the picture shows the Hensoldt Jagddialyt 6x42 and it could very well be a fairly rare one, in which one of the objective tubes can be drawn out a little, so one can observe objects at a very close distance so it functions as a magnifying glass with fairly large working distance (ideal for observing small animals, insects etc.).
Gijs van Ginkel
Click to expand...

Enlarging the Goodall cover and checking images online of the Hensoldt sure makes me think Gijs is right on the money.

Also found a better pic:

http://www.janegoodall.org/wp-content/uploads/gallery_06_jg3.jpg


I notice they also had an 8x30 in the line (as Patudo said) which would be a possibility since those (as stated) look closer to 30/32mm objectives than 42mm. Then again, without armor coating, and not knowing her hand size, they could easily be 42s. DANG!
 
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David in NC said:
Enlarging the Goodall cover and checking images online of the Hensoldt sure makes me think Gijs is right on the money.

Also found a better pic:

http://www.janegoodall.org/wp-content/uploads/gallery_06_jg3.jpg


I notice they also had an 8x30 in the line (as Patudo said) which would be a possibility since those (as stated) look closer to 30/32mm objectives than 42mm. Then again, without armor coating, and not knowing her hand size, they could easily be 42s. DANG!
Click to expand...


David,

That is the same picture used for the cover of the October 2017 issue of National Geographic. The right portion of that picture includes all of the left objective and tube. The left objective along with the front section of the tube was cropped out of it to make it fit the cover format. And a small portion of JGs left shoulder and of her hair was also cropped out.

In your uncropped picture above, the objectives of the binocular look like they could well be larger than 30mm and a small part of JG's left hand is visible under the left tube as if it is helping support the binocular.

A small portion of the right objective ring was cropped from the cover image which helped make it look smaller.

Her facial features were softened somewhat and her hair darkened slightly but you can still see the dirt under her finger nails.

Bob
 
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