Carl Zeiss Jena 8x30w help please. (1 Viewer)

Hi, I am new to bird watching and have been given a pair of Carl Zeiss Jena 8x30w Jenoptem binoculars. They seem to be in good condition but have a slight double vision problem. Is this something that can be easily repaired? If so is it something that I can do or would it be best to take them to a specialist. Any help or advice would be much appreciated.

Jimmy,
I don't know why you aren't getting any responses from your countrymen, but this post will at least bump the thread to the top and get it noticed.

I don't know Kent from Toad-in-the-Hole, but even Yankees have heard of Kay Optical, it is an old and much respected optical firm, that will do such a repair, I feel sure.
http://www.kayoptical.co.uk/man.asp?cat=Observation Binoculars&catid=17&man=Strathspey&manid=76

Such an adjustment is within the scope of the ardent amateur optical fancier, but if you haven't fooled around with these things a lot already, don't start with your Zeiss! Also, it is so old it wouldn't hurt to have an expert make sure it is clean inside and in otherwise good shape.

I recently got a similar binocular, made by Zeiss's military arm, a Hensolt 8x30 DF. It is a very sharp little widefield, good for a reasonably bright setting. You were lucky to get yours free, and although you must spend a little to get it adjusted right (I'd think 40-50 pounds), you will still be way ahead.
Ron

Hi Ron

Thank you for your very helpful response to my post. I have researched the company you have mentioned and they are not too far from me. I hope to get my binoculars repaired very soon.

Thanks again.

The collimation can go in Jenoptems, and re-aliging the prisms is tricky, but they are so worth getting fixed! You can get them overhauled at the same time.

I agree with Jane your Jenoptems are well worth getting fixed as they are great bins & without doubt the best value for money when they were still being manufactured up until the early 1990's.
I bought my partner a pair of 8x30 Deltrintems 20 years ago but unfortunately they were left on the car roof on our last birding trip abroad & yes you can guess what happened when I drove off & went round a bend in the road. The damage was limited to 1 broken eye ring & 1 objective lens being knocked so it was cross threaded. So they were built very well as they took one hell of a knock.
We took them to the Birdfair on Friday & now they are being fixed, cleaned & serviced for a little under £60. I havn't time at the moment but if you're interested I'll find the receit & let you know who's doing it.

Regards, Neil.

Thank you everyone for your help. It has been much appreciated.

After doing some more research into my binoculars I have discovered that some fakes were made of this model.

How do I ensure that mine are the real thing?


I read that they must have a 7 digit serial number on the front, be stamped DDR on the center and also that there is a screw directly next to the (d) in the wording multi-coated all of which my bins seem to have.

Can I assume that mine are real and not fake.

Jim yes I have several pairs and they later models are prone to the problem. I fix my own, a pro will charge £50+

jenoptem

Jimmy

I bought an old pair of Jenoptem 8x30w in a country market for the princely sum of £8. They are beaten up and the coating on the lenses is in a terrible state, there was no case or neck strap but they still beat any of the smaller binoculars I have tried for overall performance, are kept on the kitchen windowsill and used constantly throughout the day. Get yours fixed and hang on to them! And if you really get hooked on birdwatching, you can't do better than a pair of of Zeiss Victory T*FL. (though some people may possibly disagree…)

B

A Jenoptem 8x30w in good repair is a joy to own. They give a splendid view, at a fraction of the price of modern roof prism binoculars. They will serve you faithfully for decades if treated with a modicum of respect. Just don't throw them or take them out in pouring rain.