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

Please compare the 2012-2015 Trinovid to the new Trinovid HD (1 Viewer)

Hi maico,
What is the Cooke lens? Speed Panchro or maybe later?

Schneider make great lenses. Some of their old T.V. lenses are of the very top quality.
I think that they also make B and W filters, again top quality.

Unfortunately I have quite a few Chinese items. 4 socket extension lead that sparked and flamed and almost started a fire.
Useless lithium laptop batteries.
Poor binoculars.
Chargers.
Made in China books O.K.
Salter Chinese weights. Useless.
1/72 scale diecast model aircraft Chinese good.
2007 Canon compact cameras Made in China excellent.
Some of the best lenses use Chinese glass and there are big problems with the glass.

The thing I mostly fear is Chinese electrical products.

Fiskars, Arabia products are great.
I have a Nokia kitchen towel holder.
 
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Schneider make great lenses.
I think that they also make B and W filters, again top quality.


I have a Nokia kitchen towel holder.

David

Absolutely agree on the B and W filters and we use them on all our Canon lenses.

Your kitchen towel holder is surely by IKEA not Nokia, or can you make calls and surf Facebook on yours??

Lee
 
Lee,
Not IKEA.

Nokia fine wood turned and tripod feet.
One Red one plain wood.
Worked well for 30 years or more.
Not a digital bit anywhere.

Chinese bristles are common in brushes. I once sold these despite knowing nothing about them.
I was given a reps sample case of different qualities and sizes and made a sale. Got commission.

I haven't sold any igloos to eskimos. Yet.

Chinese traditional carpet top quality. Taiwan, backed tufted copies a third the price but very inferior.

Chinese 80mm spotting scope fair, 5 inch Maksutov O.K. Short focus refractors good and very good. All fantastic value.
 
Hi maico,
What is the Cooke lens? Speed Panchro or maybe later?

Schneider make great lenses. Some of their old T.V. lenses are of the very top quality.
I think that they also make B and W filters, again top quality.

Unfortunately I have quite a few Chinese items. 4 socket extension lead that sparked and flamed and almost started a fire.
Useless lithium laptop batteries.
Poor binoculars.
Chargers.
Made in China books O.K.
Salter Chinese weights. Useless.
1/72 scale diecast model aircraft Chinese good.
2007 Canon compact cameras Made in China excellent.
Some of the best lenses use Chinese glass and there are big problems with the glass.

The thing I mostly fear is Chinese electrical products.

Fiskars, Arabia products are great.
I have a Nokia kitchen towel holder.

Cooke S4

The best optic I ever had though was a Schneider 90XL when I was shooting 4 x5 sheet film.

I do have a non-Chinese policy in my household although for some things, it's unavoidable. I have a Nokia phone which is made in Romania but I discovered to my horror the Li-ion battery was made in the PRC. On some of my Japanese made Sony and Canon stuff the batteries say "cell made in Japan, Processed in China." :C

I've got a Braun radio/alarm clock which is just the sort of thing that gets off-shored, but no, it says made in Germany.

I'm thinking of buying a new Trinovid 10x42 HD. Can anyone say for certain it has no Chinese crapola in it ?

Some of my recent top quality acquisitions are a Gransfors Bruks splitting maul made in Sweden and an axe made by Ochsenkopf who have been making forestry tools since 1781 in Germany.
A B-3 shearling jacket made by Eastman near me in SW England and a leather jacket by Aero Leather clothing in Scotland.
Hydraulic hi-lift jack made by Compac in Denmark who have been making jacks since 1946.

IMG_2001.jpg
 
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S4 excellent lenses.

I think you would not like to know that some top items contain Chinese parts.
It really is impossible to know.

I also like to avoid China material, but am flexible sometimes.
 
I really don't care where it is made as long as the products meets my standards.
I do care when it's made in China/Japan/etc while the label says it's made in Germany.

Jan
 
Nikon seem to be quite clear where things are made. Most, if not all, the mid-range DSLR cameras bellow the flagship D5 are now made in Thailand and say so. The D5, the older lens designs and the more expensive lenses 'made in Japan'. Many of the other optics and battery grips say 'made in China'. Nothing is hidden.

When a German company manufactures almost everything in Germany they make reassuring videos selling that fact. This factory tour video is a good example :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2zR3a02KPI
 
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Nikon seem to be quite clear where things are made. Most, if not all, the mid-range DSLR cameras bellow the flagship D5 are now made in Thailand and say so. The D5, the older lens designs and the more expensive lenses 'made in Japan'. Many of the other optics and battery grips say 'made in China'. Nothing is hidden.

When a German company manufactures almost everything in Germany they make reassuring videos selling that fact. This factory tour video is a good example :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2zR3a02KPI

Companies like Canon and Nikon have factories all over the place so these products may well be produced in their own factories.

Lee
 
Well, interesting tangent with the origin of production, mouse subject, but I'm way more interested in how the new HD compares optically to the model it superceded. I ended up buying that older 8x42 for my buddy after comparing it to a Conquest and my Ultravid BR's.
 
I have investigated the Trinovid HD recently (the testreport is published in Dutch on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor). Everything pointed in my opinion to the following: Like the Conquest HD's the new Trinovid HD is completely made in Asia, most likely in Japan and is, like the Conquests, assembled there, taken apart in easy to re-assemble parts, so the re-assembling in Portugal is an easy job and can be done quickly.
Leica is responsible for service and repairs. I am looking forward to solid facts that prove that our conclusions are wrong.
Gijs van Ginkel

Gijs, what sort of things can you see inside that suggest or prove Asian manufacture ?

I'm a binocular virgin, the only frame of reference I have is my Trinovid 10x42 (2012-15 model), recently purchased new old stock for £587 GBP + tax which seemed a decent deal.

Professionally I use mainly hired Zeiss, Cooke, Leitz Primo and Leica in cinematography.
 
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Companies like Canon and Nikon have factories all over the place so these products may well be produced in their own factories.

Lee

Zeiss have a long history of using other companies to make stuff. For example, Contax lenses used to be made in Germany by Zeiss. They moved production to the Cosina factory in Japan in the 1980's which continued until Kyocera pulled out of the consumer photo market.

Zeiss used to supply Hasselblad with the classic 6x6 lenses for decades but that has now ceased. Fuji and Nittoh supply Hasselblad now.
Cosina however, continue to make many Zeiss manual focus lenses including the very expensive Otus line and they also produce glass.
AFAIK only Zeiss cinematography lenses, process ,industrial, scientific, specialist still lenses and the flagship binocular line are made in Germany. All are very expensive.
 
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I have investigated the Trinovid HD recently (the testreport is published in Dutch on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor). Everything pointed in my opinion to the following: Like the Conquest HD's the new Trinovid HD is completely made in Asia, most likely in Japan and is, like the Conquests, assembled there, taken apart in easy to re-assemble parts, so the re-assembling in Portugal is an easy job and can be done quickly.
Leica is responsible for service and repairs. I am looking forward to solid facts that prove that our conclusions are wrong.
Gijs van Ginkel

Gijs:

I would like to know what you find when comparing these 2 models
mentioned, if you had them side by side. I am wondering about CA
in the HD version. The original 8x42 has quite a bit of CA, and I am
wondering if this is common to the UV as well.

As far as where manufactured, where does Leica make the Ultravid line
and also the new Noctovid ? Are they made in Wetzler or in Portugal ?
I am wondering if they only make cameras in Wetzler.

Anyone may also chime in.

Thanks, Jerry
 
Maico and Jerry, posts 51 and 53,
You ask more questions than I am able to answer. With regard to my hypothesis that the Trinovid HD is completely or for a large part made in Asia: Jan van Daalen took some comparable samples from Japanese origin and the new Trinovid HD apart so the interior construction details could be compared and there were so many simularities, that this was the basis of my hypothesis.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
Gijs:

I am wondering if they only make cameras in Wetzler.

Anyone may also chime in.

Thanks, Jerry

Hi Gerry

I am not familiar with Leica's photo activities but I am certain that the centre of their sports optics is Portugal and has been for many many years.

This factory is Leica's own and AFAIK produced the hugely loved and respected BAs and BNs.

No doubt if this is incorrect, MAK will let us know.

Lee
 
Maico and Jerry, posts 51 and 53,
You ask more questions than I am able to answer. With regard to my hypothesis that the Trinovid HD is completely or for a large part made in Asia: Jan van Daalen took some comparable samples from Japanese origin and the new Trinovid HD apart so the interior construction details could be compared and there were so many simularities, that this was the basis of my hypothesis.
Gijs van Ginkel

Guys,
Gis and Jan rights.
If we compare the interior construction details some of binoculars, you can find out a lot of interesting information. I won't point for various to optical brands, but I will tell you the following - Don’t believe anyone from optical brands, you are deceived.

When you using of binoculars if you don't notice the shortcomings but when you indicate to them and you look at them and recognize them, you start to fall ill. In reality, it's scary!
The worst thing is to test your favorite of binoculars on a professional optical measuring stand using artificial point source light under the influence of 3rd to 5th orders aberrations, which you have never seen before. It is smash!

But human eyes also have 3rd to 5th orders aberrations therefore aberrations are superimposed on each other and different observers see different pictures. So it makes no sense to strive for the ideal (diffraction quality) binoculars because with age the 3rd to 5th orders of aberrations increases by orders of magnitude.

Don't forget that the binoculars with best correcting 3rd to 5th orders aberrations will be with you until old age than binoculars which is worse correcting 3rd to 5th orders aberrations. A true axiom!
 
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Guys,
Gis and Jan rights.
If we compare the interior construction details some of binoculars, you can find out a lot of interesting information. I won't point for various to optical brands, but I will tell you the following - Don’t believe anyone from optical brands, you are deceived.

When you using of binoculars if you don't notice the shortcomings but when you indicate to them and you look at them and recognize them, you start to fall ill. In reality, it's scary!
The worst thing is to test your favorite of binoculars on a professional optical measuring stand using artificial point source light under the influence of 3rd to 5th orders aberrations, which you have never seen before. It is smash!

But human eyes also have 3rd to 5th orders aberrations therefore aberrations are superimposed on each other and different observers see different pictures. So it makes no sense to strive for the ideal (diffraction quality) binoculars because with age the 3rd to 5th orders of aberrations increases by orders of magnitude.

Don't forget that the binoculars with best correcting 3rd to 5th orders aberrations will be with you until old age than binoculars which is worse correcting 3rd to 5th orders aberrations. A true axiom!

Alex that is very interesting. Thank you for posting.

Are able to give us an idea of your impression of the quality of construction of a top alpha compared with a middle price Kamakura-made compared with a typical chinese bin?

Lee
 
Hi Gerry

I am not familiar with Leica's photo activities but I am certain that the centre of their sports optics is Portugal and has been for many many years.

This factory is Leica's own and AFAIK produced the hugely loved and respected BAs and BNs.

No doubt if this is incorrect, MAK will let us know.

Lee

Lee,

I have a Leica R3 dating back to the 1980s with a 90mm F2 Summicron lens. I haven't used it in ages. If my memory is correct one was made in Portugal and the other in Canada but I can't remember which. I must dig it up and see.

I have a Leitz 7x42 Trinovid BA that says "Germany" on it and a Leica 7x42 Trinovid BN made in Germany and a Leica 8x42 Ultravid Blackline made in Portugal and a Leica 8x20 BCA Trinovid that does not identify anywhere on it where it was made.

Bob
 
Hi Bob,
Some of the Leica Rs were similar to the Minolta XE, which I have. I used the Minolta with the Minolta 58mm f/1.2 at 4 seconds, which the XE had as the slowest speed. Perched on a car door mirror to give excellent Aurora pictures that were published. Minus 25C helped the exposure.
Some of these Leicas or Leicaflexes were apparently made by Minolta in Japan, but the quality control was not up to Leica standards.
Also Minolta/Leica CL. And quite a few lenses. Some of the Minolta lenses were better than Leica, some not.
In many cases Leica did not have a similar lens of their own.

Where something is actually made, only the factories know, and with time even they don't remember.
Leica claimed they didn't use thorium glass. They did sometimes but rarely. They also pinched the Xenon from TTH and were made to mark them under licence from TTH.
 
Lee,

I have a Leica R3 dating back to the 1980s with a 90mm F2 Summicron lens. I haven't used it in ages. If my memory is correct one was made in Portugal and the other in Canada but I can't remember which. I must dig it up and see.

I have a Leitz 7x42 Trinovid BA that says "Germany" on it and a Leica 7x42 Trinovid BN made in Germany and a Leica 8x42 Ultravid Blackline made in Portugal and a Leica 8x20 BCA Trinovid that does not identify anywhere on it where it was made.

Bob

My wife has a 1976 Leitz Trinovid with a black logo. At some point not so long after this the logo was changed to red although I can't remember if at this point it also changed from Leitz to Leica. We were told by our bins dealer at the time that the change to a red logo signified the move of production to Portugal. The Portuguese factory opened in 1973 and Leica has recently opened a new one there.

Lee
 
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