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

Swift Holiday Mark II (1 Viewer)

B

Bruce McIntyre

New member
I have the above model from my father and can't determine how old it is at this time. I have the catalog, but it has no date. Original price $120

7X35 Featherweight, extra wide field 578/1000, Model 766, SN 12-62213, 3 screws each side, 60-70 degrees, Quintar 7X - RLE 41.3, left side front J-B45, right side J-E47, center Made in Japan for ISSI (?).

New to Forum so hope I did this correctly. The Swift blog helped with a lot of well informed people. BDMc
 
Bruce McIntyre said:
I have the above model from my father and can't determine how old it is at this time. I have the catalog, but it has no date. Original price $120

7X35 Featherweight, extra wide field 578/1000, Model 766, SN 12-62213, 3 screws each side, 60-70 degrees, Quintar 7X - RLE 41.3, left side front J-B45, right side J-E47, center Made in Japan for ISSI (?).

New to Forum so hope I did this correctly. The Swift blog helped with a lot of well informed people. BDMc
Click to expand...

Hello Bruce, welcome aboard.

Your Model 766 was made in 1962 (first two digits in 62xxx), which was two years after Swift Instruments began in 1960. Previously, the company was Swift-Anderson, from whom your model was apparently inherited, since the manufacturer, JB-45, is Tamron, Co. The metalwork was made by Tokuhiro Kiko, Inc., JE-47.

By today's standards, it does have quite a wide field of view or 578/52.4 = 11.03 deg. (The apparent field is approx. 11x7 = 77 deg.) Clearly, they were not cheap back then, since $120 in today's dollars is $957.

Enjoy them.
Ed
 
Simon,

Nice collection of Swifts (and others). :t:

Do you use any of them, or just maintain a collection? My use has gone to zero because of eye relief limitations.

Ed
 
Alas

My Holiday Mark II along with two others just went up on the famous bidding site. I don't use them, mainly because they aren't waterproof and I have too many other "vintagers" for just hanging around the house.

The keepers:

1965 Commodore Mk II: the cylinder really helps with something this weight, and these just happen to be especially good for astronomy.

Pre-1960 Neptune Mk II: This is a Zephyr clone, complete with reverse focus direction. Not at all like the shorter-bodied Neptune of the sixties.

I also have a fondness for the pre-1960 Swift-Vega Grand Prix (8X) and Oceanic (6X). I don't use a 30mm binocular for low-light anyway, so the fact that these are BK7 doesn't hinder.

All have been cleaned by Crista and are a delight to use.

I suppose I'll miss the comfort (on the eyes) of the Holiday, but I soon won't be able to lift them anyway!

RDM
 
Bruce,
That is like an old Cadillac, enjoy it.

Swift experts,
Don't the J-B45 and J-E47 on the two barrels mean they were made by different factories? How unusual is that?

Ron
 
. Dear Ron,
I think the two Japanese markings are quite common.
I've seen quite a lot of Japanese binoculars marked similarly.
I am no expert on this but I think one is perhaps for body parts and the other for final manufacture.
 
ronh said:
Bruce,
That is like an old Cadillac, enjoy it.

Swift experts,
Don't the J-B45 and J-E47 on the two barrels mean they were made by different factories? How unusual is that?

Ron
Click to expand...

Ron,

See post #3. Standard practice for Japanese made binoculars. In fact, I think it was the exception for only a single factory to be involved back in those days. J-B45 (Tamron) designed the first Swift Audubon (Type-0) in the mid-1950s, and probably produced the 804 Type 1a and 1b into the 1960s (conjecture). Starting with Type 1c they were produced by J-B56 (Hiyoshi Kogaku) all the way to, and including, the first 820 Audubons in 2000. I don't know who makes the newest Z-frame 820s.

I agree with RDMadison (post #6) that the pre-1960, i.e., Swift-Anderson, products were made and handled better than later models. With modern coatings they would be amazing.

Ed
 
Last edited:
Ed,

Right-O, I wasn't reading closely. It is impressive that the shops in Japan cooperated so well. From what I have read, it works the same way in China now. The Kunming "brand", for example, is made by several optics houses in the city of Kunming, an optics center. I don't know however whether one shop cuts glass, another metal, etc., or if each completely makes a model.

Ron
 
ronh said:
Ed,

Right-O, I wasn't reading closely. It is impressive that the shops in Japan cooperated so well. From what I have read, it works the same way in China now. The Kunming "brand", for example, is made by several optics houses in the city of Kunming, an optics center. I don't know however whether one shop cuts glass, another metal, etc., or if each completely makes a model.

Ron
Click to expand...

Hi Ron,

I figure all that will change with robots in the not too distant future.

Ed

PS. Correction to Post #10. Type-1 Audubons were made by Tamron, including the 1c.
 
elkcub said:
Simon,

Nice collection of Swifts (and others). :t:

Do you use any of them, or just maintain a collection? My use has gone to zero because of eye relief limitations.

Ed
Click to expand...

Thanks Elkcub, a bit of both really.
I enjoy using them all but to build the collection too.
This is as are many of my binoculars, short on eye relief and af for now I manage without glasses.
 
elkcub said:
Hi Ron,

I figure all that will change with robots in the not too distant future.

Ed

PS. Correction to Post #10. Type-1 Audubons were made by Tamron, including the 1c.
Click to expand...

But not including the Type 1d, which Renze may have just discovered. Stay tuned for late-breaking mid-20th Century news. ;)

Ed
 
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