Those minute black specks are probably only debris on the field lens which is cemented to the prism. This is easily fixed by removing the prism plate which will reveal the prism cluster with the field lens cemented on top and cleaning the surface of the field lens. Could also be dings on the field lens which can't be removed or separation of the field lens from the prism which is a pain to fix but these two are less likely.
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Vintage and Classic Binoculars (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Simon S
- Start date
. Dear Ben,
the leather strap is indeed beautiful as you mention and the case is very nice as well.
However, the filters are missing although I do have sets of orange, red and I think neutral filters with other Soviet binoculars that may fit.
The close focus for me is 9 foot but I am longsighted. I'm not sure if anyone could get it down to 5 feet.
Soviet and Russian leather is not always good.
The Foton binoculars that I have still smell very badly maybe from the curing of the leather or the glue even though I've had them perhaps 14 years from new. If it wasn't for this I would use them a lot more.
And some Chinese camera cases smell appallingly. How on earth anybody could use them I don't know. I just chucked the cases in the bin, although the cameras still smell a bit from being in the cases.
the leather strap is indeed beautiful as you mention and the case is very nice as well.
However, the filters are missing although I do have sets of orange, red and I think neutral filters with other Soviet binoculars that may fit.
The close focus for me is 9 foot but I am longsighted. I'm not sure if anyone could get it down to 5 feet.
Soviet and Russian leather is not always good.
The Foton binoculars that I have still smell very badly maybe from the curing of the leather or the glue even though I've had them perhaps 14 years from new. If it wasn't for this I would use them a lot more.
And some Chinese camera cases smell appallingly. How on earth anybody could use them I don't know. I just chucked the cases in the bin, although the cameras still smell a bit from being in the cases.
jaymoynihan
Corvus brachyrhynchos watcher
a few weeks ago i picked up a pair at a flea market, that have turned out to be rather good and are now among my "users". My daily users include the 8x32 Nikon SE.
Binolux fully coated feather weight 7x35 wide angle 11 degree 578 ft. at 1000 yards.
Japan 2556 9857 with the inspection sticker still on.
With eye cups rolled down, very good with glasses.
Binolux fully coated feather weight 7x35 wide angle 11 degree 578 ft. at 1000 yards.
Japan 2556 9857 with the inspection sticker still on.
With eye cups rolled down, very good with glasses.
I just finished restoring (the inside, anyway) a pair of the Fujinon Bushnell 7x35 Customs.
It's very hard to get a deal on Customs, especially those, at auction. The pair I got
looked like that bounty-hunter dude "Boba Fett" from Star Wars....paint scuffed off
and oiled, crusty dirt. The insides had gone through a nasty mold period, to boot.
After the archaeology of removing crust and film, and fixing the guide tube on one side
(they are only press fit), I decided to open things up and go for the innards.
The prisms are all in a bracket unit fixtured precisely with cotter-pins, so I was able
to scrub off the mold, replace the fixtures, and maintain the same collimation! wow..
They were very kind in their design, planning for cleaning. The faces of the
prisms pressing on the bracket had no mold..not sure if there is a gasket or
grease, but they stayed fresh.
What an immediately-gripping view. Very nice, and a decent wide sweet spot.
The 1/4-diopter click-stops for the diopter adjustment are fantastic. I still
have to infuse a little more grease into the focuser..someone prior abandoned
hope after a stripping. It's not as pretty as the $160-$300 ones on ebay,
but it will certainly shock a few people when they look through "Boba Fett's"
binoculars and get a wonderful view.
It's very hard to get a deal on Customs, especially those, at auction. The pair I got
looked like that bounty-hunter dude "Boba Fett" from Star Wars....paint scuffed off
and oiled, crusty dirt. The insides had gone through a nasty mold period, to boot.
After the archaeology of removing crust and film, and fixing the guide tube on one side
(they are only press fit), I decided to open things up and go for the innards.
The prisms are all in a bracket unit fixtured precisely with cotter-pins, so I was able
to scrub off the mold, replace the fixtures, and maintain the same collimation! wow..
They were very kind in their design, planning for cleaning. The faces of the
prisms pressing on the bracket had no mold..not sure if there is a gasket or
grease, but they stayed fresh.
What an immediately-gripping view. Very nice, and a decent wide sweet spot.
The 1/4-diopter click-stops for the diopter adjustment are fantastic. I still
have to infuse a little more grease into the focuser..someone prior abandoned
hope after a stripping. It's not as pretty as the $160-$300 ones on ebay,
but it will certainly shock a few people when they look through "Boba Fett's"
binoculars and get a wonderful view.
They do zoom up a bit. I got this and a junky little pair for $47 with postage.
Most of the auction buyers of Customs are flippers, polishing them for Ebay.
The condition looked bad enough to scare them away. I think you'll see a deal like this
some day, and you're better at fixing it all up. On the down side, I do have two
7x26 Customs so bad I can't see a way out with. Those are a lot less friendly to rework.
Each has one barrel that's fully nice, though.
Most of the auction buyers of Customs are flippers, polishing them for Ebay.
The condition looked bad enough to scare them away. I think you'll see a deal like this
some day, and you're better at fixing it all up. On the down side, I do have two
7x26 Customs so bad I can't see a way out with. Those are a lot less friendly to rework.
Each has one barrel that's fully nice, though.
Hi Zeiss People
I now have an 8x30w as a project -it is misaligned and I hope to patiently try Seyfried's methods to get it back into alignment. I got the book this week and am very excited. It looks like there are recesses for locking screws to hold the eccentric rings in place when tightening the outer rings - a nice touch. I have found some screws that fit from stripping an old camcorder.
First test was to swap the objective barrels. When I unscrewed them, a rubber o-ring fell out of each side. There doesn't seem to be a flange surface on the inside of the body for the rings to bear on, so I am mystified as to why they were loose, and where they belong.
Are they supposed to fit snugly into the grooves against the cones?
Any advice would be welcome
Many thanks
Dirk
I now have an 8x30w as a project -it is misaligned and I hope to patiently try Seyfried's methods to get it back into alignment. I got the book this week and am very excited. It looks like there are recesses for locking screws to hold the eccentric rings in place when tightening the outer rings - a nice touch. I have found some screws that fit from stripping an old camcorder.
First test was to swap the objective barrels. When I unscrewed them, a rubber o-ring fell out of each side. There doesn't seem to be a flange surface on the inside of the body for the rings to bear on, so I am mystified as to why they were loose, and where they belong.
Are they supposed to fit snugly into the grooves against the cones?
Any advice would be welcome
Many thanks
Dirk
Porrofan did ask this question on the Zeiss sub-forum.
I suggested he post it here instead to see what kind of advice people who work on old binoculars might give him.
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garymh
Binocular Engineer
Hi,
The recess at the side of the OG barrel was not designed for a locking screw. The factory used a half moon shaped tool with a pin on the inner surface to tighten the barrel into the body and the pin located into the hole.
The rubber o-rings simply sit on top of the eccentrics and form a cushion between the eccentrics and the outer housing.
Gary.
The recess at the side of the OG barrel was not designed for a locking screw. The factory used a half moon shaped tool with a pin on the inner surface to tighten the barrel into the body and the pin located into the hole.
The rubber o-rings simply sit on top of the eccentrics and form a cushion between the eccentrics and the outer housing.
Gary.
A lost gem arrived today: The Manon No.258082, 7x35. 6.5 degree, Independent Focus.
Talk about a Cinderella. After a quick 90% IPA salute, these things really gleamed.
The highest resolution I have seen so far, about .007" line-sep at 37 ft
(3.5 arc-sec, 26 arc-sec apparent, 60W light at 2 ft...NOT full daylight).
The peak resolution isn't the whole story: I can see 3 3D planes beyond a flower/planter
target 150 yds away, through bright and dark brushlines. Since the measured resolution is about
twice what the eye can use, I looked into the front. Two ribbed tunnels with a straight section
between for baffles, all with grit-blasted black anodized metal. Wow. I think that's the contrast secret.
Very light, and relatively long-barreled. Mid-1950s.
They are a sleeper value. Keep your eyes out.
Manon is an odd mix of product, sometimes sublime.
The J-Codes are: JE22 and JB119
That's:
JE 22 Itabashi Kogaku Kikai Seisakujo (body)
and
JB 119 Nisshin Kogaku Kogyo Co. Ltd., Tokyo (optical)
They have UV/violet coatings on the outside and amber multicoating for the insides,
like the Bushnell Customs. Pretty true color, bright, with some haze rejection.
Talk about a Cinderella. After a quick 90% IPA salute, these things really gleamed.
The highest resolution I have seen so far, about .007" line-sep at 37 ft
(3.5 arc-sec, 26 arc-sec apparent, 60W light at 2 ft...NOT full daylight).
The peak resolution isn't the whole story: I can see 3 3D planes beyond a flower/planter
target 150 yds away, through bright and dark brushlines. Since the measured resolution is about
twice what the eye can use, I looked into the front. Two ribbed tunnels with a straight section
between for baffles, all with grit-blasted black anodized metal. Wow. I think that's the contrast secret.
Very light, and relatively long-barreled. Mid-1950s.
They are a sleeper value. Keep your eyes out.
Manon is an odd mix of product, sometimes sublime.
The J-Codes are: JE22 and JB119
That's:
JE 22 Itabashi Kogaku Kikai Seisakujo (body)
and
JB 119 Nisshin Kogaku Kogyo Co. Ltd., Tokyo (optical)
They have UV/violet coatings on the outside and amber multicoating for the insides,
like the Bushnell Customs. Pretty true color, bright, with some haze rejection.
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O-N, sounds a nice find, so many Japanese binocs sold in the US in the 60s/70s are not often seen in the UK, or maybe they just gave them different brand names here. I have never come across a Manon yet, but quite a few come up on the US auction site. Is it the fully coated one?
Hi Dirk,
How did swapping the objectives over work out? Often with Jenoptems a little knock will have moved one or other objective barrel a tad, a little tweak with the strap wrench often does the trick.
It's fully coated, with MgF on the outside surfaces and Amber/Luminous
multicoatings on the inside surfaces. I like that combination a lot...a little
haze suppression but very true color, not yellowy. This is an early Manon.
I would get 'plain vanilla' Manons again. The exotic-looking ones, not so sure.
I got very super build Manons with irising that made them dim...they went too far
looking for contrast on that model.
They have a Zen shrine for a logo. They used the name "Shrine Manon"
sometimes in their photo equipment. I remember. Their amber is similar to
that on the SMC (Super Multi Coated) lenses made famous by Asahi Pentax.
I had a camera with an SMC-Takumar lens, the SP-1000.
The Bushnell Customs I got a while back have the same scheme:
violet coatings outside and amber/luminious multicoatings inside.
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Mystery old 8x24 ?
Hi all, I bought this old binocular for £6 at a charity shop, I actually only wanted the almost mint Zeiss Jenna leather case it was in. My first thought was it is French, but when I got it home and had a look, despite it being dirty and in a bit of a mess I was really surprised at how good the optics are, it is sharp and clear and compares well with my old Zeiss DF 6X. It has 8x on the IPD scale like the Zeiss Delturis, which it reminds me of, but it is covered in thick black paint, so I cant see anything on the prism plates, but can see they are brass.
Grateful for any suggestions ?
Ben
Hi all, I bought this old binocular for £6 at a charity shop, I actually only wanted the almost mint Zeiss Jenna leather case it was in. My first thought was it is French, but when I got it home and had a look, despite it being dirty and in a bit of a mess I was really surprised at how good the optics are, it is sharp and clear and compares well with my old Zeiss DF 6X. It has 8x on the IPD scale like the Zeiss Delturis, which it reminds me of, but it is covered in thick black paint, so I cant see anything on the prism plates, but can see they are brass.
Grateful for any suggestions ?
Ben
Attachments
Looks 1920's-30's French to me but could be from one of the smaller German makers who manufactured binoculars which were often branded by the name of a British retailer. That center CF wheel looks Ross but the rest does not. I think Schutz may have made some traditional Porro I's with a focus wheel like that. Spindler and Hoyer did too.
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