Bino ID (1 Viewer)

[dries1]

A fellow worker showed me this Japanese 7X50 porro he had inherited from his Grandfather. All he was informed about it that it was procured in the 50s in japan, he thinks, so secondhand info.
He plans to get the right diopter fixed (locked in place) and cleaned. The glass is clean and the optics through the left diopter in focus is sharp for an old porro.

Any help with historical info would be appreciated.

Regards,

Andy W.

 

[peatmoss]

Hello Andy. The first pic identifies the company as Ofuna. I don't see any manufacturer's export code on the bridge (Ofuna's code was JB-63), so this unit either pre-dates that, or was not intended for export. Here is a bit of information... http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Ōfuna .

 

[richard866945]

Not unusual for eyepieces to jam. The lighter components of the grease evaporate leaving the waxy parts behind. Gently warming with a hair dryer may free it enough to move it but really both eyepieces will need to be dismantled; the old grease removed and new grease applied. Should not cost much as it should take less than half an hour.

 

[dries1]

Thank you Peatmoss and Richard for the valuable information, it is a great start - likely will not be able to determine the year of production. The IF got me thinking perhaps it was Military production.

Thanks again,

Andy W.