Historical Review of Swift 804 Audubon Binoculars (7 Viewers)

[scotchmist]

Hallo, am a new birder. Just want to thank all in this thread for helping me research and evaluate an advert for what seems to be a Swift Audubon 804 Mk 2 WA (1968-1970). I'm on a limited budget so looked to get best bang per buck, sacrificing weight/novel materials for price. These bins show sand in their rotary parts but are said to be 'working'. Wish me luck! I think first thing I need to do is to find a secure harness so the leatherette lanyard is not tested. I'll report back later whether I've paid £60 for trash.

 

[Renze de Vries]

Hallo, am a new birder. Just want to thank all in this thread for helping me research and evaluate an advert for what seems to be a Swift Audubon 804 Mk 2 WA (1968-1970). I'm on a limited budget so looked to get best bang per buck, sacrificing weight/novel materials for price. These bins show sand in their rotary parts but are said to be 'working'. Wish me luck! I think first thing I need to do is to find a secure harness so the leatherette lanyard is not tested. I'll report back later whether I've paid £60 for trash.

Hi,

Yeah, keep in touch, lovely.

Renze

 

[Binastro]

If the sand is in the focus mechanism then it may need attention.

Otherwise if well aligned it should be O.K.

Regards,
B.

 

[scotchmist]

Been re-reading this thread and am pretty sure I bought a genuine and well-used pair of 1970 Mk II WA 804s.
The experience of looking through these beauties to a local hill 1 km away is astonishing- can discern the breed of dog being walked up there from my kitchen window.
Can't wait to get out to my local mudflats this weekend to see bird friends.

Asking the experts- I think my 804s have 2 small flecks of dust with fungal hyphae in the extreme visual peripheries of the left scope.
I can only see these flaws if I look to the ocular's dark periphery straight up to 12 o'clock and straight left to 3 o'clock.
The blemishes aren't visible when I view ahead through the bright field of view.

Should I;
a) Continue to enjoy my £60 gamble just as they are
b) Try to dismantle these lovelies myself, seek the origin of the hyphae and treat with hydrogen peroxide
c) Send to the Meister specialist in Nederlands for attention

I am in love with my vintage 804s just as they are but would also like to pass them on to my kiddos who are also wildlife enthusiasts.
Advice based on this background would be much appreciated.

Hx

 

[Binastro]

If the binocular doesn't give any sign of double images, I would use it as is.

The fungus won't get better, but has probably been there a long time.

You could try leaving it in sunlight so that the light shines on the fungal area.

I found a very good example in the charity shop for £15, but £100 should get you a similar binocular, well collimated and free of any fungus or moisture problems.

I suppose sending it to a competent repairer would cost you £80, but you need to ask for a quote.

It should be stored in a warm room with low humidity, less than 60% RH.
Out of the case and not in a drawer or cupboard.

If intended to keep for decades then a professional cleaning should be done, but as said above, a very good example could be found from an enthusiast who knows binoculars and can vouch that the example is very clean and collimated.

Is there sand in it?
If so I would get it serviced.

Has Ffordes of Inverness got one?

Regards,
B.

 

[WJC]

If the binocular doesn't give any sign of double images, I would use it as is.

The fungus won't get better, but has probably been there a long time.

You could try leaving it in sunlight so that the light shines on the fungal area.

I found a very good example in the charity shop for £15, but £100 should get you a similar binocular, well collimated and free of any fungus or moisture problems.

I suppose sending it to a competent repairer would cost you £80, but you need to ask for a quote.

It should be stored in a warm room with low humidity, less than 60% RH.
Out of the case and not in a drawer or cupboard.

If intended to keep for decades then a professional cleaning should be done, but as said above, a very good example could be found from an enthusiast who knows binoculars and can vouch that the example is very clean and collimated.

Is there sand in it?
If so I would get it serviced.

Has Ffordes of Inverness got one?

Regards,
B.

"You could try leaving it in sunlight so that the light shines on the fungal area."

There is a potential problem in the above. Sometimes, the sun will cause the balsam to break down which could cause more of a problem than a light fungus. 'just something to think about.

 

[Binastro]

Yes, I did think about this.

With an old binocular it may be wise to keep out of strong sunlight and just keep in a dry warm room.

If the fungus is on the front of the eyepiece field lens or prism accessible to just taking off the eyepiece I suppose it could be cleaned without affecting alignment.

If the fungus is inside the eyepiece it needs professional help.
It may not be cost effective.

But with mild fungus it is probably better to just use the binocular.

The sand ingress originally mentioned, did seem to be a problem, but this was not mentioned later.

As with many old binoculars the cost of a professional repair is more than the cost of the binocular.

Also there are few competent binocular technicians outside the major makers own technicians.

This Swift binocular is quite common and finding a clean sample may be cheaper and easier than trying to find a good repairman to service one with problems.

However, the small amount of fungus should allow several years of good use as is.

I wouldn't use hydrogen peroxide.

I normally used Baader Optical Wonder fluid or just gentle cleaning with water.

Regards,
B.

 

[scotchmist]

Yes, I did think about this.

With an old binocular it may be wise to keep out of strong sunlight and just keep in a dry warm room.

If the fungus is on the front of the eyepiece field lens or prism accessible to just taking off the eyepiece I suppose it could be cleaned without affecting alignment.

If the fungus is inside the eyepiece it needs professional help.
It may not be cost effective.

But with mild fungus it is probably better to just use the binocular.

The sand ingress originally mentioned, did seem to be a problem, but this was not mentioned later.

As with many old binoculars the cost of a professional repair is more than the cost of the binocular.

Also there are few competent binocular technicians outside the major makers own technicians.

This Swift binocular is quite common and finding a clean sample may be cheaper and easier than trying to find a good repairman to service one with problems.

However, the small amount of fungus should allow several years of good use as is.

I wouldn't use hydrogen peroxide.

I normally used Baader Optical Wonder fluid or just gentle cleaning with water.

Regards,
B.

Thank both you and WJC for your advice. I was adventurous enough to remove the eyepiece to check this for contaminants, but the small flecks are deeper inside the scope- perhaps on the prisms.

On closer inspection, the 'sand' on the hinge appeared to be ?dusty grease. The hinge moves smoothly for me and yet also holds my personal inter-scope distance well, so unless you recommend taking alcohol cotton buds to it I'll leave it alone.

Luckily, I'm seeing no more double image than usual so reckon the collimation is good. I have vertical prisms totalling 11 dioptres in my own specs after childhood strabismus surgeries, so am used to accommodating when tired!

My vintage 804s are now out on a nice warm shelf inside and gave me much pleasure at the pond this morning. Hx

 

[Binastro]

I am glad the binocular works.

I'd leave well alone if things seem O.K., unless a professional advises otherwise.

I sometimes need 1 or 1.5 prism horizontally. Sometimes nothing, so 11 dioptres is a lot.
My eyes get tired quickly, but if I rest them for 5 or 10 minutes things improve a lot.

Ffordes don't seem to have a Swift 804.

Regards,
B.

 

[Patudo]

Congratulations on your purchase. It's great to see the old classics still doing the job and giving pleasure to happy owners.

I know you Scots are legendarily tight with your money, but if I thought there was fungus in any of my binoculars, it would go in for service. It doesn't need to be sent to the Netherlands either - there are technicians here in the UK who are more than capable of working on your binocular (Glasgow Binocular Repairs used to be well regarded, but appear to have closed permanently, so you may have to send them south of the border). Your binoculars probably have not been serviced since they were purchased, and fifty-plus years is a long time for issues to arise. Get them properly done - cleaned internally, relubricated, alignment checked - and you can feel confident that your acquisition will continue to give good service for many years.

 

[Binastro]

Dougie at Glasgow Binocular Repairs sadly passed away a few years ago.

Regards,
B.

 

[scotchmist]

Congratulations on your purchase. It's great to see the old classics still doing the job and giving pleasure to happy owners.

I know you Scots are legendarily tight with your money, but if I thought there was fungus in any of my binoculars, it would go in for service. It doesn't need to be sent to the Netherlands either - there are technicians here in the UK who are more than capable of working on your binocular (Glasgow Binocular Repairs used to be well regarded, but appear to have closed permanently, so you may have to send them south of the border). Your binoculars probably have not been serviced since they were purchased, and fifty-plus years is a long time for issues to arise. Get them properly done - cleaned internally, relubricated, alignment checked - and you can feel confident that your acquisition will continue to give good service for many years.

Dear Patudo and Binastro,

I'm so sorry to hear of any and all bino experts' passing.
Am acutely aware of the loss of them as a community resource of expertise and experience against a throwaway, obsolescence culture.
.
Am v pleased to report back that I literally cannot notice the far-periphery flaws during bright daylight use of my 1970 Audubons on weekend estuarine forays.

Am noticing some same faces at my local Lagoon estuarine hide when I visit during the 2 hrs before high tide. Some are nice enough to give me warm non-verbal recognitions. It's a library atmosphere with children shushed and only whispering heard.

I make a silent show of using and riffling thru my thick RSPB Bird ID book, to overtly signal I'm a beginner and useless at discriminating between the multifarious waders of nearly-identical body shape and colourways.

Still crap at discriminating waders, but they give me huge delight nevertheless.

Bird friends I am most in love with this week;
1. Teal duck (always!)
2. Oystercatcher
3. Lapwing (peewit)
4. Curlew
5. Snipe
6. Sandpiper

Am up north to Montrose Basin this coming weekend. The staff are incredible patient and knowledgeable and the optical equipment wowsers.

Hx

 

[scotchmist]

Dougie at Glasgow Binocular Repairs sadly passed away a few years ago.

Regards,
B.

Really sad. Wish I'd met him.

 

[wllmspd]

… I’d add Redshank to your list. I’ve found 4 teal on a tiny local pond and it bright a smile to my face.

Peter

 

[scotchmist]

… I’d add Redshank to your list. I’ve found 4 teal on a tiny local pond and it bright a smile to my face.

Peter

Dear Peter,

Was up at the Montrose Basin this weekend... oh joy. Redshank flock decided to uplift from the shore in a murmuration-movement and relocate to a sandbar a few yards back into the water, then start marching back and forth in a comical clockwork fashion to the beat of some group-think.

I was introduced by the wonderful Basin centre staff to pintail ducks, and noticed the phenotypic pattern similarities between these Anas acuta and my teal lovelies Anas crecca, particularly the gold triangle on the males' arses and the 'vermiculation' grey shimmers on their sides. Went down an internet rabbit hole to research the phylogenetic relationships between these 'cousins' with a 2017 paper on mito DNA suggesting they only diverged 5-8 million years ago.

I also found Greenshank up there... gracile and elegant. But am still seeking sight and sound of eiders in summer plumage and making their "Carry On" film call.

Heather

 

[MFoortjes]

After reading these interesting 16 pages about the Swift Audubon 804 binoculars I just would like to say a a big THANK YOU to all people involved in, especially to Bill Cook (I enjoyed both your books), Ed Huff and Renze de Vries. BTW does any updated more complete version exist of these PDFs "The Inimitable Swift Model 804 Audubon Binoculars: Design and Marking Variations" than the one from November 2005? Or are you guys working on a whole book about? I would buy it immediately without any hesitation.

Mr Foortjes

 

[WJC]

After reading these interesting 16 pages about the Swift Audubon 804 binoculars I just would like to say a a big THANK YOU to all people involved in, especially to Bill Cook (I enjoyed both your books), Ed Huff and Renze de Vries. BTW does any updated more complete version exist of these PDFs "The Inimitable Swift Model 804 Audubon Binoculars: Design and Marking Variations" than the one from November 2005? Or are you guys working on a whole book about? I would buy it immediately without any hesitation.

Mr Foortjes

Thank you so much.

Three kinds of collimation for the 804.

1) Traditional prism-tilt, straight through.
2) Traditional prism-tilt, angled.
3) More traditional, eccentric ring adjustment.

 

[Prestdj]

just got my first pair of swift audubons in near mint condition

having downloaded the pdf are these a pair of type 3c? any information on how old these are? and the symbol on the hinge cover

 

[Binastro]

Possibly 1970?

Regards,
B.

 

[Renze de Vries]

Possibly 1970?

Regards,
B.

yes, 1970. And as such it is the first edition of type 3, a model made for the European market. Later European editions came with blue or gold ribbons. In our survey it's named type 3c, but for chronological reasons it should have been type 3a. Type 3's were made until Hiyoshi completely redesigned Swifts models in 1985.
Renze