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

CARL ZEISS 6x42BGAT*P DIALYT SKIPPER (1 Viewer)

Rare because it didn't last very long which explains the fascination of collectors. It appears to use the basic body of the 7x42, possibly simply combined with the eyepiece from the 8x56.
 
I think my dream binocular would be a waterproof green Zeiss Dialyt 7x42.

Was that green 6x42 available in the UK when it was introduced first?
 
If memory serves, the 6x42 was a initially a Hensoldt product, that company having been the pioneer in roof prism binoculars.
When Zeiss took them over, they continued the Hensoldt Dialyt line under the Zeiss name. Perhaps the optics were also improved, but I believe the rubber armor and better coatings were the principal changes. It is still possible to find original Hensoldt 6x42s, leather covered, some with center focus, on the German Ebay from time to time.
 
Zeiss was selling a 6 x 42 sometime in the late 80's if I remember correctly. I saw them advertised in Popular Photography ads by Adorama or B & H around that time and there wasn't much info. I assumed that they were center focus and as there were no pictures I was also under the impression that they were Porro Prisms but those were clearly unwarranted assumptions on my part. I remember that they sold for around $499.99 or so. They were only advertised for 6 months or less. I was interested but never called about them. I think they did feature a wide FOV.
Bob
 
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I had one of these when they first came out. Believe they went for around $600 then (circa 1990s). They were T star but not Phase coated. Frankly, they were a bit underwhelming. While compact, light, and with a good FOV, the current Leupold 6x30 Yosemite el cheapo has better resolution. For boating the Zeiss would provide enough magnification, and for sheer ruggedness, I suspect the 6x42 would match the Zeiss 8x30 as the most bullet proof piece of optics out there in BF land.

I won't bore the readers about a Zeiss 8x30 IF that underwent extraordinary abuse with several owners and maintained its functionality.

John
 
I won't bore the readers about a Zeiss 8x30 IF that underwent extraordinary abuse with several owners and maintained its functionality.

You already did.

Just kidding. I remember your story from last year vividly, and consequently have been trying to find an inexpensive 8x30 IF. There's a lot of competition for them, so I haven't succeeded yet.
 
Jonathan -If my memory is accurate the Zeiss 8x30 IF Safari sold for $200 then. It came with a range finder lens in one barrel. Evidently, that model was sold to both the military and on the domestic market. The range finder I found distracting, so I returned it to Zeiss and they removed it - cost was $30. They may be phase coated now. Haven't found any that sell for under $600 here in Montana.
 
I had one of these when they first came out. Believe they went for around $600 then (circa 1990s). They were T star but not Phase coated. Frankly, they were a bit underwhelming. While compact, light, and with a good FOV, the current Leupold 6x30 Yosemite el cheapo has better resolution. For boating the Zeiss would provide enough magnification, and for sheer ruggedness, I suspect the 6x42 would match the Zeiss 8x30 as the most bullet proof piece of optics out there in BF land.

I won't bore the readers about a Zeiss 8x30 IF that underwent extraordinary abuse with several owners and maintained its functionality.

John

Interesting you should mention the early versions had no phase coating, would this be true for the Night-Owl range also ?.
I have seen this advertised and was wondering if this is a pre-Phase coated model.

http://www.fpoint.co.uk/ViewProdDet...45+B+T*+Nightowl&CAT_CODE=159&SUBCAT_CODE=130
 
According to Zeiss, P coating was introduced in 1988 and the NightOwls in 1993. Peter Abraham's site dates the introduction of the 6x42 as October, 1988, so I'm surprised to hear that any of those were not P coated. It couldn't have been many.
 
Jonathan -If my memory is accurate the Zeiss 8x30 IF Safari sold for $200 then. It came with a range finder lens in one barrel. Evidently, that model was sold to both the military and on the domestic market. The range finder I found distracting, so I returned it to Zeiss and they removed it - cost was $30. They may be phase coated now. Haven't found any that sell for under $600 here in Montana.

I wasn't aware that it had a reticule, but it makes sense. I know Nikon also made a version of this, which I haven't handled. It is also rumored to be bombproof.

Jonathan
 
Folks - Before I comment on what is or isn't, I had better not rely on my memory. I was mistaken. The Zeiss 6x42 is phase coated. I will write now from information provided by Zeiss literature. Having collected brochures and articles about optics for years, I should have accessed my Zeiss archive before commenting.

Henry is correct. Zeiss introduced phase coating in 1988. I'm looking at the two page
Zeiss brochure (front -back page) making the announcement that seven (7) Dialyt models are P coated. (printed in 1988) The 6x42 is not mentioned in the list. There is no description in any Zeiss brochures that I can find before 1992 printed in English about the 6x42. That year it was shown as "the specialist binocular for the sailor" including the 7x50 B/GAT* which was covered in either black or bluish gray colour rubber. The 6x42 is shown in bluish gray. The brochure specifically references the 6x42 "with phase-corrected roof prisms."

If you are bored with all this detail, quit reading. If not continue. The specs listed for the 6x42 are: twilight performance - 15.9; field of view - meters/yards 148/444;
weight-(ozs/g) 27.9/790; height eyecups turned up (inches/mm) 7.5/190; Width (inches) at 65 (mm) interpupillary distance.

The 6x42 is made of anti-magnetic metal so as not to interfere with a compass. "Each binocvular is tested for waterproofness [in accordance with DIN 58390-80, degree of severity 10." This I find interesting in that current Zeiss literatrue describes the 7x50 B//GAT* as splash proof. Sorry for all the detail.
John

P.S. Ingle1970 - The Night Owls according to Zeiss literature are phase coated.
 
I wasn't aware that it had a reticule, but it makes sense. I know Nikon also made a version of this, which I haven't handled. It is also rumored to be bombproof.

The Nikon 8x30 roofs were bombproof alright. They were not phase-coated, however, and the image quality wasn't really that good. I had a pair for a couple of years and sold it because the image quality just wasn't up to scratch. The non phase-coated Zeiss 8x30 IF roofs were better than the Nikon with better centre resolution and fewer ghosts when using the bins against the light.

The Zeiss 6x42 Skipper was phase-coated, the optical quality was on a par with the 7x42BGAT. A really nice pair, light, bright and very sharp with a good field of view, but it apparently didn't sell very well and disappeared pretty quickly after its introduction. I thought about buying one, but 6x is just not enough magnification for me.

Hermann
 
Just kidding. I remember your story from last year vividly, and consequently have been trying to find an inexpensive 8x30 IF. There's a lot of competition for them, so I haven't succeeded yet.

If you want a bomproof pair, try the Hensoldt Fero-D16 8x30 porro. They're nowadays quite easy to find in excellent condition for prices below those of the 8x30 IF. Holger Merlitz has some reviews of the Hensoldt on his website.

The only problem is the Hensoldts come with a reticule and laser filters that lower the contrast somewhat. Zeiss won't be able to strip them of the laser filters anymore since the German army took over servicing the Hensoldt military series themselves. Zeiss in Germany will still clean them internally if necessary, but they don't have any spare parts. When the laser filters are taken out you need some special baffles to put in place to avoid reflections when viewing against the light. At least that's what I've been told.

Hermann
 
zeiss 6 x 42 B

Hello Im new to this site but have been a keen birdwatcher for over 25 years. Recently I inherited my dad's binoculars Zeiss 6 x 42 B which seem to be very good quality, and ive been surprized by the posts regarding their value.
But despite that it should be most basic, I cannot adjust the width at all ! They seem to be either fixed or seized .... should I try CRC ?? All suggestions welcome !
 
Hello Im new to this site but have been a keen birdwatcher for over 25 years. Recently I inherited my dad's binoculars Zeiss 6 x 42 B which seem to be very good quality, and ive been surprized by the posts regarding their value.
But despite that it should be most basic, I cannot adjust the width at all ! They seem to be either fixed or seized .... should I try CRC ?? All suggestions welcome !

Welcome to Birdforum. Do you mean the 7x42 B binocular ?

I would not use any spray lubricant on the hinge. Get a strong person to give
it a go, or take it to your local optics shop.

Good luck.

Jerry
 
The Zeiss 6x42B Dialyt, introduced in 1988 and to my knowledge the first roof prism binocular equipped with phase coatings is also to the present standards of top quality. Very good color reproduction, lighttransmission 91-92% and very good optical performance.
It is a binocular that may have been inspired by the Hensoldt Dialyt 6x42 (discussed among others in another topic on this forum).
If you find one for a reasonable price: catch it, since it seems fairly rare.
Gijs van Ginkel
 
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