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Old Leitz binoculars (1 Viewer)

S

shorebirder

Well-known member
Hi
Anyone got any battered old Leitz binoculars they do not want (will of course buy them). Doesn't matter about condition as long as all bits are there. Interested in disecting a pair to see how they tick.
regards
Dave
 
shorebirder said:
Hi
Anyone got any battered old Leitz binoculars they do not want (will of course buy them). Doesn't matter about condition as long as all bits are there. Interested in disecting a pair to see how they tick.
regards
Dave
Click to expand...

My Mrs has a battered old pair of Trinovids. Trouble is they are still optically superb!!
They actually 'feel' better in the hand than my Ultravids, though obviously not quite as good optically.
Good luck with your quest.
 
Shorebirder,

The old Leitz Porros were quite conventional, but the original Trinovids had some unique design features. I have a brochure from 1989 which has a very good illustration of the internal design. I may be able to scan and post it. In the meantime I can tell you the prisms are Uppendahls, three prisms cemented together into a monoblock, which is a design I don't think was used in any other binocular. The objective is conventional cemented doublet. The eyepiece appears to be a 5 element Erfle. Internal focusing was accomplished by moving the front three elements of the eyepiece while the eyelens doublet remained stationary.

Henry
 
Hi Henry,
Thanks for the brochure copy. I have a Leitz 7 x 42 Trinovid BA I still use now and then. It's really a pretty good binocular. Not as good as my Leica 7 x 42 Trinovid BN, of course, but still eminently useable.

Fujinon made a cheap copy of it in the 1980's with what appear to be Uppendahl prisms and named it the Fujinon 4000. I have a 7 x 42. I don't think they made very many of them. The serial # on mine is 00201. It's not a very good binocular of course. Lousy edge sharpness. Not too bright either. On the Leitz the diopter adjustment is on the front of the hinge, on the Fujinon it's on the right ocular. The wheel on the front of the Fujinon's hinge is a slow motion focus adjustment knob. They have a 6 degree 30 min FOV and very long eye relief; as long as the Leitz's.

I often wondered why no other manufacturer used Uppendahl prisms in making binoculars. I like the looks and ergonomics of my Leitz. The Fujinon doesn't look too bad either.

Cordially,
Bob
 
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Hi Bob,

I've read that Uppendahl is more expensive to make than Schmidt-Pechan and its one optical advantage, 2 glass to air surfaces instead of 4, no longer matters much since surfaces are multi-coated. That probably explains why it isn't used more. I think the old Trinovids could be made into excellent modern binoculars with the addition of phase coating, multi-coating and dielectric mirror coating. They were much lighter than current binoculars (8x40 weighed 590 g) and IMO much more handsome objects.

Henry
 
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I had a pair of the older trinovids in 7x35. I loved them, they were a quantum leap in performance above anything I had ever looked thru up to that time including my old 7x50 Fujinon marine binoculars. You're right about the weight and ergonomics, they were the most comfortable binouclars in the hand that I have ever used. I am always tempted to pick up one of those mint pair that show up on ebay every now and then.
 
With respect to Leitz Trinovid 'copies', one of the best I think is an 8x32 made by Minolta featuring an unusual diopter setting construction. If I remember well, it was the fruit of a Leitz/Leica-Minolta collaboration.

On disecting Trinovids, Leitz made cutaways of their binoculars too. At least of their 8x32, of which I own an example. The models are complete to the last detail, even allowing a pretty good view (marred by false light of course). They're absolutely fog-proof as well.
See pictures.

Renze
 

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Renze de Vries said:
With respect to Leitz Trinovid 'copies', one of the best I think is an 8x32 made by Minolta featuring an unusual diopter setting construction. If I remember well, it was the fruit of a Leitz/Leica-Minolta collaboration.


Renze
Click to expand...

Hi Renze,
If you mean the Minolta Mariner 8 x 32, I have one. The diopter adjustment is located on a small thumb wheel (for your right thumb) just under and in front of the focus wheel. It is attached to the right objective lens barrel/prism housing. There also was a 10 x 40 version (It probably used the same oculars as the 8 x 32) that looked very much like the Leitz 7 x 42 I have. I'd guess the prisms are Uppendahls also. These binoculars focused by moving the objective lenses like the Swaro 8 x 30 SLC's. There are protective plates over the objectives.

The 8 x 32's have a 7 degree FOV, but extremely short eye relief. They don't have very good edge sharpness but have very rugged construction. I got mine in the year Halley's comet returned. Japanese made, of course.

Bob
 
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i still have my pair of 1975 leitz wetzlar 10x40 trinovid BL's. by today standards optically challenged, BUT, just pick 'em up.

now use KOWA 8.5x44 faultless!!!
 
Very interesting, Renze!

Perhaps your working cutaway can answer some questions I have long wondered about. Can you tell which prism face or faces are silvered, and where the roof is located? Does the prism assembly move along with the eyepiece elements when focusing?

Thanks,

Henry
 
Renze
Your 8 x 32 Leitz cutaways have more than a passing resemblance to my Minolta 8 x 32, without the diopter adjustment knob on the front of the hinge, though. The body construction is remarkably similar.
Bob
 
Bob,

So the Minoltas name is Mariner? I wonder what could be so marine about it.
Didn't know about the 10x40, but the combination of a configuration like this in a Leitz 7x42-like body sounds exciting.
Thanks for the info.

Renze
 
henry link said:
Can you tell which prism face or faces are silvered, and where the roof is located? Does the prism assembly move along with the eyepiece elements when focusing?
Click to expand...

Henry,

The prism assembly is fixed (glued) to the inward side of the barrel, so it doesn't move. This glued prism face, I think, could be silvered but I'm unable to ascertain this. Because the first reflection surface (lower prism) is painted (?) black, possible this could be the silvered prism face you're hinting at? The roof prism is the upper one, with the roof facing downwards (5th and 6th reflection). See the picture on the left.

cheeers,

Renze
 
Thanks Renze!

The black paint does indicate silvering of first reflection. That makes sense from the 45 degree light path angle that shows in the drawing I posted. I was unsure about the last reflection, which also appears to show a 45 degree angle. Now that I know the roof faces are located there I think the roof angles supply the 90 degrees needed for total internal reflection, so no silvering is required. The second, third and fourth reflections all appear to be 90 degrees so they shouldn't need silvering.

Henry
 
Hello Renze,
I used to own the 10x40 and the 8x32 Minolta Mariners at the same time as I owned 10x40B and 8x32B Trinovids. All that is left of the Minoltas are the catalogues and the memories of some quite dull bins with minimal eye relief. Shown in the catalogue is the prism system, it is quite different that the Uppendahl shown in the Trinovid literature. There is also a 8x-16x32 shown in the Mariner line. If you are interested further, I could mail you a copy of the Minolta catalogue.
Regards, John
 
Renze de Vries said:
Bob,

So the Minoltas name is Mariner? I wonder what could be so marine about it.
Didn't know about the 10x40, but the combination of a configuration like this in a Leitz 7x42-like body sounds exciting.
Thanks for the info.

Renze
Click to expand...

Renze,
They are supposed to be completely water proof. I never tested them but I'm convinced they are. I dropped them in the sand at Cape May, NJ without harm and banged them off of rocks at Hawk Mountain, Pa. a few times without incident other than some tiny chips in the paint on the objective housings. They are really tough as nails! Their strong point is their strength! :king:
Bob
 
jjg213 said:
Hello Renze,
I used to own the 10x40 and the 8x32 Minolta Mariners at the same time as I owned 10x40B and 8x32B Trinovids. All that is left of the Minoltas are the catalogues and the memories of some quite dull bins with minimal eye relief. Shown in the catalogue is the prism system, it is quite different that the Uppendahl shown in the Trinovid literature. There is also a 8x-16x32 shown in the Mariner line. If you are interested further, I could mail you a copy of the Minolta catalogue.
Regards, John
Click to expand...

John,
I have to agree with your critique of their optical quality but then, as I remember, they cost about $600.00 less than the Trinovids did at that time. As I noted earlier, their exterior body design is remarkably similar to the one's Renze pictured above. I wouldn't know about their prisms however. Just looking at their construction, I wouldn't know where to begin to open them up if I wanted to do so. As I mentioned, they focus by moving the objective lenses which have protective plates in front of them. (Which couldn't have helped their brightness.) I would also be interested in getting a copy of their catalog or brochure if you would be willing to mail it to me. I can PM you my address.
Cordially,
Bob
 
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