Kern 8x30 Pizar Elit - Center Focus Rarity (2 Viewers)

The previous thread ‘Kern 1988 8x30’ was recently posted to after a 14 month gap
Looking through the thread, there are a couple of reference to the ultra rare civilian centre focus version, of the current Swiss service binocular

There is extremely little information about the CF version, and most of what follows I found by Googling ' kern 8x30 “pizar elit” ', and then going to the Images option

An interesting discussion and the best set of photos are in a Cloudy Nights thread: https://www.cloudynights.com/topic/529640-swiss-miss-tery-what-have-i-got-here/ , see the attached image

There is some additional information and photos of another unit, in a Binomania Forum thread: https://binocoli.forumfree.it/?t=71818103
For convenience I’ve attached a translation of the text, though it’s not all that informative

Gijs van Ginkel has provided two comparison images here: https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=2924393#post2924393 (see post #191)

And I’ve also attached an image of an advertisement that was in a a 1987 issue of the journal of Die Flugwaffenbrigade 31 (The 31st Air Defense Brigade) of Switzerland

Finally, there is a low quality image that shows the cover of a manual for the CF version (I downloaded this some time ago, and don’t seem to have kept track as to where from)

- - -
Hans Weigum has written more generally about Kern binoculars several times on this forum

See especially: https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=162961&page=9

With additional information:
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=134800&highlight=Kern (see post #4)

https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=306068&highlight=Kern (see posts #19 & 22)


And that’s about all I could find!

John

Thank you for posting a picture of one of my binoculars, the Kern 8x30 center focus binocular with serial #140642, John!!

:eek!:

This is funny:
you seem to be located in Perth, quite a distance from Switzerland, writing about a Swiss binocular model which was presented 2016 by a forum colleague from the midwest USA on CloudyNights, which at the time triggered my interest, so I bought the bino in question from the colleague in 2017.
So the #140642 is now back in Switzerland where it originally came from, as part of my collection.

Canip

Canip,

Nice find, they are rare indeed.

Andy W.

Canip

Perth is at the end of delivery chains from either Europe or North America
In pre-Internet days both post and goods were largely sent by sea, and much went via Asia to Australia’s east coast, and then by road or rail to Perth

So back-and-forth communication could take weeks, and ordering of specialist goods was largely done without being able to either research information about prices, or reliability of suppliers

In the Internet era, with sales sites and where small goods are sent by air, ordering can of course be done easily and quickly, and with a degree of confidence as to prices and reliability

It’s also a pleasure to be able to easily research things that take my interest
As I’ve indicated elsewhere in relation to my information about Swarovski products, one can do things that were previously impossible!
https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3777537#post3777537 - see post #9 in relation to #7

John

:t::t::t:

Hopefully you gave those binos an adequate welcome home party:

Elmer Fudd said:

Hopefully you gave those binos an adequate welcome home party

Click to expand...

Sure !!

I miss the alp horns!