Leitz 10x40B or perhaps another vintage pair of bins? (1 Viewer)

If the fungus is left in the glass but the Bino is subsequently cleaned and left dry and the Bino is kept dry, it should not grow/increase in size. I have a BA with a small round shape in one tube and it has not increased in size for a while, so I was wondering if just left alone, and the glass is kept dry it should be OK.
As Binastro inferred the price of buying used older glass sight unseen, all my other glass does not have this problem, they are always kept dry.

Andy W.

dries1 said:

Will Leica remove any fungus from the internals, I know Zeiss USA will not, curious.

Andy W.

Click to expand...

Andy:

Tell us more about your experience. What binocular do you have experience
with ?

Jerry

Hi,

I would be most astonished if Leica did a service on a 50 year old pair free of charge, given their past history with service - they're not Swaro.

It has happened that optical workshops have flatly refused to work on optics with fungus due to the possibility of it spreading to other optics in there - the spores are indeed flying around in the air, that's how they got in there u the first place.

It is a valid strategy to just wait and see with less severe cases of fungus. Some spots do not impair the optics in a noticeable way and as long as it doesn't spread, it's ok.

But once again, an old bin at quite a premium price MUST NOT have fungus, unless it was declared in the ad.

Joachim

Zeiss Canada [through Gentec] will repair any vintage Zeiss bin FOC - I would think Zeiss in the US would do the same - fungus or whatever.

I am fairly sure that Zeiss in the US will not work on any glass that has fungus.

Andy W.

JamesJ said:

Hi all,

The seller has been in touch and he contacted Leica in London and was told a general service would be complimentary, is that right?

James

Click to expand...

If Leica charges for the work will you still be interested in the binoculars?

james holdsworth said:

Zeiss Canada [through Gentec] will repair any vintage Zeiss bin FOC - I would think Zeiss in the US would do the same - fungus or whatever.

Click to expand...

James:
I am wondering about that, some reports say that fungus can etch glass.
So what would Zeiss do about that ? Zeiss does not have lenses for the old
stuff. In my experience with Zeiss, they don't like to fix but just replace.

I have experience with fungus inside a somewhat new, 8 year old alpha.
It was cleaned off, so how long that lasts, we will see.

Jerry

Hi,

in cases of heavy fungus, coatings and even glass can be etched by some species.
In that case one can just clean and leave the etch marks as is or polish off the coatings and/or repolish the surface and recoat. That is not going to be cost effective in most cases, of course.

I would expect that Zeiss, if they touch a case of fungus at all, to just clean and if necessary and possible, replace.

Joachim

Hi jring - I note you consider 230GBP "quite a premium price" for a Leitz 10x40B - I guess there must be quite a few more of these on the secondhand market in Germany than here in the UK (or maybe they are not as desired?) as virtually all the EB prices I've seen for Leitz roofs here over the last year or two have been higher than that. You might possibly get one for less at local auction sites, but might need to wait a long while for one. I confess that although I wouldn't want to use a non phase-coated roof binocular myself, I have been thinking small and compact might be of more practical utility to my mother (also an old school classic of that era!) in looking at her garden birds than ultimate brightness or contrast - so have put in the odd search now and again.

Regarding fungus in a binocular...I suppose if it is minor enough not to be noticeable when one looks through the binocular I could just about live with it, but storage remains an issue, as one would not wish to store it along with other optics. If it is evident when the binocular is used I'd have to get it cleaned as it would drive me insane. Leaving a fine binocular with issues like that to rot is - in my opinion anyway - false economy. The fungus or whatever can only get worse and the longer you wait the more troublesome it will be as spare parts become increasingly difficult to obtain (and decent technicians retire).

Patudo said:

I note you consider 230GBP "quite a premium price" for a Leitz 10x40B - I guess there must be quite a few more of these on the secondhand market in Germany

Click to expand...

Hi,

I don't know what state the Trinivid bought by the o.p is in - if it is collector grade like new in box, the 230 quid might be ok. For using it, I would have tried to get a cheaper pair - or a Zeiss 10x40 BGATP.

Although even the BAGATP would loose out to my SE 10x42... but that is another story..

Joachim

Hi all,

Just to round this thread off. I contacted Leica in the UK and they advised that I send them to Gary at East Coast Binocular repairs in Norfolk. They did say that they would provide free eye cups as needed and that the pair I have bought were made in 1979.

James

i found a pair of Leitz Wetzlab 8x40B Trinovid Germany #731826 (with a red dot) by it.... along with its leather carrying case while clearing out my parents house. Im trying to find out about them or who would desire them...would they be used for bird watching or sky viewing..(I have no real use for them)

breckend01 said:

i found a pair of Leitz Wetzlab 8x40B Trinovid Germany #731826 (with a red dot) by it.... along with its leather carrying case while clearing out my parents house. Im trying to find out about them or who would desire them...would they be used for bird watching or sky viewing..(I have no real use for them)

Click to expand...

This is a useful model, you found that out on your other post.

Go put in on the famous auction site, I can tell you are anxious to sell,
and that is the best place, but you need to know if it is good condition,
and free of fogging, inside dust, proper alignment, and disclose all of
those things.

Things are not as simple as it seems.

Jerry