Carl Zeiss 8x30 (1 Viewer)

[slingworks]

Hey Jerry those are nice little bins. I like them. They're not state of the art today to be sure, but pretty good all around. Easy to use, good view.

I never understood why so many are so obsessed about the edges, I'd prefer a wide angle view with edge issues over a narrow field and sharp across...

China? Yeah mostly...

Who will afford new bins afterwards? Quite a few 3/4 of Americans are still working...Besides, most who can afford high end new bins today will still be able to tomorrow

Might be some bargains to be had with sales weaker. Look on the bright side.

 

[mbb]

@Patudo, John, Joachim: thank you for the helpful replies!

I also came across the following webpages, in German (with some help of Goole Translate), that discuss these further:
https://www.juelich-bonn.com/jForum/read.php?9,421447,421447#msg-421447
The following post with picture is interesting, illustrating (part of) the problem: https://www.juelich-bonn.com/jForum/read.php?9,421447,421449#msg-421449
And interesting also is the following link to someone's custom solution to lower the glare/internal reflections:
http://www.stern-freund.de/index.php?id=43

Some comments there on the glare/reflections are not very reassuring, but I still just decided to try it and find out how much it will bother me: there appeared to be a Docter classic 8x30 for sale here in Belgium, which it is the successor of the CZJ, with later/improved coatings. Thus brightness should be good, but reflections/glare potentially still not. Due to the 'lockdown' I couldn't test it first, but with a price below €100 and, according to the pictures and seller in perfect condition (even still with the box etc.), I thought it would be worth trying, as first classic porro binoculars.

I'll see what I think of it when it arrives. I might also consider some DIY-solution íf the reflections would botter me too much, but I probably not as challenging as the one in the link above, having never taken binoculars apart before or tried to collimate tham. I'd rather put some mat paint on the removable objective tubes, as he also suggested as an easier though not as thorough solution, as I guess that wouldn't affect collimation because the prisms don't need to be moved. But that won't be for the coming weeks. If anyone wíth experience repairing porro binoculars wants to try that first, please let me know how it went!

 

[jring]

Hi,

if you want to try to improve your CZJ with some DIY, the path of removing and then painting or maybe even roughen up and then painting the shiny objective tubes with some matte black paint is strongly recommended... that is unless you have the tools and skills to do complete coaxial alignment for a pair of bins as fresh from the factory...

Joachim

 

[etudiant]

@Patudo, John, Joachim: thank you for the helpful replies!

I also came across the following webpages, in German (with some help of Goole Translate), that discuss these further:
https://www.juelich-bonn.com/jForum/read.php?9,421447,421447#msg-421447
The following post with picture is interesting, illustrating (part of) the problem: https://www.juelich-bonn.com/jForum/read.php?9,421447,421449#msg-421449
And interesting also is the following link to someone's custom solution to lower the glare/internal reflections:
http://www.stern-freund.de/index.php?id=43

Some comments there on the glare/reflections are not very reassuring, but I still just decided to try it and find out how much it will bother me: there appeared to be a Docter classic 8x30 for sale here in Belgium, which it is the successor of the CZJ, with later/improved coatings. Thus brightness should be good, but reflections/glare potentially still not. Due to the 'lockdown' I couldn't test it first, but with a price below €100 and, according to the pictures and seller in perfect condition (even still with the box etc.), I thought it would be worth trying, as first classic porro binoculars.

I'll see what I think of it when it arrives. I might also consider some DIY-solution íf the reflections would botter me too much, but I probably not as challenging as the one in the link above, having never taken binoculars apart before or tried to collimate tham. I'd rather put some mat paint on the removable objective tubes, as he also suggested as an easier though not as thorough solution, as I guess that wouldn't affect collimation because the prisms don't need to be moved. But that won't be for the coming weeks. If anyone wíth experience repairing porro binoculars wants to try that first, please let me know how it went!

Would it be useful to just tape some suitably dull extension tubes around the objectives? Obviously screw on hoods would be even better, but afaik the CZJ is not threaded up front.

 

[Robert Wallace]

CZJ binoculars were very popular with many bird watchers in the 1970s in the UK. Many birders including myself could not afford West German Zeiss or Leitz (Leica) in those days. Habacht 10x40s had relatively limited availability - Heron Optical used to advertise them in the RSPB magazine.
The CZJ range had the cheaper Jenoptem version whereas the more expensive range (with the quality mark) had different names for the binoculars.8x30s were called Deltrimtems and the 10x50s were called Dekarems. They were about 50% more expensive than the equivalent Jenoptem range.
I bought a pair of 8x30 Deltrintems around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall, but I don't think they were as good as the earlier versions and the do not have the distinctive quality symbol, which my 1974 Dekarems have, but they have multi-coated lenses. The do have a better traditional leather case than the Jenoptems.
The serial number of my Dekarems is 3855488 and for the Deltrintems 6989884.
Both models had decent close focusing, 5m for the Dekarems and around 8 feet for the Deltrintems. The 8x30 models were popular with butterfly observers because of this coupled with above average field of views.
They were not great for spectacle users and before I wore contact lenses I used to push my specs up and look directly through the binoculars.
My wife used the 8x30 but always complained about the narrow leather lanyard. Neither models were supplied with rain guards which was the norm in the 1970s.

 

[Sebzwo]

My first binoculars as a child were 8x30 "Revue" branded porros which today I consider CZJ made. My grandfather who knew a bit about binoculars and had some very nice pairs himself successfully started with his gift to me a certain interest up to this day.
"Revue" was the brand of Quelle department store group. They imported a lot of ready made stuff from the east to sell it in the west.

 

[mbb]

Hi,

if you want to try to improve your CZJ with some DIY, the path of removing and then painting or maybe even roughen up and then painting the shiny objective tubes with some matte black paint is strongly recommended... that is unless you have the tools and skills to do complete coaxial alignment for a pair of bins as fresh from the factory...

Joachim

While I would really love to learn doing it and having the tools for it, I won't touch the prisms, having to redo the alignments. It seems fun learning to do such work, in my case as a hobby.
Do you have any experience with upgrading those tubes with matte black paint, both about the procedure and the results?

Are the following assumptions correct about the procedure?
-there is no risk of needing realignment etc. if I just remove those objective lens and tubes, paint the tubes and put them back together?
-would regular blackboard paint be a good option? (I've read of about some special paint for blackening scopes/binoculars, but I have to consider how difficult or expensive it would be to have it available here, for just these binoculars relatively.)

Any idea of how much this 'simple' procedure would improve these binoculars?

I wouldn't want to end up with worse binoculars after compared to before...

 

[Binastro]

At the least the position of the barrels has to be exactly marked, probably by scoring lines across both connections. Marking which barrel is which.

Just screwing them back in would probably upset alignment, and messing about inside might also upset things unless done very carefully.

B.

P.S.
In addition, painting the inside of the barrels can result in out gassing, coating the optics with a black residue. Objectives and prisms.
I would cover the inside of the objectives, and leave for about a week before screwing the tubes back.

There is also some very black light absorbing material used for the inside of astro telescopes, but I cannot remember where one gets it or its name.

 

[jring]

Hi,

yes, Binastro is right - the CZJs are collimated by excentric rings around the objective lenses, not screws tilting the prisms as I thought.

Then you would have to mark the position of the objectives before unscrewing them... best put a removable paint dot on each of the rings and take an image.

Blackboard paint should be fine... some hardcore DIY astronomers try to improve it by mixing birdsand or sawdust into it - or applying the stuff onto a wet first coat, let dry and coat again.

The idea is to roughen up the surface but there is of course the danger of particles becoming loose... less of a problem in a dobsonian telescope where you just tilt the scope until they fall off the main mirror - more so in a refractor or bins which you have to disassemble... old porro bins often have some non-optical surface covered with sticky grease in order to catch loose particles... but otoh that sometimes tends to gas out over time and leaves residue on optical surfaces... The same can happen with paint - so make sure to let dry thoroughly...

Joachim

 

[wllmspd]

Black 3.0 is pretty dark, black flock paper is also used but can shed fibres which you’d want to avoid. There are several alignment techniques, but you need the right kit to do it properly. I magically realigned some old bins by unscrewing and rescrewing the lens tubes and reseating a prism. Tried the same on another and the results were mixed. There are people who can do a recollimation for you, but if the bins are cheap then it might not be worth it, though if their value is more than just the money then it might be. You could add straylight shields to the front of the objectives and winged eyecups too, this might achieve the same but be less intrusive.

Peter

 

[nitro270]

anybody know differences between Zeiss 8x30 B porro late run and early run?
I mean B model the one right after non B and late run before change to 8x30 B roof 1976

 

[John A Roberts]

Hi Nitro,

See the information and images at: https://www.birdforum.net/threads/zeiss-8x30s.384860/
Hopefully, they'll tell you what you need


John

 

[robert kirk 9765]

Hello,

You have found a nice binocular , congratulations.

If you are unable to find a replacement eyecup , the chipped one can be repaired using the baking soda and superglue method , you will of course have to paint the repaired area black , but I don't think that this will be a problem.
Just work slowly and carefully and you will be successful.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

p.s. Practice on a piece of scrap plastic first untill you get it right.

instead of using baking powder use graphite, it won't need painting and will be stronger.
Take care