Cleaning a fogged barrel early Trinovid 10x40B (1 Viewer)

[Artigas]

Sorry, perhaps this has been covered somewhere else, but I bought a pair of Trinovid 10x40B Portugal binoculars recently and I've noticed that doing the flashlight test through the eyepiece, one of the barrels is fogged slightly. To be honest, I don't know if I can tell when I look through them. Sometimes I think I can but it's extremely slight degradation of image quality if anything. But perhaps it might get worse? I don't know if I'm using the term 'fog' correctly, but I don't think it's fungus but I don't have much experience with that with my vintage Leica camera lenses, thank goodness. It just looks a little hazy. I still have time to return them if the fix might not be too expensive. I do love them, plenty sharp and bright and to be honest, I just love the look. If they just focussed close enough I'd keep them anyway! Thanks for any thoughts...

 

[Foss]

I wouldn't advise ignoring fog or haze as internal moisture can lead to fungus and corrosion.

 

[Troubador]

TO CLEAN A FOGGED BARREL:

First drink all the beer........

Lee

 

[gunut]

send it back if they did not mention the fog/haze in the description....roof bins are more difficult than poro's to clean and work on...so more expensive ….

 

[richard866945]

It's not that unusual in these older models and it is likely to be haze on the prisms.
Cost to clean and realign is around £80.
My credentials have been on BBC 1 recently as the ocular expert on The Repair Shop.

 

[MSP1LT]

FWIW, I had 2 of the older Trinovids, the 7x35 & 8x40, both suffering from what I initially thought to be internal fogging. Upon closer inspection, however, the silver on the prisms had actually deteriorated over time which gave the appearance of fogging. The only recourse was to replace the prisms which would have unfortunately been more than the value of the binocular itself. I hope this isn't the case with yours.

 

[Foss]

It's not that unusual in these older models and it is likely to be haze on the prisms.
Cost to clean and realign is around £80.
My credentials have been on BBC 1 recently as the ocular expert on The Repair Shop.

Nice! I get that show on Netflix (USA) and will look for it. Do you know what season and episode?

 

[Binastro]

Possibly series 5 episodes 14 and 16.

B.

 

[Artigas]

FWIW, I had 2 of the older Trinovids, the 7x35 & 8x40, both suffering from what I initially thought to be internal fogging. Upon closer inspection, however, the silver on the prisms had actually deteriorated over time which gave the appearance of fogging. The only recourse was to replace the prisms which would have unfortunately been more than the value of the binocular itself. I hope this isn't the case with yours.

Thanks for that information. Is there any way of telling the difference before I send them off to have them cleaned (and spending the money)?

 

[John A Roberts]

Hi Artigas,

Alternatively, does the view through the objective look like the one on post #11 at: https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3904536#post3904536 ?

If so, it is again not good news, as it's likely to be condensation between the cemented prism surfaces and impossible to clean - see Gary Hawkins’ comment in post #15

Is it possible for you to post an image to give an idea of the likely problem?



John

 

[Artigas]

Hi Artigas,

Alternatively, does the view through the objective look like the one on post #11 at: https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?p=3904536#post3904536 ?

If so, it is again not good news, as it's likely to be condensation between the cemented prism surfaces and impossible to clean - see Gary Hawkins’ comment in post #15

Is it possible for you to post an image to give an idea of the likely problem?



John

Thanks for your help John, and all. Here are a couple of images I took through the objective lens, using a flashlight to shine through the other end. Thanks for everyone's help! Cosmetically, they're very nice and I don't mind spending another 100 euros or so to get them cleaned. But prism problems sound too expensive for me! I still have a few weeks to return them if I choose...

 

[Artigas]

In case anyone is interested, here they are. I like taking studio images, so my (...we'll see?) Trinovids were crying out to be shot.

 

[NDhunter]

I have learned the Leitz Trinovids are a bit complex to service, a smaller barrel, the Uppendahl prism and
the rest makes them an expert only repair.

Good luck, you have a very nice example, a classic binocular that Leica found a need to bring back, I like that.

Jerry

 

[Patudo]

Hola, Artigas - very nice shot which says more than a thousand words why these old Leitzes attract admirers even today. The lines of that 10x40 have a cleanness and elegance about them that make them look ageless, especially in a unit that looks in as good condition as yours. Unfortunately these binoculars are often well over 40 years old, and you should expect any optical device of that age to need a service (which many will never have had).

If all you require is a binocular suitable for birding or other types of observation, the most sensible and economic option is to return them and get a modern binocular that should, thanks to advances in technology, outperform any 1980s roof prism model in quite a few respects. But other Leitz owners have found it worthwhile to have had their binoculars serviced - see the "Leitz Trinovid focuser issue" thread below. If you can try a modern binocular side by side against your Leitz, I would recommend doing so. If, after doing so, you still prefer to get them serviced, Leica's Spanish distributor might be able to recommend a technician who can examine it, identify the issue, and give you an estimate of how much it will cost to resolve it. That expertise also exists abroad: Richard (richard866945 who posted above) did some work on one of my binoculars that required modification beyond a standard clean/overhaul, and would be worth speaking to. Our German members may also be able to recommend technicians.

Buenas suerte whichever way you go,

patudo

 

[Artigas]

Hola, Artigas - very nice shot which says more than a thousand words why these old Leitzes attract admirers even today. The lines of that 10x40 have a cleanness and elegance about them that make them look ageless, especially in a unit that looks in as good condition as yours. Unfortunately these binoculars are often well over 40 years old, and you should expect any optical device of that age to need a service (which many will never have had).

If all you require is a binocular suitable for birding or other types of observation, the most sensible and economic option is to return them and get a modern binocular that should, thanks to advances in technology, outperform any 1980s roof prism model in quite a few respects. But other Leitz owners have found it worthwhile to have had their binoculars serviced - see the "Leitz Trinovid focuser issue" thread below. If you can try a modern binocular side by side against your Leitz, I would recommend doing so. If, after doing so, you still prefer to get them serviced, Leica's Spanish distributor might be able to recommend a technician who can examine it, identify the issue, and give you an estimate of how much it will cost to resolve it. That expertise also exists abroad: Richard (richard866945 who posted above) did some work on one of my binoculars that required modification beyond a standard clean/overhaul, and would be worth speaking to. Our German members may also be able to recommend technicians.

Buenas suerte whichever way you go,

patudo

Hola Patudo. Thank you very much for the kind words and for that information. As a photographer, I carry lots of gear and although I love full size binoculars, they are not a practical solution for me for the most part. So I have a pair of 8x20 Ultravids that I quite like and take with me often. The 10x40s offer me other obvious advantages, but once again, my main concern is weight. At 560 grams, they are near about the same weight as a modern Leica 8x32. Rubber armouring is great, but in my opinion they give the user a false sense of security as even a small drop will result in a trip to the repair shop, as I'm sure many of you know. In the meantime, you pay the price of extra grams around your neck. (Though I realise the prism in this particular pair of binos also help save weight.) All that said, I have to be honest. I just like them. You summed it up eloquently--they have a timeless elegance, a reference standard of binocular design. Thanks again!

 

[jring]

Hi,

as a non phase coated pair of roofs with 10x magnification, some loss of resolution will be visible when compared to a modern pair - even if it gets serviced. At 7x or maybe 8x that would be less of an issue.

I would try to get a working pair if you really want a Leitz Trini... preferably 7x so the lack of phase coating is not so obvious...

Joachim, who likes his Leitz 7x42BA a lot - cosmetically not great but no optical problems.

 

[Trinovid]

Cosmetically, they're very nice and I don't mind spending another 100 euros or so to get them cleaned. But prism problems sound too expensive for me!

Did you send these binoculars back or did you manage to get them serviced?