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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

Diascope Generations (1 Viewer)

yves0071

Well-known member
France
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to indentify generations and age of Zeiss Diascope 85 T*FL.
What colours was DIASCOPE 85 T*FL models just before Harpia's (I think Black, right)?)
Are the green versions older or not (I would says yes, right?).
Thanks for confirmation
Yves
 
Dear Colleagues,
I would like to indentify generations and age of Zeiss Diascope 85 T*FL.
What colours was DIASCOPE 85 T*FL models just before Harpia's (I think Black, right)?)
Are the green versions older or not (I would says yes, right?).
Thanks for confirmation
Yves

I am also interested in the different models of the Diascope 85 T*FL and how these rank quality wise among the newer competitors on the market selling today.
 
Never mind the colour, look at the focusing knobs.

The oldest models had two focusing knobs, one for fast focus and one for fine (slow) focus.
Later models had only one focus knob but which combined both fast and slow focus depending how fast/forcefully you rotated the knob.

Lee
 
Never mind the colour, look at the focusing knobs.

The oldest models had two focusing knobs, one for fast focus and one for fine (slow) focus.
Later models had only one focus knob but which combined both fast and slow focus depending how fast/forcefully you rotated the knob.

Lee

Thanks Lee for the Info
 
Green or Silver = 1st gen with or without FL glass
Black with focusing wheel = 2nd gen
Current models = Gavia (mid-range) and Harpia (top spec) with helical focus

The first gen were very good and probably still competitive, particularly with fixed lenses. Zoom was the first "wide field" option, and also accepts Baader zoom.
The second gen used a 25-75x lens. Not sure if there was some sample variation, as the only one I looked through was soft and I think the focus was defective.
Not looked at the latest version, but the Harpia should be excellent, particularly if you were glasses.
 
Thanks Daniel for your comments.
I thought that the 25-75 zoom was not the best for the oldest generations
I tried an Harpia 95 and found that the images curvature on sides is quite strong .
Regarsd
Yves
 
Hi Yves

To my knowledge as Lee says the Diascope was updated from the green and silver 20x60 versions in 2013 to the black 20x75 single dual focuser. I have a 2015 85T*FL model which i have found excellent. The image at 20 through to 75 is natural and pin sharp. The FOV is also superb and because the eyepiece is big it feels very comfortable to use and has good eye relief. It is built like a battleship....well crafted and handles well . It is extremely smooth and fast to focus. I have the latest version stay on case....also very well made but the whole package needs a good tripod as its quite heavy.....about 5.5 lb with eyepiece, case and arca Swiss qr plate. I use a Benro CF tripod with S6 fluid head. You'll need a good fluid head to stabilise the scope. It's great for phonescoping also. I use a Samsung S9+....and mount it on a PhoneSkope case and eyepiece attachment with blue tooth shutter control.

You might guess from this that I'm a big fan of Zeiss.....

Here's a picture I took yesterday....I think the photos compete with some of the pro cameras and big lenses ( only my opinion).

imgonline-com-ua-resize-pvpDMa1wkfO.jpg
 
Hi Yves

To my knowledge as Lee says the Diascope was updated from the green and silver 20x60 versions in 2013 to the black 20x75 single dual focuser. I have a 2015 85T*FL model which i have found excellent. The image at 20 through to 75 is natural and pin sharp. The FOV is also superb and because the eyepiece is big it feels very comfortable to use and has good eye relief. It is built like a battleship....well crafted and handles well . It is extremely smooth and fast to focus. I have the latest version stay on case....also very well made but the whole package needs a good tripod as its quite heavy.....about 5.5 lb with eyepiece, case and arca Swiss qr plate. I use a Benro CF tripod with S6 fluid head. You'll need a good fluid head to stabilise the scope. It's great for phonescoping also. I use a Samsung S9+....and mount it on a PhoneSkope case and eyepiece attachment with blue tooth shutter control.

You might guess from this that I'm a big fan of Zeiss.....

Here's a picture I took yesterday....I think the photos compete with some of the pro cameras and big lenses ( only my opinion).

View attachment 729327

Is it possible to see a picture of your scope ?
 
Very Nice Scope :t: Also your back yard/lawn and garden looks pretty nice also. That’s one thing I do not miss doing anymore ... getting that dam lawn mower, along with all those garden tools out of the garage :C:C:C. Thanks for sharing

Thanks for your kind comments.

Have you British origins?

We nearly moved to Florida in the early nineties.....but didn't! What a wonderful place. I know Jacksonville is to the North but I've never been there.....only went to Orlando, Miami, Sarasota etc:t:
 
Old Diascope

Mine is an old Diascope 65, 15-45x, in silver, with two focusing knobs and looks like the pic below.

Lee
 

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Mine is an old Diascope 65, 15-45x, in silver, with two focusing knobs and looks like the pic below.

Lee

Yours is how I remember these. I actually handled one briefly many years ago. At that time it seemed like a very solid high quality scope.
 
Thanks for your kind comments.

Have you British origins?

We nearly moved to Florida in the early nineties.....but didn't! What a wonderful place. I know Jacksonville is to the North but I've never been there.....only went to Orlando, Miami, Sarasota etc:t:

No British ... half German/ half Irish but don’t hold that against me 3:) We chose Jacksonville because the further you go south especially the central part of Florida temperatures much higher with humidity to match. We find the Northern East Coast part of Florida with its lower temperatures/humidity easier on us physically. Sunny most days, when it does rain usually only a few hrs latter no sign it actually rained at all. No ice, no snow. Even in the coolest months one can walk or ride your bike wearing shorts with a light shirt. It’s the perfect place to retire :t:
 
...
I thought that the 25-75 zoom was not the best for the oldest generations
...
Yves

The 20-75x (it's a 3.75x zoom!) works well on the older scope versions - just don't lock - the last version has a ep locking system that didn't existed before. This zoom isn't the best for eye-glass users since the eye-relief can be a limiting factor for some - it's for me - the reason why I don't have one...

Zeiss Diascopes are known by high sampling variability and not so good finishing quality - test always before purchasing!
 
The 20-75x (it's a 3.75x zoom!) works well on the older scope versions - just don't lock - the last version has a ep locking system that didn't existed before. This zoom isn't the best for eye-glass users since the eye-relief can be a limiting factor for some - it's for me - the reason why I don't have one...

Zeiss Diascopes are known by high sampling variability and not so good finishing quality - test always before purchasing!

Hi David

Have you had a bad experience with Diascopes? When I researched them before buying there were many excellent reviews and articles which along with the Zeiss brand reputation, convinced me to buy. Allbinos and respected birders/naturalists gave it superb reviews and in its day (only a few years ago) it was regarded as one of the best scopes.

I'd be surprised if Zeiss, with their quality control, guarantees and high craftsmanship would allow sample variation and questionable quality in such a flagship product.

I've tried Kowa, Nikon, Hawke and Opticron scopes and with the 20x75 zoom I found the 85T*FL to live up to its name as an impressive bit of kit.
 
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Have you had a bad experience with Diascopes? When I researched them before buying there were many excellent reviews and articles which along with the Zeiss brand reputation, convinced me to buy. Allbinos and respected birders/naturalists gave it superb reviews and in its day (only a few years ago) it was regarded as one of the best scopes.

I'd be surprised if Zeiss, with their quality control, guarantees and high craftsmanship would allow sample variation and questionable quality in such a flagship product.

I've tried Kowa, Nikon, Hawke and Opticron scopes and with the 20x75 zoom I found the 85T*FL to live up to its name as an impressive bit of kit.

Years ago Jan Meijerink of Twentse Vogelwerkgroep published some tests on Diasscope 85 FLs. There was quite a lot of sample variation amongst the ten or so examples, much more than with Kowa 883s.
I too have seen a couple of Diascope 85s in which it was impossible to obtain a sharp image at 60x.
My first scope was a straight Diascope 65. The image was rather yellow and the edge sharpness not particularly good, but with an astro adapter and a 6 mm eyepiece the central sharpness held up very well at over 60x.

John
 
Mine is an old Diascope 65, 15-45x, in silver, with two focusing knobs and looks like the pic below.

Lee

I still have one of these, although I now use a lighter scope 50 mm scope for general use and a heavier 82 mm for when I want more light/power but if I had to go to back to one scope I'd use the Zeiss. It had over twelve years of use and I described it many times as the best bit of optical gear I'd ever bought. The zoom eye-piece had a huge field of view for the time.
 
I still have one of these, although I now use a lighter scope 50 mm scope for general use and a heavier 82 mm for when I want more light/power but if I had to go to back to one scope I'd use the Zeiss. It had over twelve years of use and I described it many times as the best bit of optical gear I'd ever bought. The zoom eye-piece had a huge field of view for the time.

Steve.....you were one of the advocates with your forum entries that decided me to have the Diascope.

I understand that there will be varying stories and feelings towards all scopes but I can only comment on my usage...... and I can't fault it. I really enjoy using it and as with all quality equipment it enhances my birding experience.
 
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