Holiday MkII (1 Viewer)

[rdnzl]

I have these coming to me next week. I am excited to check out the wide FOV on them.

 

[elkcub]

Hi rdnzl,

Very interesting. Both binoculars seem to be in amazing condition. The one on the left is from Swift & Anderson, probably made in 1958 or 1959. The brown leather covering is completely new to me, and looks like it might a custom job? The one on the right was from Swift Instruments and made in 1967.

Let us know how you like them.

Ed

 

[rdnzl]

Hi rdnzl,

Very interesting. Both binoculars seem to be in amazing condition. The one on the left is from Swift & Anderson, probably made in 1958 or 1959. The brown leather covering is completely new to me, and looks like it might a custom job? The one on the right was from Swift Instruments and made in 1967.

Let us know how you like them.

Ed
Ed

I uploaded that first photo in error,. I removed it. The photo that remains is what I am getting.

 

[rdnzl]

These are Bak-4. I understand they were also made with BK-7's. At what point did they switch? Did they start out with BK-7 or Bak-4?

 

[elkcub]

These are Bak-4. I understand they were also made with BK-7's. At what point did they switch? Did they start out with BK-7 or Bak-4?

The attached picture of your binoculars comes from the 1969 catalog, and has Barium Crown prisms. BaK stands for BaritleichKron (German for "Barium Crown"). Going back to the 1959 catalog they also used Crown Glass prisms. So, if this model changed glass types it must have happened later.

I'm really interested in the picture you deleted. Do you own that binocular?

Ed

 

[rdnzl]

The attached picture of your binoculars comes from the 1969 catalog, and has Barium Crown prisms. BaK stands for BaritleichKron (German for "Barium Crown"). Going back to the 1959 catalog they also used Crown Glass prisms. So, if this model changed glass types it must have happened later.

I'm really interested in the picture you deleted. Do you own that binocular?

Ed

The photo I deleted was a pic that I had saved to my computer, while I was researching this model. I found it online during a search for the Holiday MkII, and I was comparing the subtle differences within the same model. I uploaded the wrong photo. I will have more photos of the one in the correct photo that remains, later this week, along with my impressions of it.

 

[rdnzl]

I got them today. I am very impressed. They have a real 3d "feeling" to the views, and the FOV is really nice. Its easy to get lost in these. I sat on the back porch with them for most of the afternoon, viewing many birds, squirrels and a few rabbit. Very sharp and bright. Achieving focus was fast and easy.

To me, they feel like a smaller sibling of my Audubon 504 MkII's. Chunky, but not as long. The views compare very favorably.

I think I need to start identifying more of the birds I have been viewing. Because the views look like photos from a book.

 

[Patudo]

I have a slightly earlier pair (serial number begins with #65). Although, regretfully, I seldom feel they are the best choice for my birding, there is a lot I like about them - the generous field of view is always a pleasure to look through, edge performance is actually fairly decent at closer range (though, somewhat oddly, seems to fall off when looking at targets further off)they are surprisingly bright for a single-coated binocular. They seem very well built, better than the East German Zeiss Jenoptems I formerly owned and not far off the superbly built Zeiss West porros. You probably won't think they handle as beautifully as your Zephyrs, but if you're observing flocking behaviour, from starlings and so on, they are brilliant for that.

It's a pity this type of binocular was not, it seems, popular enough to get the upgrades that the 8.5x44 Audubons had. A fully multi-coated #766, ideally with the eyepiece design tweaked for a little more eye relief (I have to place my eye closer to the glass with this than any other binocular I have) and a little better edge performance would be wonderful even today.