Leitz 6x24 not showing 'Amplivid' (1 Viewer)

[Igduck]

Hello everybody,

I have a nice Leitz 6x24 pair in my binoculars collection. It is obviously the wide angle Amplivid model, but it does not show this. It has all the other markings, like '6x24', '212m/1000'. 'E.Leitz Wetzlar' (and serial number 556647). I once had an other Leitz 6x24 pair with all the markings in reverse order, including AMPLIVID. See pictures.

Is the one without AMPLIVID a misprint, an early prototype? Does anybody know?

Best regards,
Cornelis

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

The Leitz Amplivid 6x24 was released in 1956 and stayed in production for 6 years when it was replaced by the second Trinovid series in 1962. The 6x24 from 1963 was equipped with Uppendahl roof prisms, whereas the 6x24 Amplivid was equipped with a combination of a roof prism and two mirrored surfaces.
A test of both can be found on the Website of House of Outdoor.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[yarrellii]

The above mentioned test from House of Outdoor is here:

https://www.houseofoutdoor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/TEST-van-ultra-groothoekkijkers-november-2018.pdf

Thanks again Gijs for the outstanding work. It is interesting to see that, although the name Amplivid is somehow the "myth", the Trinovid (without the Amplivid word) manages to keep the same FOV but with a much improved light transmission percentage. It's also worth mentioning the increase in weight from the Amplivid to the Trinovid, in such a compact device going fro 355 g to 445 g must be clearly noticeable.

 

[Igduck]

The Leitz Amplivid 6x24 was released in 1956 and stayed in production for 6 years when it was replaced by the second Trinovid series in 1962. The 6x24 from 1963 was equipped with Uppendahl roof prisms, whereas the 6x24 Amplivid was equipped with a combination of a roof prism and two mirrored surfaces.
A test of both can be found on the Website of House of Outdoor.
Gijs van Ginkel

Thank you for you reply Gijs, and nice to see you test is in Dutch! The question remains why and how my 'amplivid' (which is clearly an Amplivid not a Trinovid) does not have 'Amplivid' engraved in the bridge?

Regards,
Cornelis

 

[John A Roberts]

In relation to the Amplivid, see posts #94 and 95, and 101 to 104 at: Zeiss: Collection of cross-section and cutaway images
They include discussion of the Ludewig mirror/ prism combination used in the Amplivid,
and Gij’s graph of the transmission of the 6x24 Amplivid and the later 6x24 Trinovid.
Also see an image from an Amplivid flyer, from a 2018 eBay listing by lancer1963.

The Ludewig arrangement had 2 external reflections from the mirror surfaces, and 2 internal reflections (the prism is roofed).
So at least conceptually, the Ludewig could be considered a radical variation of the Abbe-Koenig prism:
'What if we took away as much of the A-K glass as we could . . . and were then left with two external mirror surfaces?'


John

 

[Foss]

Is it possible to aim a flashlight into the objectives to see if the binocular in question has mirrors?

 

[John A Roberts]

Hi Foss,

In belated reply to your query, it does seems that the front mirror is visible when looking into the objective!

See the barrel on the right. The images are from from Johann Leichtfried’s always interesting fernglasmuseum site at: Leitz Amplivid 6x24

 

[John A Roberts]

And for good measure, also see images of two Amplivid prototypes that were offered for sale on eBay in 2017 by www_leicashop_com
i.e. the Leica Shop in Vienna.


John

 

[Foss]

Hi Foss,

In belated reply to your query, it does seems that the front mirror is visible when looking into the objective!

See the barrel on the right. The images are from from Johann Leichtfried’s always interesting fernglasmuseum site at: Leitz Amplivid 6x24

View attachment 1456601

This should help Igduck determine whether his wide-angle 6x24 is an unmarked Amplivid.

 

[John A Roberts]

Hi Foss,

For comparison see an image from Gijs' test. The Trinovid focuses internally by moving elements in the eyepiece.

And while both have the same FOV of 212 m/ 1000 m (636 ft/ 1000 yd), other listed specifications differ.

Comparing the Amplivid to the Trinovid:
• length of 110 mm (4.3”) vs 97 mm (3.8”), and;
• weight of 355 g (12.5 oz) vs 440 g (15.5 oz).

So in terms of size and weight, and external design and handling, 🍏 vs 🍊?


John