Received: 1962 Trinovid 10x40 – first impressions (1 Viewer)

[Tristram]

These arrived a day earlier than expected. Yay for the Post Office, the only government service mandated by the constitution!

Externally, they are every bit as nice as the photos on eBay indicated. I’m disappointed in the optics, though. The lefthand glass is popping, flawless, but the right looks like the sky is full of wildfire haze. I should know, living here in Arizona.

Query: can anything be done about this for a reasonable price? The seller guarantees the item, so at worst I can send it back. I’d love to keep it, though. Anybody have experience with something like this? Will Leica still touch anything this old? I should think it might be a nice project for them to boast about.

 

[Tristram]

Seller responded: “only thing those ever need is the prisms wiped ...a good camera store can do that.
use them for the weekend ..give it some time”

What do you experienced forum members think?

 

[henry link]

The seller doesn't know what he's talking about, or does and just wants to make a sale. The worst possibility is tarnish of the silver mirror coating that was applied to one prism surface. It might take a long time, but all old roof prism binoculars with such coating will eventually become useless.

About 20 years ago I followed a thread about tarnish in some old Leitz Trinovids. I recall the only fix was prism replacement which then was about $800. Later, I saw that Leica no longer stocked the prisms.

 

[Tristram]

The seller doesn't know what he's talking about, or does and just wants to make a sale. The worst possibility is tarnish of the silver mirror coating that was applied to one prism surface. It might take a long time, but all old roof prism binoculars with such coating will eventually become useless.

About 20 years ago I followed a thread about tarnish in some old Leitz Trinovids. I recall the only fix was prism replacement which then was about $800. Later, I saw that Leica no longer stocked the prisms.

Yeah, “wiping the prisms” sounded suspect to me!

If the serial number table that I found here is accurate, these are 61 years old. The left side is still perfect and the right could be considered acceptable for that age. I’m not a perfectionist, but the description said “glass is clean inside and out” and the difference between the two sides is obvious. Not disastrously so, but plain to see. I wanted old, though. I’ll have to think about this.

 

[Owlbarred]

Absolutely gorgeous externally, but like a car with a perfect body but a bad motor. Send them back while you still can. If you send them out for a repair estimate, it will surely be too late to return them. Regardless, the seller misled you.

 

[mwhogue]

Yeah, “wiping the prisms” sounded suspect to me!

If the serial number table that I found here is accurate, these are 61 years old. The left side is still perfect and the right could be considered acceptable for that age. I’m not a perfectionist, but the description said “glass is clean inside and out” and the difference between the two sides is obvious. Not disastrously so, but plain to see. I wanted old, though. I’ll have to think about this.

Tristam,

I'm no expert, but Henry Link certainly is. You may get some other/furhther expert input on a possible fix. But in the meantime I recommend you "protect yourself at all times " w/r/t your right to return. Courtesy of a friend and fellow BF member I recently had the opportunity to use for several weeks both a newer mint Leitz Trinovid 7x35 (with standard strap lugs) and an older mint Leitz 6x24 (proprietary strap like your model) and both were perfectly good in terms of optical performance given the older coatings, so there are gems out there.

Mike

 

[Tristram]

Follow-up question, if I may:

How does said tarnish to the prism silvering present? What I’m seeing looks slightly brownish, I would say, which made me think of wildfire haze. It is even more noticeable looking through the eyepieces, where it appears more uneven.

 

[Paultricounty]

Follow-up question, if I may:

How does said tarnish to the prism silvering present? What I’m seeing looks slightly brownish, I would say, which made me think of wildfire haze. It is even more noticeable looking through the eyepieces, where it appears more uneven.

Send off to Suddarth optical or Landseaand sky (Texas Nautical).

 

[NDhunter]

I would return it, the minimum service charge with those vendors is at least $300. plus shipping both ways.
And it could very well cost more than that.
Jerry

 

[henry link]

Follow-up question, if I may:

How does said tarnish to the prism silvering present? What I’m seeing looks slightly brownish, I would say, which made me think of wildfire haze. It is even more noticeable looking through the eyepieces, where it appears more uneven.

In the photos I saw it looked like a blotchy brownish stain visible on the prism glass when looking through the front of the binocular.

What you see at the eyepiece could also be deteriorated Canada Balsam used to cement eyepiece lenses together. That could probably be fixed. Looking through both ends you may be able to tell whether it's on a prism surface or within the eyepiece.

 

[Tristram]

Looking through both ends you may be able to tell whether it's on a prism surface or within the eyepiece.

A more expert person probably could. Is there a way for a newbie like me to reliably tell the difference? I have agreed with the seller to keep looking at the item through the weekend before making up my mind.

 

[Alaska4me]

A more expert person probably could. Is there a way for a newbie like me to reliably tell the difference? I have agreed with the seller to keep looking at the item through the weekend before making up my mind.

@Tristram, been there, done that, with a gorgeous looking Zeiss Dialyt 8x30B, yet their view was supremely underwhelming. Without hesitation I returned them. The seller was very cool about.

If I were in your shoes, I would not keep your Trinovids, I have a distinct inkling you will never be happy with them. There will be more. Don't let FOMO get you.

The seller could now be playing your kind disposition.

 

[Paultricounty]

A more expert person probably could. Is there a way for a newbie like me to reliably tell the difference? I have agreed with the seller to keep looking at the item through the weekend before making up my mind.

Another road I’ve traveled (if I like the optic) is talk to seller and see if he’s open minded to you shipping them to your service company at your expense. If the optic is not worth the cost ,you have your service company ship it directly back to the seller for a refund. If the binos can be serviced as to where they’d be enjoyable then negotiate part of the service costs in the form of a partial refund from the purchase price. Of this depends on what you purchased them for, how good they could be after the service and if you feel it’s worth the effort.

I’ve done this with a few vintage super wide angle bins I’ve bought under $200 that had some bad haze on prism and very tight hinge and focusers. After service they are now magnificent binoculars in my collection.

Full cleaning service at the two I recommended range between $125-$200, Plus your shipping.

Good luck.

Paul

 

[dries1]

Those Leitz Trinovids have a silver coating that deteriorates much faster than the silver coatings used today. My advice is to send them back, it will be a very expensive journey, and to top it off there are no parts available. Keep an eye out for another and ask the right questions regarding optical condition, if no response move on. In the future know the seller.

 

[NDhunter]

Another road I’ve traveled (if I like the optic) is talk to seller and see if he’s open minded to you shipping them to your service company at your expense. If the optic is not worth the cost ,you have your service company ship it directly back to the seller for a refund. If the binos can be serviced as to where they’d be enjoyable then negotiate part of the service costs in the form of a partial refund from the purchase price. Of this depends on what you purchased them for, how good they could be after the service and if you feel it’s worth the effort.

I’ve done this with a few vintage super wide angle bins I’ve bought under $200 that had some bad haze on prism and very tight hinge and focusers. After service they are now magnificent binoculars in my collection.

Full cleaning service at the two I recommended range between $125-$200, Plus your shipping.

Good luck.

Paul

I know Suddarth is much more than that. Thats why I posted above, the Leitz has the Uppendahl prism, and
has a higher charge due to complexity, they also do more than cleaning, they check alignment, etc.
This all takes time.
So, for those watching be sure you know the charges before deciding what to do.
Jerry

 

[Foss]

I'll join the chorus of experienced collectors above who say send them back. No doubt about it.

 

[Tristram]

The seller could now be playing your kind disposition.

Oh, I’m not so very kind, believe me!

There are problems with this seller, but me worrying about being able to return this item is not one of them. The terms are

30 days

Money Back

Seller pays for return shipping

in addition to eBay’s guarantee in case of dispute.

No, this fellow is a volume seller with ca. 11k sales who uses the same exact text to describe every single Leitz on offer, and so on for every brand he deals in.

I’m keeping them through the weekend to see if I can learn how to tell whether the fixable problem mentioned by Mr Link above is what’s wrong here.

@henry-link.6806, can you elaborate on this?

[I seem to have done that wrong. Can someone tell me how to flag an individual here?]

 

[Trinovid]

@henry-link.6806, can you elaborate on this?

[I seem to have done that wrong. Can someone tell me how to flag an individual here?]

The easiest and most reliable way to ask him a question is to use the Reply link.

 

[NDhunter]

I would recommend sending Henry a private message.
Jerry

 

[henry link]

I may have given you some false hope. I agree with everyone else that this is likely a lost cause, but since you're going to have the binocular for a couple of days you might want to try some diagnosing yourself. I would suggest shining a flashlight into the binocular from both ends while looking into it from the opposite end. Move the flashlight and your eye around. You may be able to tell whether a prism glass surface in the middle of the binocular or a lens surface in the eyepiece near the rear is the location of the discoloration.

Another possibility is that rain water penetrated the unsealed eyepiece and left a stain behind when it dried out