Russian 12X40 20x60 monocular question (1 Viewer)

[trancework]

Hello everyone,

I just spent £25 in a charity shop on a set of Zomz 12X40 20x60 monoculars.
They were very dirty so I decided to service and clean them myself.
I am now stuck, I cant work out how to take the eyepiece retainer off to
get at the components inside. I have tried using a makeshift strap to unscrew
the eyepiece retainer but it will not budge.
Is it left threaded or is that silly for me to think that?
I have attached some photos and would dearly appreciate any help.
Thanks

 

[trancework]

In the end I used a hairdryer to heat up the casing and with a bit of effort the retainer came loose.

 

[jring]

Hi,

thanks for posting the solution. Will try to keep in mind when I decide to clean my example.

Joachim

 

[WJC]

Hi,

thanks for posting the solution. Will try to keep in mind when I decide to clean my example.

Joachim

Pardon my ignorance, but how do they make a 40mm lens become a 60mm lens?

Bill

 

[jring]

Hi,

this thing has an interchangeable objective group and comes with a 40mm one for 12x and a 60mm one for 20x.

What you see in the pictures above is the body - there's either a small 40mm objective or the big 60mm going to the bayonet at the lower end.

Joachim

 

[kkokkolis]

And the 60mm lens has a greater focal lenght by a factor of 1.666x.
It's the Swarovscki fieldscope solution that comes from the past.

Living in the poor Balcan peninsula I grew a special taste for the Soviet simplicity and practicallity, which, paired with Western quality of manufacture might produce almost perfect results.

 

[trancework]

Here are a few pics.

 

[WJC]

Hi,

this thing has an interchangeable objective group and comes with a 40mm one for 12x and a 60mm one for 20x.

What you see in the pictures above is the body - there's either a small 40mm objective or the big 60mm going to the bayonet at the lower end.

Joachim

Now I get it. During the war years, the navy had a 7x50/9x63. I was shot down pretty badly over on "brand-x" about that. At least until I produced a photo.

Bill

 

[Binastro]

Opticron convertible monocular set c. 2005.
8x20 30x microscope
15x30 spotting scope 45x
25x30 spotting scope 75x

Monocular converters, 20 brands own and independent 1970s. 1000s of lenses. 1000s of different scopes.

Convertible lens sets 1800s, 1900s plus converters.

There are others.

It isn't new.

 

[ceasar]

Nikon did that to make its SE series of binoculars. Just screw in the proper objective tubes to get 8x32, 10x42 and 12x50. Of course there was that awkward problem of collimating them.:smoke:

Bob

 

[kkokkolis]

It's the same case with Canon 10x30 and 12x36 IS. Same body/eyepieces but different objectives.
With the 15x50 and 18x50 IS it's the opposite, just as with all 8x and 10x 32-42mm binoculars.

 

[WJC]

Nikon did that to make its SE series of binoculars. Just screw in the proper objective tubes to get 8x32, 10x42 and 12x50. Of course there was that awkward problem of collimating them.:smoke:

Bob

That's really not a problem . . . at least for a government! The US Army's M19 was such an instrument. They were made to such exacting standards the objective bells could be changed (or swapped) in the field by young soldiers (to any orientation) and still be collimated (their thought, not mine). I’m sure they were very proud. Two companies were put out of business trying to produce those standards and a third was put on the ropes before they had the sense to say, “Enough is enough.”

The CONCEPT was great, but the reality was . . . (is it time for the Churchill quote, again? Yep!)

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” :cat:

Bill