Zeiss Binos

[Darkplague]

Hiya!,

Am seeking some advice on these binos below.

Just bought a pair of old Carl Zeiss Jenoptem 10x50's, for $140 in the trader.
According to the serial number he gave me on the phone, they were made in 1980.

The guy on the phone tells me the optics look perfect and not dirty at all. What is the realistic shelf life of these coatings on the optics given that these binocluars are 25 years old?

Has anybody used these binos before?

I only wish I could have seen them firsthand, but they were from the interstate trader so I just had to trust that they will work.

Should receive them in the next few days!

[johnno]

Hi Mark.
Check Holger Merlitz,s page for info on Zeiss Binoculars,

http://www.holgermerlitz.de/
It is allways A gamble buying used Binoculars sight unseen.(Yes,I have done it,won some, lost some),until I discovered this little trick,Admittedly,not my Idea,Just something I learnt somewhere.
You can minimise this risk a great deal,by asking the seller to look through the OBJECTIVE LENS towards a bright, light source,I.E Look through them BACKWARDS,pointing the eyepieces just slightly away from the bright light.
if there is any obvious Fungus,or Mould in the lightpath,it WILL, show up.
PLEASE NOTE,Quite often you CANT see any problems like this when looking through them normally.
Of course,this doesn,t guarantee,ALL problems will show up,like Collimation issues,but this little test is better than none at all,as Fungus,and/or mould in used Binoculars,is a common problem,and VERY,VERY,hard to get rid of,if at all.
Happy new year all.
Regards.
John

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

I've got a pair of Ziess DEKAREM Q1 10 x 50's, serial #3854821 which I think are pre-WWII, they are still excellent. Serviced a few years ago by BATS in Melbourne. If they are looked after they will last forever!!!

[gbeal]

Me too, while not Zeiss, bought an old set of Leitz Wetzlars (similar to Zeiss) and they needed a real birthday. Fungus, no leatherette and collimation, but if you can find a decent bino repair facility they will indeed last a lifetime, if looked after.

[Darkplague]

What about DIY cleaning and collimation.
Does collimation require special tooling?
Has anybody attempted to do this at home?

[Merlin66 (Ken)]

Unless you want a couple of 50mm lenses for finders and some spare prisms for the junk box, or a couple of Erfle eyepieces ( designed for bino's NOT telescopes) then I strongly urge you NOT to even consider trying to re-collimate etc at home. Some things are best left to the professionals.

[johnno]

Originally Posted by Merlin66

Unless you want a couple of 50mm lenses for finders and some spare prisms for the junk box, or a couple of Erfle eyepieces ( designed for bino's NOT telescopes) then I strongly urge you NOT to even consider trying to re-collimate etc at home. Some things are best left to the professionals.

ABSOLUTELY, DONT DO IT.
The pro,s use a special Collimator,which not only costs $$$$,but requires a lot of specialised knowledge,on its use.
You can achieve,"conditional alignment",if you are lucky,and the "prism Tilt Screws",are easily got at.
If it uses "Eccentric Rings",it is also a nightmare.
With a good pair of binos,it is worth paying to get them serviced.

Happy new Year.
John